day 11 to Burgundy

Last night we entertained some swans to dinner with our stale bread. (French swans must have special necks to cope with the sharp edges of baguettes.)

This may have been a mistake as the goose that turned up looking for crumbs honked all night and competed with the many trains at stopping us from sleeping.

Day 11 Tuesday 15th Sept



David was up bright and early to supply us with baguettes and even more fodder for the ducks and swans.

We packed up the boat, ditching all our food that ducks didn't like and boarded the bus for the next stage of the tour to Burgundy.

First stop an old mill in the village of Aithe where a gentleman gardener pursues his passion for trees.

David was thrilled to see many different conifers including the rare South American monkey puzzle (centre of the trio).

Monsieur also has one of these enormous schnausers, called incongruously, Nookie.
Perhaps big gardens call for big dogs.

Lucy and Fab are seen here preparing lunch from the bus, a specialty of Merryle's tours, and that's Merryle having a preview.

It isn't far to Chateau Lantilly which was built in 1709 and has been in the same family ever since. We are escorted through the reception rooms of the house, everything so old and the weight of ancestors pressing down. There are many treasures here including a portrait of himself as a slim 15 year-old donated by Louise XVIII and sitting room hung with silk-worked tapestry wall-paper from Japan. The charming owner in his salmon linen jacket is tres agreable (they all are!)

A sweeping view over the plain shows where Vercingetorix (the Gallic warrior who was the model for Asterix) held out against Julius Caesar and many Roman artefacts are locked in a case inside the chateau.

Madame Claire has made a beautiful garden inside the old walls - though the vegetables aren't as good as they should be because the gardener had a 'crisis of the heart' this year.

And so we head to the beautiful city of Beaune and its 4-star Hotel Le Ceps where we attain the luxury of flushing toilets, separate shower and bath AND an internet connection.

There's a very special dinner in the hotel restaurant with wines courtesy of Merryle's husband David and rather odd food: meat terrine with the white wine and fish dumplings with the red. My eating companion says: "They should go to Margaret River for a decent white wine" but we all agree that the desserts are superb.