No visit to Burgundy is complete with a stop in Beaune, in the heart of the famous wine region. From the renowned Clos de Vougeot to the equally famous Montrachet vineyards, the Côte d’Or (”Golden Hillside”) is a must-see for any serious wine afficionado.

Besides the vineyards, Beaune is famous for its Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune), a hospital founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin. This building, with its beautiful multi-colored tile roof, is now a museum. The interior has been restored and gives a fascinating glimpse of how sick people were cared for, in one large room, with rows of curtained beds - each holding two patients! - along the sides. There is also a pharmacy, with old bottles labeled with the names of various herbs and other substances used as medicines. In the kitchen, with its massive fireplaces and cooking pots, you can see figures of nuns working to feed all the sick people.

The charitable institution now cares for the sick in modern hospitals, but its work continues to be supported by the proceeds from the sale of wine from its vineyards. Every November, a large charity wine auction is held in Beaune’s covered market. In 2008, 544 barrels were sold, 450 of red wine and 94 of white wine. 

If you have a few days before or after your Burgundy cruise, you may want to check into the gorgeous Hotel le Cep and tour some wineries, indulge in the local wine and cuisine, and just stroll around the quaint old town of Beaune.

 

 

The Canal du Nivernais is a favorite for barge cruising in northern Burgundy. Among the many day-trip options in the area, Guédelon castle, near Auxerre, is one of the most unusual. (It is one of the most unusual tourist sites in the whole of France, if you ask me.) Normally, when thinking of castles in France, you picture medieval fortresses in ruin or elegant Renaissance chateaus beautifully preserved. Not in this case, however. Guédelon is a 13^th-century-style castle being built as we speak. That’s right! A medieval castle under construction before your eyes. Cool! The project started in 1997 and is scheduled to be completed around 2025 or so.  The pictures above show an artist’s rendering of the finished castle, one of the towers built about half way up and a drawing of the floor plan.

What makes this project so unique is the way it is being constructed. No power tools or equipment are used. Only techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages are allowed. Every stone is cut with hammer and cold chisel; every plank is milled by a sawyer (or two); the rope maker turns hemp and sisal into ropes; the blacksmith hammers red hot iron on his anvil; heavy materials are hoisted by humans in a giant wooden squirrel cage; etc… No machines. No diesel fumes. Everything is made by hand or drawn by horses!

And, to recreate more completely  the illusion of living in a distant world dating back some seven centuries, the workers dress in period costumes. Their clothes are woven by on-site weavers using the wool from sheep raised on the premises. The three photos above show the rope maker, the blacksmith and the stone mason hard at work. 

The construction site, located in the middle of a forest and a stone quarry–two convenient sources of construction materials–is open to the public for visits. What fascinated me the most about Guédelon is the fact that you can easily interact with the workers while they are going about their business. They actually welcome discussing their methods with you and demonstrating age-old ways of making and building things. Obviously, kids love this type interactive display, but this grownup found his visit absolutely captivating. More pictures I took at the site: the squirrel cage and its hoisting mechanism and a draft horse waiting for his next load.