Day 338: a wine tasting at Pierre Andre

While Andrew is more of a beer kinda guy, I think I like beer and wine equally. After Julie and Antoine so generously shared a fair amount of their wine with us during our visit, it was icing on the cake when they announced we were going to visit Pierre Andre, a local winery and have a tasting. It was a much more intimate experience than our wine tasting in South Africa and we were so grateful to the young man (I have to say young man because he was so much younger than us and sooo much more knowledgeable about wine!) who poured our wine for us and explained what we were tasting. A tip of the hat towards this winery, because while the ones I’ve experienced (South Africa somewhat included) tended to be on the snooty side, Pierre Andre was anything BUT snooty. They were kind and welcoming and really downright lovely. Next time we visit Burgundy (and we’re not jumping several countries before going ‘home’) we’ll be back and chances are, we’re going to leave with a couple of cases of wine!

It was our last day in Burgundy, so it made perfect sense to be at the winery before lunch! We wandered through the cellars before making our way back upstairs for a really great tasting. We had more than the usual (I think around 4-5 different wines has been my experience elsewhere) and we were able to get more if we wanted!

I kept trying to photograph the dimly lit cavern with my lens and it wasn’t having it. You can see Julie catching me putting my camera on the table (above) but the light was simply not in my favor. Julie also got these pictures of me and Andrew – which is quite nice to have a few photos of us that we haven’t taken ‘selca (selfie) style’ of ourselves on one of our i-devices!

I was really quite sad to leave, although I’ve been getting better at not letting it show as much. Sometimes Andrew has to deal with me tearing up on a bus or plane after saying goodbye, but I think it was a little bit easier than most times because New York to France seems much more feasible than South Korea to France (or vice versa). So instead of going on and on about how much I hate goodbyes, I’ll instead indulge us all with a ridiculous amount of pictures of thefour six (dogs included) of us!

Day 337: Chateauneuf en Auxois

Chateauneuf en Auxois turned out to be one of the most photogenic places! It didn’t hurt that it was overcast- we were a little bit chilled, but it was fairly glorious to photograph all of the colors of doors and flowers and trees under the cloudy sky. We visited the fortification first, strolled through the town to the church, then strolled through again before the sun peeked out and we were able to enjoy another picnic lunch outside before making our way to Saint-Victor-sur-Ouche, where Antoine used to visit his grandparents! We watched a river cruise boat pull into a lock, walked down the lane, and even waded in the shallow river long enough to cool off, but not get too cold from the mountain spring water. Again, the day was wonderful!

I felt a little restricted not having a wider lens, so there were many times that I would curse the lens that I had, and back up as far as I could to take a shot. But the weather was working in my favor. We were chilled, but the grey sky made the colors really pop for these photos of Chateauneuf en Auxois and the little village surrounding it.

Inside Chateauneuf en Auxois, I was most impressed with the patterns of the wallpaper, or on the fireplace cover, or even the bedding in some of the rooms. The photos I took of the rooms themselves were too cropped, and quite simply didn’t do the rooms justice, so we’ll just stick with sharing the beautiful colors and patters found inside instead. I got a few (slightly cropped still) shots of the outside that do give the courtyard a bit of justice. How beautiful is this rose covered wall?

Perhaps you can hear me whispering excitedly to Andrew about the ‘murder holes’ we found overlooking the town below. Have I mentioned before on the blog that Andrew has teased me about installing these in our future home in America?

I’m sure we won’t run into any building code problems whatsoever in New York City if/when we ever request a few of these…

I might have gone off the deep end photographing the town. I just could not get enough of it. The ivy growing on houses, the rock walls, the bright yellow van parked in front of the bright red door… Needless to say, I was always tagging along behind everyone else or running to catch up after taking copious amounts of photos of the same yellow van and red door.

After a lovely picnic lunch, we headed to Saint-Victor-sur-Ouche. This little (and equally adorable) town was right alongside a canal. Cruises go up and down the canal. We had timed it somewhat perfectly to see a little ‘ship’ arrive to the lock and then move up the river. We found out that the cruises last one week, but if you were to drive the same distance, it would only take about two hours or so. When the boat was going through the lock, the passengers got off with bikes to go around and explore. I’m on the fence about cruises in general, so I’m wondering if one of these (very) leisurely canal cruises would be something I would like or not… Maybe I need to try a regular cruise first? Perhaps one (or both) will be part of our next Round-the-World trip?

Realizing we didn’t have very many group shots, I arranged my camera on my backpack, set the self timer, and ran (awkwardly ran) into the water to take a group picture. These are the best ones we managed to get. Afterwards, we (I) had a bit of trouble getting up the sharp slope back to the car. Andrew decided to help, and Julie documented it. (Nice job, Julie!) Later that night in the garden, Julie also documented how well Roule and I got on. She was a little camera shy though, and once she caught on to Julie photographing us, she ran off!

Day 336: A day in Dijon

I remember Dijon the most from my first trip to visit Julie. It was fun to be back and see how it’s changed- it mostly felt bigger than it did last time, which I suppose is true about nearly everywhere these days. We walked around, we took pictures, we ate croque madames et monsieurs, we introduced Julie and Antoine to the ‘selca’ shot (this is Korean speak for ‘selfie’ back home, it can be seen in my Instagram feed) and then when we were too hot and tired, we headed back to the garden for more glorious French food and wine. You have no idea how spoiled Andrew and I felt throughout our visit and stay with Antoine and Julie!

I managed to get everyone else in the “day in a minute” video making a wish and touching the owl for good luck. Julie managed to get a picture of me! Actually, thanks to her, there are more pictures of me up than usual! Since Andrew’s camera battery charger died, I’ve mostly been behind the lens rather than in front of it. Since Andrew’s camera went missing in Prague, unless I specifically hand it over, sometimes this blog reads more like ‘This Wisconsin Boy’ rather than ‘This Kentucky Girl.’ He pretends he doesn’t like it, but we all know that is far from the truth. It’s fun to share some pictures of me for a change! Merci beaucoup encore Julie!

I caught Antoine sitting in between these two pillars waiting for us to catch up. So. adorable. Then things got even better when he pretended to be a gargoyle. The one of him laughing is probably a bit better (and more flattering) than the one of him actually pretending he’s a gargoyle. Somehow mouth open, bent over doesn’t scream ‘I’m a gargoyle’ as much as it screams ‘I’m getting sick!’ (ha!) The streets were a bit empty, being August in France- most people are on vacation. It made for a very leisurely (and enjoyable) stroll. I even found some street art along the way that I quite enjoyed. The heart is probably my favorite.

Julie and I spotted an old sign in what was basically a driveway leading to a back courtyard. Julie and I both share a love of older prints and lettering. So, of course we had to take a few pictures. I experimented with a close up shot of the sign, but I’m not sure if it does the typography justice.

She led us past an old church that had been converted into a theater, into another church, and while I was in the midst of photographing the interior, my second lens of the trip decided to stop working. This is one aspect of the trip that I had not properly prepared for: the general wear and tear that would happen to our computers, cameras, and related electronic gear. I’ve had a lot of issues with my external hard drive (where all of my photos and videos from the trip- for the blog- and my portfolio reside) and a few lens issues. Were I to do this trip again, again, I’d travel with a camera bag instead of a ‘backpacker’s daypack’ and I’d have more of a backup plan in mind. Extra money set aside for broken lenses. An extra camera perhaps. Definitely an additional external hard drive. (I worry more its whereabouts than I do of my passport!)

I really wanted to travel with a high quality point and shoot in addition to my DSLR- but Andrew talked me out of it… He nsisted my iphone/DSLR combo was enough. For those not obsessed with taking pictures, this would have been sound advice. Unfortunately- I am obsessed. (Perhaps you’ve noticed?) Usually I travel (on shorter trips) with at least three cameras: a digital, an analog, an i-phone, and sometimes even a polaroid. From now on, I will always travel with a small (yet hopefully advanced) point and shoot.

Perhaps sand got into my daypack and then into my other lens. Perhaps I would have gotten even more footage and pictures having a point and shoot. Perhaps having a point and shoot more accessible would let me keep my DSLR tucked away when kayaking, trekking, etc. etc. My point is- if you’re a photographer, and you’re going on a trip around the world. Invest in a point and shoot in addition to your normal gear. You won’t regret it. Especially when your second wide angle lens of the trip bottoms out and you have to make a choice of what to get fixed and/or what to buy as a replacement!

We thought it would be appropriate if we take a group picture in front of the plaque solidifying American-French friendship. When we asked someone nearby to take the picture, they were a little confused as to why we would want our picture taken with the plaque- that is, until we told him of our own American-French friendship.

And then… guess where we had dinner? In the garden, of course!

Every night, Swing and Roule would want to come into our room. They weren’t allowed, but this did not stop them from trying. I managed to catch this picture of Roule in the morning just checking things out, seeing what we were up to…

Day 335: Burgundy

Bienvenue a Burgundy! Antoine and Julie took the reins during our stay and with our second day in the region, we headed to Autun and Beaune. Autun for a festival celebrating the people who first inhabited the area. Think Asterix, only not so animated. It reminded both Andrew and me of The Renaissance Festivals back home. After lunch, we headed to Beaune – mostly to see the Hospices de Beaune, an old hospital most known for its beautiful roof and perhaps to some, a charity wine auction. It was a lovely afternoon, but an almost better (?) evening when we were back in the garden dining on Julie’s homemade French dishes complete with more wine, bread, and cheese. We found ourselves again in food heaven.

We headed to Autun early, and made it just in time for some (gladiator arena-style-fight) reenactments. The performance – about four different battles- didn’t last long. Afterwards, we found Julie and Antoine asking one of the men questions. I tried to follow along as best as I could, but practicing my listening comprehension for the first time in a long long while proved to be rather difficult.

Julie prepared a wonderful picnic that we enjoyed in an old Roman colosseum- well, what was left of it. We brought along the dogs; Swing and Roulle. Roulle (Julie’s parents’ dog) took a liking to us. Andrew and I always argue over which one of us dogs like more. He won this time around. Roulle rested her head on his knee during at least half of our picnic. (You have no idea how much we’re looking forward to having a dog of our own when we get back. Like, almost as much as I’m looking forward to having a bed I get to sleep in for more than three nights in row.

I remember visiting the Hospices de Beaune in high-school. The roof is just as pretty as it was fifteen years ago. Would you believe this hospital was for the poor? Can you imagine if hospitals in America looked like this today?

We didn’t stay long in Beaune. Andrew and I weren’t disappointed, I mean- it was beautiful, and we appreciated it (of course) but, we had a feeling another wonderful dinner was in store for us back ‘home’ in the garden! And sure enough, it was. When Antoine handed us each a half of an avocado to start, Andrew and I were skeptical. But then we were introduced to quite possibly my new most favorite thing to eat. He then proceeded to pour olive oil into where the pit once resided, sprinkled a bit of salt on top and then mashed it up before eating it with some baguette. It was pretty amazing, and if you’re anything like me (lover of avocados. olive oil. bread.) you’ll quickly find yourself addicted. Oh behalf of Antoine, you’re welcome.

Day 334: a French reunion

Nearly fifteen years ago (ohmigoodness. fifteen whole years.) a lovely French girl, Julie, came to Kentucky to stay with me and my family for two weeks. A few months later, I found myself in France staying with her and her family. Fortunately we got along incredibly well. (The same cannot be said for all who participated in this exchange between our high-schools.) We got along so well in fact, that we’ve kept photo-albums and scrapbooks of our exchange. We sent each other Christmas presents for a few years after. I spent an Easter during my semester abroad in Italy with her and her family. Needless to say, when she heard about our trip around the world, she was insistent we stop by for another visit. Of course, I immediately said ‘yes’ and despite not seeing each other for eight years, I wasn’t exactly surprised when we were picked up (at 4:30 in the morning) Julie and I carried on like we just saw each other yesterday. Her and her wonderful husband, Antoine whisked us away to their beautiful home in the French countryside, let us crawl into bed for a few hours and then (little did we know) began to spoil us with a ridiculous amount of delicious French baguettes, cheeses, wines… and this was just the start of so much more goodness to come!

After a very leisurely lunch out back, in beautiful French fashion (olives and bread to nibble on with drinks, then the main course, then cheese, then fruit) all with wonderful wine, I hardly felt like a backpacker and instead, felt like a girl who just happened to be visiting her close friend in the French countryside for a few days. (I’m. so. lucky.) We went to a local rummage sale and then back to their abode to meet friends before being treated to a really wonderful dinner. Wonderful is an understatement. It was the nicest meal we’ve had during this entire trip. I was so excited, I had to take a picture of every course. I was thatgirl photographing her food. And her boyfriend’s food. I know I should have been more like ‘yea, I’m a world-traveler… I do this all. the. time.‘ with a flip of the hair of course… But obviously (if you’ve been following along) we don’t. Some nights bread and cheese is our dinner, not just the last course. (My standards have become increasingly low- especially after some of the less developed countries.)

Enjoy the beautiful food pictures below, and maybe you won’t blame me for going a bit bananas documenting our best meal! Julian (I hope I’m spelling that right!) enjoyed teasing me for being that girl taking pictures of her food. He asked if I wanted to take a picture of his desert as well. I said yes, as long as he was in it too!