Bonjour,

Beaune (pronounced like bone) is the wine capital of Burgundy. It was an ancient walled city connected to the Dukes of Burgundy. Beaune lies in the heart of the Burgundy wine-growing region. Like all of Burgundy, Beaune is not a tourist town but it still attracts many tourists. Beaune is one of the largest towns in Burgundy but it only has about 23,000 inhabitants.

1. Our first stop in Beaune was the Hotel Dieu or Hospices de Beaune, an old hospital. Vicky is standing in the courtyard. It was founded in 1443 by a wealthy couple and the owner’s intent was to create a Palace for the Poor. After a lengthy tour of the place, I would say mission accomplished. The main hall or Hall of the Poor had 30 beds and a chapel and was extremely fancy. The Hall of the Poor was where people went before they died. It was run by nuns. In keeping with my wine theme, the Hotel Dieu hosts a wine auction every year with offerings from local wineries of some of their best wines and the auction raises millions of dollars every year.

2. This is a street in the central area of town. There were many wineries in this area offering wine tastings and food. We ate our lunch in this area but not at one of the wineries.

3. I liked the architecture and the interesting winding narrow streets and all the friendly people here.

4. This was on the sidewalk outside one of the wineries. Each tube had a different smell which is commonly associated with various grapes and wines. It was a fun exercise for our noses.

5. This was the central square in Beaune. Carousels were another extremely common site in France. Many of them had very interesting things to ride. In this case, the rivers had many white swans, hence the one you see on the carousel.

Voila,

Bill