Today we packed up (again) and left Lyon for Beaune. Our train didn’t leave until 1:25 pm so we grabbed a couple of pain-au-chocolat and wandered around Lyon. It was another beautiful morning, as our luck with the weather continues. There was a large open air market down by the river, it was nice to wander through the stalls. Lots of local produce, but some of it was imported and not local. There was a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, flowers and wines. We were thinking how great it would be to have a market like that every Saturday.
We took the metro to the train station. I’ve mentioned previously how great the Lyon metro system is. It’s great to have a local metro system that connects directly with the rail way system. It really makes getting around easier. We made it in good time to collect our tickets from the automated ticket machines (which work great) and proceeded to wait for our train. It was a few minutes late arriving from Geneva but only a few minutes. Deanna struck up a conversation with a recently retired couple from Ontario that were spending five weeks in France. They too were headed to Beaune and have been staying in rental apartments in each of their stops along the way.
The trip to Beaune was uneventful. The train we were on wasn’t a direct one so we did make five or six stops before our town. We walked to our hotel (le Cep) and checked in. It’s a wonderful old hotel that has seen recent renovations. Our room is palatial by European (actual any) standards. I think we’ll be very comfortable for the three nights that we’re here.
We’re in the heart of the Burgundy wine region and are looking forward to tasting some great wine.
We walked about the town for a bit and made reservations for 7:30 at one of the restaurants that the guidebook recommended. They had 15 or so wines by the glass and a pretty traditional menu. Deanna had a salad and escargot, I had a beef bourguignon both pretty tasty.
We booked a vineyard tour tomorrow so we’re looking forward to that.
