The Burgundy region of France, and maybe others, was never beset by the scourge of asphalt shingle. (I'm being dramatic, but you've got to admit asphalt is kind of bogus.) The French built with tile and slate, which lasts for a century or so. Plus, moss grows and the pigeons find little critters to eat...
This fairy-tale castle sits in an unassuming town in southern Burgundy. It is surrounded by moat and acres of formal gardens. Insane pruning goes on in France. They even have a tower in the middle of the garden that is enclosed with mesh so the parakeets can fly around in side while you climb the... Continue Reading →
Getting down to the end of this vacation in France, and we are all beginning to turn our thoughts toward the U.S. and Milton, Mass. Yesterday, we took our long-overdue trip to Dijon, by far the largest town we've visited on this trip. Dijon has a big-town feel, with a thoroughly modern urban sprawl on... Continue Reading →
Here's a well-kept secret about this town of Beaune: on nights when the weather is clear, several short films are projected on the facades of specific buildings and other architecture around town. The projectors are housed in these unassuming silver things that resemble ATMs. The images are kept precisely within the outline of the building... Continue Reading →
We went to visit the Abbaye de Fontenay yesterday. The drive was pure Burgundy: white cows, green rolling hills, and picturesque stone villages. The abbey is 1000 years old and was founded by St. Bernard. It thrived until the French Revolution, when, as usual, all hell broke loose. Before long it was a paper mill.... Continue Reading →
Here's a thing I learned about castles and French history while exploring the Chateau Du Rochepot (pictured here), which belonged to the Duke of Burgundy in the 1700s: During the revolution (1789), if you were an aristocrat like the Duke of Burgundy, you got out of dodge as fast as you could, and you didn't... Continue Reading →
Today, we went to visit the Chateau Du Sully (pictured here), a 16th Century hunting estate. Boar heads everywhere, antler chandeliers, rhino horns — a veritable battlefield inside (the animals lost). This particular castle is surrounded by a carp-filled moat. Huge fish that lunch at the bread chunks you're given in the gift shop for... Continue Reading →
Amy's birthday today! Drove out of town for the first time yesterday. Kids are starting to crack at the seams for lack of Playstation and Minecraft. Fights galore. I took this picture of cows. Could be Vermont were it not for the medieval house in the background. We stopped in a town called Autun, which... Continue Reading →
More exploration of Beaune today. We paid a visit to the central tourist attraction, pictured here, the Hotel-Dieu. In 1443, during the 100 Years' War (who fights for 100 years?), the town of Beaune was just devastated. A kindly citizen of means enlisted a number of artists to and builders to construct a fancy and... Continue Reading →
This post is dedicated to things the French do well. Starting with awesome cars that would never, ever, ever sell in the United States. Then there is the art of Chochon, or pork. This sinister painting adorns the door of a butcher shop. And let's not forget door knobs, which in France are in the... Continue Reading →
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