|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 14:57:34 GMT -5
It has been a typically gray and damp winter in Paris so far but I noticed for the upcoming weekend of January 15th and 16th that the weather forecast was looking pretty good with warm temps around 12°C to 15°C. Especially good weather was predicted for the Burgundy region so that was all the motivation the Mrs. and I needed to take a weekend trip to Burgundy. Heading south from Paris on the A6 somewhere near the Orly airport it looked like this at about 8:20-8:30AM.   Like most trips I take and true to my travel style I did very little planning before I left and really only had a couple of specific places I wanted to see. The rest of the time I just wanted to wander around and see what might happen. Being that I was a geography major in college and owing to the fact that I have no drivers licence Mrs. FMT assumed the drivers seat while I handled the navigational duties with the map. I am an excellent map reader and she is an excellent driver, which is why neither of us assumes responsibility for making the wrong turn and getting lost. Truth is, it's always her fault but since she doesn't know I'm writing this I can get away with saying that....for now. I'm going to be in the doghouse when she discovers I've posted this report on travel forums. But I know how to calm her down by simply doing some of my outstanding mime impersonations, like peeling a banana, or being stuck inside an invisible box but especially when I do the choo-choo train. She laughs really hard at the choo-choo train. Entering the Burgundy region I was looking over the map deciding where I wanted to go and as we approached exit 21 I noticed the town of Noyers-sur-Serein. I knew it was supposed to be a pretty little medieval town so I told the Mrs. to turn here. Normally I think she likes to be warned more than 25 meters before an exit that we're about to turn but this is just part of my impulsive, throw caution to the wind travel style. Besides, there was nobody in front of us or behind us who was bothered by our fishtailing highway exit maneuver. Did I mention that she is an excellent driver? Noyers is designated one of the most beautiful villages in France. Its origins go back to Roman times but it next reappears in history when a powerful family, Miles de Noyer, arises in the town in the 12th century. One of its members, Gui de Noyers would become the Bishop of Sens and was later crowned Philippe Auguste in 1180. Hugues de Noyers, Bishop of Auxerre, built a powerful castle on a hill above town in Noyers at the end of the 12th century that was known as ''one of the proudest castes in France''. He also built a defensive wall around the town at this time, which protected the town from the seige of Blanche of Castille in 1217. The Miles dynasty ended in 1419, as their was no heir, and the town came into the possession of the Dukes of Burgundy. The prince of Condé became count of Noyers. He made a Huguenot place of the city and took refuge in it during the wars of religion but Catherine de Médicis dislodged him. Later the castle was dismantled by Henry IV in 1599. After this time the town slowly retreated from history. Today the town still retains a good portion of its medieval remparts and a few entry gateways as well as numerous half-timbered buildings and other wobbly looking structures. It's a very pleasant place.      We took a stroll along the river outside the remparts and headed for a hill behind the town where the remains of the old castle stood.   There's not much that remains but they are trying to restore a portion of what is left standing.  A little masonry workshop had been set-up where stonecutters were crafting various decorative pieces.   |
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 14:58:26 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 14:59:19 GMT -5
Being that it was around lunch time and we were hungry we had to choose a town to visit for some lunch. In rural areas like this your chances of finding a half decent restaurant, or any restaurant for that matter, in any of the small towns and villages are pretty slim unless you are lucky or know where you're going. Even slimmer when you visit them in January, out of tourist season. And since lunch is usually only served from noon to 2:00 your best option when in our situation is to look on the map for the largest town near you, where you have a better chance of at least finding food of some form. The large town nearest to us was Montbard so that's where we went. Arriving in Montbard we followed the signs for parking and ended up in the parking lot at the train station and right next to the tourist office. The first things you usually notice when you pull up to a train station in France is that next to it there is always a ''Hôtel de la Gare'' and a ''Restaurant de la Gare''. If you've ever been to one of these fine establishments (as I have on many occasions) you know that they are usually the crummiest restaurant and hotel in town and are best avoided unless you are desperate and/or budget conscious, or perhaps just seeking adventure. Crummy though they may be, it is not uncommon to leave one of these places with a memorable experience. Whether one considers it a positive experience (Wow, I ate that without barfing!) or a negative experience (Are you smelling what I'm smelling?) depends on your interpretation, and sense of humor. Not knowing what we might find in town we perused the menu of the Restaurant de la Gare just to give us a comparison to what may await us. Very typical looking food with very typical prices. We noticed a waitress inside casting a wise and knowing glance in our direction while we considered our options. A smile crept across her face as we turned and walked away towards town (''They'll be back'' she must have thought ''They always come back'').    We didn't walk every street in town but stuck mostly to the ones that seemed to have stores and commerce, where food establishments would most likely be located. Being off season some places were closed and the only places we saw open were less than appetizing looking pizza and kebab joints so we resigned ourselves to the inevitable, lunch at Restaurant de la Gare. Heads hung low in defeat we entered the restaurant to discover what sort of memorable experience may lay in wait for us. Our waitress, who must surely be satisfied with the victory of prognosticating the return of yet another customer who was seeking to eat elsewhere, had two menus ready for us (d**n! She knows she won.). We ordered a couple of vegetable and cheese bruschetta which were acceptable, albeit somewhat devoid of flavor and the ability to satiate ones appetite. During our walk around town we noticed a few other tourists and while we dined, slowly, group by group, they all made their way into the restaurant, heads hung in a similar manner of defeat as ours. Well, nothing truly memorable happened this time and meal finished, we returned to the car to continue our journey. The next town on our agenda was Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, like Noyers it is a medieval town classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France and sits on the edge of a plateau perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking the valley below. Before arriving in the village the Mrs. told me that the movie ''Chocolat'', starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, was filmed in Flavigny. I've never seen this film and the reason I was attracted here is because a few years ago I was visiting the Roman ruins at nearby Alise Sainte-Reine en route to Dijon and driving through the valley below the village I thought how charming it looked and that I'd like to visit sometime. Alise Sainte-Reine is famous as it was the reputed battle site between Caesar and Vercingétorix, the Gaulish leader who for a time resisted Rome by uniting the numerous Gaulish tribes and whose legend is considered the origin of French national identity. Caesar's campsite is shown on the Michelin map as being just east of Flavigny. The Roman ruins at Alise Sainte-Reine aren't all that interesting and date to a time long after the famous battle but it is kind of cool being on such hallowed ground and imagining. A museum dedicated to the battle and the history of the site is under construction near the village. We passed by it and it looks like they might have another year to go before work is complete. Besides its inherent charm and the fact that a famous movie was filmed here what also makes Flavigny famous is Les Anis de Flavigny, a small pearl shaped candy flavored with anise seed. The building where this candy is produced is open for guided visits but was closed during our out of season visit, so I didn't get to taste it. I'm not sure I'd enjoy anise flavored candy anyway. Sounds kind of medicinal, and since it was originally produced by monks I'm sure that may well have been its intended purpose. I'm going to cheat a bit here and instead of recounting the history of the town I'll provide a link to wikipedia, which gives a brief but adequate summary of the towns history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavigny-sur-Ozerain        If you've seen the movie Chocolat, the Mrs. Tells me that the building in the center of the photo below was where the chocolate shop was located.  |
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:00:13 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:01:12 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:02:39 GMT -5
The Michelin map shows the source of the Seine river as being a few kilometers away from Frôlois but we didn't have time to visit. Leaving Frôlois we moved on, catching one last view of it from a distance as we drove away.   The road led up a hill and into a forest before re-emerging and descending downwards on the other side approaching the town of Thenissey.    The road went over a hill and through another forest and we approached the village of Hauteroche.   That was all the get lost driving we had time for since we wanted to arrive in Semur-en-Auxois while there was still some daylight. There was still some pleasant scenery along the way but we didn't feel like slowing down or stopping for pics. Semur-en-Auxois is a somewhat well known Burgundian village and although not too large offers enough in the way of services and amenities to make it an attractive place to base yourself in this region. But its biggest draw is the town itself due to its medieval heritage in the form of impressive ramparts, towers, windy streets and ancient buildings, and of course, it sits on the edge of a plateau overlooking the river valley below that surrounds the town on three sides, which would have been a defensive plus back in the day. Legend has it that Semur was built by Hercules on his return from Spain (I have no idea what he was doing there) and it first enters written history in the 7th century. It was built up with its present walls, towers and ramparts from the 13th to 15th centuries. Besieged in 1589 during the wars of religion Henri IV had its primary fortifications dismantled in 1602 and it lost its defensive role. There are all kinds of tidbits of minor historical interest scattered throughout the village and you can get yourself acquainted with them by stopping at the tourist office and obtaining your map and info. We were looking for a cheap place to stay and since there are only a few hotels in town we chose the cheapest, Hotel du Commerce, which was 56 euros for a double plus 7 euros each for breakfast. The hotel obviously occupied what was once a prestigious noble residence as evidenced by the grand staircase, high ceilings and large room size and configuration. Too bad the decor wasn't as grand as the building. You know, a little paint and some up to date bed spreads don't cost much money and go a long way to brightening up the atmosphere of any hotel. But I wasn't there to admire the decor and our room was good sized, with a comfy enough bed and the building still had charm due to its architectural integrity so I was pretty happy with it. Our room even had a wall of exposed brick and a non-working fireplace to add a bit of charm. Their website says some rooms have been renovated but I don't think ours was one of them. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again if I were returning. We checked into the room and the Mrs. took a nap while I went out for stroll to get some pics and learn my way around town. In towns the size of Semur I like to walk on every single street and thoroughly orient myself with the town so I know where I am going and what there is to see without leaving any potential surprise undiscovered. It is definitely a town where every single street is worth walking and where scenic photo ops abound at every turn. Picturesque is an understatement when describing Semur. Sunset was approaching quickly so I knew I'd only get a few daylight photos but I also knew the village would light up at night and offer some glorious night time photo ops. So off I went with my camera.    The gothic church was built in the early 13th century where there had previously been an 11th century Romanesque church. It was restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century.              |
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:04:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:05:22 GMT -5
I'm going to interject here to tell you about a little anecdote involving Semur which dates from the 16th century. If there are those of you reading this report who have delicate sensibilities or are easily offended by tales recounting sexual escapades I would suggest you skip the following paragraphs and go right to the pictures that follow this tale of strange and wondrous travel adventure which I will recount for you. Normally when writing trip reports I do all the research and writing and occasionally the Mrs. might help me with a little bit of research. Often she finds just the right anecdote to add a touch of color to my reports. She is one smart cookie, let me tell you. She really outdid herself this time, however, so let me tell you all about what she found out. If you enter Semur through the gate at the tourist office (the barbican) after you pass through the second gate look up and behind you to the rafters overhead. There you will see the motto of Semur, which looks like this.  What this says is "The people of Semur really enjoy the company of strangers. - S. Munster 1552". Sounds very welcoming, doesn't it? However, when the town of Semur chose this quote as their motto they conveniently omitted the end of the sentence, which translates to "but more than that, they hate the French". But that still wasn't the whole quote, which only goes downhill from here. Now, let's put this sentence into its original context, that is, an account of German traveler Sebastian Münster's visit to Semur in the mid 16th century. The first paragraph is the original 16th century text in old French. Those of you that have some grasp of the French language may have fun trying to decipher the meaning of this text. In any case, the modern English translation provided by Mrs. FMT will follow. "Les Semurois se plaisent fort en l'accointance des estrangers, mais haissent bien davantage les Françoys. De faict, lorsque je me rendys en cestuy bourg je fus ascueillys fort plaisament par ses habytants. Toutes foys je ne pus trouver oncques auberge pour y reposer, aussi je demandoys le gite à quelque bergier qui voulu bien m'hesberger pour une nuyté dans sa bergiérie. La nuyt, tandys que je dormoys pesament j'oys un grand bruy, je crus qu'il s'agissoy d'une beste. Cestoy ledit bergier qui venoy tou desnudé de son corps, il s'estriva avec un mouston et l'enscularda derechef sans austre forme de proçay dans l'enscoulure de son postérieur. Il me proposa de le resjoyndre, je restrivai puis acceptoy, et prist la place du milyeu, dite place françoyse en cestuy constrée. Les Semuroys sont décidément de fort joyeux bousgres." "The people of Semur really enjoy the company of strangers. But much more than that, they hate the French. In fact, when I arrived in the village, I was very well received by its inhabitants. However, I could not find an inn where to rest, so I asked a shepherd if he could put me up for the night. At night, as I was sleeping tight, I heard a great noise, I thought it was a wild animal. But it was the shepherd who, completely naked, grabbed a sheep and started f**k**g him right in the ass. He invited me to join in the fun. I declined at first but finally accepted and placed myself in the middle, which place is called 'the Frenchman's place' in the region. The people of Semur are decidedly very jolly fellows". Wow! I thought I wrote good trip reports but I've got nothing on good old Sebastian. He was one wild and crazy guy. And now that I think about it, wouldn't you say this is quite a strange anecdote from which to choose the motto of your town? So, who was this Sebastian Münster? Sebastian was a German scholar whose 1544 work "Cosmographia" is the earliest German description of the world. It had numerous editions translated into Latin, Italian, English, French and even Czech and was one of the most popular and successful books of the 16th century. For the sake of being able to put a face to a name, here's a photo of Sebastian in a much more dignified pose than the one in which he found himself in Semur.  A portrait of Sebastian was featured on the old 100 DM German banknotes until the early 1990's. So proud of their heroes, those Germans. And now, back to the photos.                    |
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:06:42 GMT -5
It was around noon at this time so we decided to have lunch before heading off to explore the countryside. There was little place near the church I had spotted the night before that seemed to be buzzing with all the locals and looked quite lively. It was a bar/restaurant combo with the restaurant being called Le Carpe Diem and the bar called Au Bon Coin, but it was all the same establishment. It was still buzzing with locals at lunch time and was definitely the place where they all hang out. The decor was low budget artsy-chic and the the walls were decorated with paintings for sale by local artists. They were kind of nice and unique paintings actually and I wish I had taken a photo of one or two of them, although at 600-700 euros they were out of my price range. The food was good and reasonably priced and the funky decor and lively local atmosphere made it even more enjoyable. Lunch finished, we hopped in the car and headed off to explore the countryside. Here's one last look at Semur.  We headed west and entered agricultural terrain.  The first village we entered was Epoisses, the town from which the aforementioned cheese derives its name. Its history goes as far back as the 6th century when Queen Brunehaut, Regent of the kingdom of Austrasia, used to stay there. The town is defined by its château, which has medieval origins. The exterior is mosty 15th to 18th century construction with interior decor from the 17th to 19th centuries. The Dukes of Burgundy and Kings of France always made sure it stayed in trusted hands due to its strategic location. In the 17th century it is said that it was visited by the Prince of Condé, who owned the castle at one time, and also Madame de Sévigné.Several other illustrious historical figures are attached to its history and you can find out about them if you visit. As for the cheese history, its production was begun in the early 16th century by Cistercian monks who had taken up residence in the village. The château is open for visits in July and August at regular hours and from April through October (excluding July and August) by reservation. The exterior grounds are open year round and there is an honor system 2 euro entrance fee, donations made to the box at the entrance.        |
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:08:40 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:09:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 21, 2011 15:11:33 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Jan 21, 2011 16:14:16 GMT -5
This is an overwhelming report and I will have to come back to it when I have more time. However, two quick remarks, First. The practice of covering the stone buildings with plaster is possibly for two reasons One; to make it look pretty, much like a dressed stone building, i.e. by scribing regular lines to give the appearance of stone blocks, or Two; The stones were most likely bonded with lime mortar, this can be quite weak ( we had a house where , when the wind blew strongly, sand would be blown out from between the brickwork  ). In addition, in brickwork construted using lime mortar, bricks can be lifted off from the top to easily take a wall down course by course. If you have seen pictures of blitzed houses you will very often notice they reduce to apparently clean bricks, the mortar just reverting to sand and lime dust. If the stones were very irregular quite large spaces would have to be filled with this weak mortar, so weakening the wall. Second, I thought it was only the Welsh or Australians who interfered with sheep. |
|
|
|
Post by Jody on Jan 21, 2011 16:43:35 GMT -5
Like MOssie I hve to come back so I just looked at the pictures and a few lines. YOU DROVE??? I loe the picture of the thingy!
|
|
|
|
Post by Anne on Jan 22, 2011 9:58:10 GMT -5
There may have been some technical reasons for covering stones with plaster, but most Alsacian half-timbered houses used to be covered with plaster too, yet these houses are beams filled with cob(?) in-between, totally different than stone buildings technically speaking.
The reason why Alsacian half-timbered houses used to be covered with plaster was social status : if your house was "naked", it simply meant that you couldn't afford to have it covered. I'm totally convinced that the reason was the same for stone houses in other parts of France. I remember spending all vacations in SW France as a child, and no notable's old house would have exposed stones, well, unless it was a real manoir or castle.
Then in the early '70s authenticity became trendy, people realized that plaster made charming old houses look bland and since then façades have been little by little renovated to their initial look, whether stone or half-timbered.
|
|
|
|
Post by sunshine817 on Jan 22, 2011 11:01:11 GMT -5
That's what I'd always heard, Anne...but wasn't sure enough of its truth to say so.
Just think...plaster was the avocado-green shag carpet of its day!
I also know plenty of people in the southwest who have spent a small fortune having the rendering taken off of and out of their old houses and walls.
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 22, 2011 12:20:10 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Katharine on Jan 22, 2011 21:33:42 GMT -5
TO whom it may concern,
I have experienced the fine driving skills of Mrs. FMT and the navigation of Mr. FMT. To the extent that there is any "getting lost," it falls squarely on the shoulders of Mr. FMT. Mrs. FMT is without flaw.
Bruce, your currently rehabilitation notwithstanding, I want to be you!!
XO love to the Mrs.
KH
P.S. I might be moving to Egypt. What do you think about that?
|
|
|
|
Post by frenchmystiquetour on Jan 23, 2011 4:45:28 GMT -5
Katharine my friend, how the heck are you?! I am quite sure Mrs. FMT will agree with you about whose fault it is that we get lost but then again, as she will tell you, the husband is always wrong.
My re-hab is coming along. Only three more visits with the physical therapist and a few more with the dentist. It will still be at least a few more months, or longer, before my jaw works and feels normal again and I get the sensation back in my teeth but I feel fine.
I am very excited for you about your Egypt plan. You had mentioned that you had the desire to do something like this and I am happy to hear that the wheels of progress are rolling into action. Do keep me updated. I'm pretty sure there are cheap airfares to Egypt from France so your move has the added benefit of giving us somewhere warm (and sunny!) to go in the winter. Thank you for allowing me to invite myself to come visit you. And I think you know this but Shoesy is just next door in Israel so other OPF company isn't far from you. Also, I know on the AnyPortinaStorm website there is a member called Only Mark who lives in Cairo so if you need any tips you might be able to check over on that site and ask him. I hope things work out for you just the way you are planning them. Best of luck to you.
|
|
|
|
Post by Sandy M on Jan 23, 2011 18:01:34 GMT -5
Wow, Katherine!! That's quite a "PS" you added!! Good for you - what a wonderful opportunity for you - hope it all works out!
PS - you may have visitors!! It has been my life long dream to see the pyramids!
|
|
). In addition, in brickwork construted using lime mortar, bricks can be lifted off from the top to easily take a wall down course by course. If you have seen pictures of blitzed houses you will very often notice they reduce to apparently clean bricks, the mortar just reverting to sand and lime dust. 
Let the riot begin! LOL - 
hahahha