Ah, Burgundy!

When our friends Kevin and Allan invited us to join them and about 20 other of their close friends to celebrate Kevin’s 60^th birthday for a week in Burgundy, France, we didn’t hesitate. They rented two chateaus in the little village of Mercurey, about a half hour drive from Beaune, a small medieval city. 

We drove from Geneva and thanks to not knowing how to program the car-installed GPS, ended up crossing mountains and traveling through villages. We rented bikes in Beaune and took leisurely rides each day through the vineyards and small towns. 

Each evening, we feasted, including taking our hosts to a three-star Michelin restaurant, Le Maison Lelemeloise, where we indulged in the three-course chef’s menu that in addition to three courses, included five little hor d’oeuvres called amuse-bouche, as well as tiny pre-dessert nibbles. We feasted on cheese and bread, drank local wines, and I, of course, ate my fill of fresh figs.

On our way back to the airport, we visited L’Hotel-Dieu de Beaune, a hospital for the poor established in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to the Duke of Burgundy and his wife, Guigone de Salins. 

Connecting with former neighbors  from where we all met in New Jersey, getting to know other friends of Kevin and Allan’s that we’ve met when we bike to their Pennsylvania farmhouse and meeting new people all contributed to a memorable and very special celebration.

 

 

(some photos provided by Melanie Urdang and Sarah Cherry) xoxox

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