Day 59 - Beaune to Puligny-Montrachet.

Day 59. Beaune to Puligny Montrachet. 16km, 1:07.

We were met with a grey, rainy day this morning; fortunately we had planned to do some wine tasting and sightseeing in Beaune.

We started off at the Saturday market at Place de la Halles. My favorite thing - to stroll around and see and taste the produce of the region. Most of the fruit was from France, with some figs and apricots and melons from Spain. We stocked up on some delicious sheeps' milk cheese and jammon for supper as we are staying in the country and not sure that there will be a restaurant.

We crossed over the street to the Hotel de Dieu which was built in1443 as a magnificent Gothic Hospital (until 1971). It has beautiful turrets and a a pitched roof covered in colored tiles. A highlight is the magnificent masterpiece Polyptych of The Last Judgement by the 15th Century Flemish artist Rogier van den Weyden.

Just before lunch we made our way to the Basilica Collegiale Notre Dam. It was built from the 12-15 C and was once affiliated to the Monastery of Cluny. It is a beautiful example of Burgundian Romanesque style architecture. There have been some Gothic additions and the two imposing bell towers are  from the Renaissance era. There is an exquisite collection of tapestries in the Choir depicting the life of Virgin Mary.

We found a lovely restaurant near the Chapelle St Ettienne for a Plat de Jour which was uncomplicated and delicious.

We had to get to our appointment for a tasting at Louis Jadot at the winery at 14:00 so had a brisk walk to Route de Savigny about 2 km from the centre of town. The winery was bought in 1859 by Henry Louis Denis Jardot. It has grown over the years with the purchase of additional vineyards and currently produces 8-10 million bottles of wine a year. We were met by Christine Botton who took us for a tour through the winery. It was built in 1997 and has a circular design with the wooden casks and stainless steele tanks placed around the edge of the building.This cellar is only used to make Pinot Noir. 

The grapes are sorted outside, then brought into the cellar where the de-stemming is done and then the grapes are pressed. The long maceration process of at least 28 days is used to extract the flavours from the skins. From there the wine is put into small casks to mature. A combination of old and new barreled are used. The cellar is extremely efficient with minimum intervention. 

We tasted 4 beautiful Chardonnays, 1 Beaujoulais from their Chateaux des Jaques range which has been matured in barrels, and 3 excellent Pinot Noirs. We were totally blown away by the excellent balance of the Chardonnays, the acidity is good and there is just a hint of wood; they are so elegant. Christine said that they do not allow malolactic fermentation, and this is what keeps them fresh and lively with good acidity. The Pinot Noirs were exceptional, also very well balanced with excellent tannins. Great wines!

We picked up our bikes from the hotel; fortunately we could leave them there, and made our way to Puligny Monrachet 15 km away. We took the beautiful cycle route through the vineyards and Grand Cru appellations with a brooding grey sky in the distance. As we left Volnay we could see the storm approaching. It caught up with us 2 km before we reached Mersault, and were pelted with hailstones as big as golf balls in a howling wind. We managed to take shelter, but my legs are covered in round bruises baring witness to this.

In less than 5 minutes the whole 2014 crop was wiped out. As we continued after the storm all the vignerons were driving through their vineyards to assess the damage, my heart goes out to them.

We stayed in a Gite in Puligny Montrachet which was a wonderful find. Our hostess ran around chatting in French, bringing us a clothes dryer for our wet clothes, tea and coffee; we were bowled over by her hospitality. Our supper of baguettes was accompanied by an outstanding Louis Jadot Chardonnay, Marsannay 2011 ( WWS - as close to 10 as we are likely to see on our travels - delicious).

A memorable day!

Are the truffles fresh?

Saturday morning market.

Basilica Collegiale Notre Dam in Beaune.

The circular arrangement of Louis Jadot winery.

Cloudy weather as we head for Pommard.

The destruction from hail.

We camped here 16 years ago.

Looking back to Mersault.

Day 58 - Dole to Beaune.

Day 58. Dole to Beaune. 91km, 5h05.

We had an easy cycle along the canal on a slightly cloudy morning, with one deviation through two villages which was different to the route marked on the map. The signs were yellow rather than white and green, so this was obviously a new variation. We had a good old reminisce as this is the canal we barged along with the kids and Ouma and Oupa 16 years ago, a year before Oupa passed away. 

Three of the "Eurovelo awareness crowd" caught up with us as we reached the Saone River, so we had a cup of coffee with them in St Jean De Losne. Two of them were from the UK and one from Canada. They were bunking the morning reception with the mayor of Dole. Their trip is pretty hassle-free, as they don't need to worry about finding accommodation and most meals, but it comes at the price of sleeping in dormitories, with the orchestra of snorers, mass catering and not being able to stop and visit sights along the way. Our journey has certainly been more work, but perhaps more interesting.

After a short section down the Saone, we broke away from the Eurovelo 6 route and headed along regular roads towards the Côte d'Or wine region of Burgundy. The wheat fields are now gold, and we had our first views of fields of sunflowers just starting to bloom.

At the base of the slopes at Nuits St Georges and along the Côte d'Or there is an abrupt change from gold to green as the vineyards replace the wheat. It is remarkable to see the rapid development of the vines and crops over the past 2 months. When we arrived in Croatia the vines were in very young leaf, and now in Burgundy there are fully-formed bunches of pea-size grapes. We have seen young green wheat mature to golden harvest colour. The effect of the long daylight hours here is dramatic.

After wandering through Nuits St Georges and cycling a circuit through neighboring vineyards, we stopped at Domaine Dufouleur Pere e Fils, one of the oldest wineries in the area. It has been in the same family for 14 generations. Michel gave us a friendly welcome and showed us one of their regional Chardonnays, and three Pinot Noirs finishing with the 2008 Fixin Claude de Chapitre 2008 Premier Cru. We particularly enjoyed the St Georges de Nuit 2011.  

As we wanted to get a good view of the Côte d'Or, we decided to take the small high road to Beaune through the villages of Chaux and Villers la Faye, coming down through the Grand Cru vineyards of Corton. So we had a serious climb out of Nuits St Georges and were well rewarded with the views.

The traffic in Beaune was hectic. After a considerable search we found a TI who pointed us in the direction of the Hotel Alesia. Our supper of stuffed tomatoes was from the charcuterie down the road, accompanied by the fine Dufouleur St Georges de Nuit 2011 (WWS 9). 

A memorable and enjoyable day. We clocked a good distance without too much strain, and the with the help of a new tub of butt cream bought at some expense in Dole.

After 3000 km, Jenny's "golden fleece is in striking distance.

We barged along here 16 years ago.

A particular risk of cycling in Burgundy. The cyclist equivalent of "Don't drink and drive".

The Saone River looking towards St. Jean de Losne.

Tasting at the oldest cellar in Burgundy.

The vineyards above Nuits St Georges.

Grand Cru vineyards at Aloxe Corton.

Day 57 - Besancon to Dole.

Day 57: Besancon to Dole. 76 km, 4h30.

A glorious cloudless day greeted us this morning as we set off for Dole. Just outside Besancon we met up with the group of cyclists that started the EuroVelo 6 from Vienna to Nantes on the 30 May. There are 50 cyclists of all ages and from 10 different countries in the group. This is an event that has been organized by the French to promote the EuroVelo 6. The price is 25 Euros per person per day, this includes accommodation in hostels and breakfast.

This year the Tour de France will pass through Mulhouse and Besancon for stage 10 and 11. Sorry we won't be there to see the action!

We got chatting to one of the EuroVelo group, a British guy who works for the BBC. He cycled past and said he liked our cycle tops - we were wearing our Unite Against Poaching shirts. After he heard about the cause he said that he would do a posting about us on his blog. This is great! We also met up with a couple from New Zealand and a lady from USA, at our mid morning break. Fabulous to exchange experiences en route with them. They finish on 14 July in Nantes. We may cycle past them again.

We cycled through agricultural lands with sweeping views across the fields to the low forested hills which were backed by limestone cliffs as we got closer to Dole. We clocked 3000km as we passed through Thoraise. We can't believe it, we did 1000km in 16 days!

Lunch was on the banks of the Doubs at Anderland where a French guy and girl entertained us with there rock climbing skills up a sheer limestone cliff. They were both very accomplished climbers but gave us butterflies in our tummies as they made their way up like spiders.

Dole is situated on a rocky outcrop above the Doubs River; this meant we had a steep climb into town to the TI. We picked up a map for a self guided walking tour around town. This is a fabulous way to explore a town in one's own time. The map has some background info on the various sights and there are brass markers with a cat sitting on a fence - Circuit du Chat Perche. It is a reference to the writer Marcel Ayme ( 1902 - 1967 ) who spent his childhood and teenage years here. Louis Pasteur a chemist and microbiologist was born in Dole. He is renowned for his work on vaccinations, pasteurization and bacteria fermentation. Many lives have been saved over the years through his research.

The Collegiate Church of Notre Dam, built between 1509 - 1580, dominates the sky line. It is built in the Gothic style and has some beautiful stained glass windows which were replaced between 1840 - 1950. The large wooden organ was carved in the 18C by Karl Josef Riep.

We visited Dole 16 years ago when we were traveling through Europe in a camper van with the girls and my parents. We spent a lovely evening moored in a barge with a view of the Collegiate Church of Notre Dam which was lit up and looked magical in the evening light.It was lovely reminiscing. 

Supper was a take-away from the charcuterie with a good bottle of Jura Pinot Noir (WWS 7) on the banks of the Doubs.

Leaving Besancon, river on one side, ramparts on the other.

The fortified cliffs above Besancon, and the exit from the tunnel we came through.

A milestone passed near Thoraise.

The WWs taken at 3000km by a wobbly photographer.

The water curtain at the entrance to a canal for barges. We had to go over the top.

Now that's Eco-cooking.

Hollyhocks along the bank.

Spot the rocker-climber. It gives me the wobblies.

Approaching Dole.

The view from our evening picnic site. The top half a photo, the bottom Monet.

The "Gossips" watching the folk of Dole.

Evening in Dole. We spent the night here in a barge 16 years ago.

Day 56 - Montbeliard to Besancon.

Day 56. Montbeliard to Besancon. 108km, 6h15.

An early descent down the precipitous staircase of the old hotel (massive keys with huge brass numbers attached) and we were straight onto the Eurovelo 6 at the front door. Initially we had a flat cycle along the somewhat stagnant canal, but were soon faced with a  solid climb as the sides of the valley steepened.

During the course of the morning the scenery improved dramatically. Limestone cliffs and forests replaced flat wheat fields, and the canal joined the Doubs River which became progressively bigger as we pedaled west. We passed numerous weirs with locks alongside.

At lunch time we stopped at Baume les Dames and found a charcuterie selling take-away meals of the day, so we enjoyed cannelloni and stuffed chicken breasts in the town square.  This is definitely the way to go in France, a decent home-cooked meal at a fraction of restaurant prices. We were joined there by a Swiss couple who were cycling through and around the Franche-Comte. They gave us some good advice about cycling in Brittany should we get that far - they were told about rhinos in return .

The cycle path became busier as we approached Besancon. The route into the city first followed the extensive and impressive city ramparts. The old town of Besancon is situated in a tight loop of the Doubs River. We weaved our way through very crowded streets to the TI at the Hotel de Ville to get a map of the town. We had a long and hilly cycle to our overnight stop, which was a lot further from the city centre than we anticipated. Such are the joys of Internet bookings with their euphemistic descriptions.

Oh, when will hotels realize that people do wash clothes and need somewhere to hang them? It is as though they purposely make it difficult by having those flipping hangers that can't be removed and nowhere to attach a short washing line. Well, all they get for their obstructiveness is water dripping on windowsills and traction on the bathroom fittings. Paying guests will always need to wash clothes!   

Just needed to have a whinge as our chamois (butt) cream is finished so am uncomfortable - will have to find a cycle shop soon.

Early morning on the Doubs River.

The barges also have tricky choices - one of three ways to go.

This means trouble. The cycle route signs have probably been removed.

Following the 300 year old Rhone au Rhine Canal.

New Eurovelo 6 information towers. A lot of recent improvements have been made to the route in France.

L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs.

Limestone cliffs lining the Doubs valley.

The ramparts on the hill above Besancon. 

Day 55: Mulhouse to Montbeliard

Day 54. Mulhouse to Montbeliard. 58km, 3:05

It poured with rain last night but it had cleared by the morning. We made an early start as we had to catch the train back to Mulhouse to pick up our bikes. We were relieved to find that our bikes were still at the hotel, we packed our bags and cycled down to the TI to find where the V6 to take us out of town, is. The TI only opens at 09:30 so we decided to wing it. We made our way to the Gare Central and picked up the V6 from there. It is usually quite tricky finding the route from one's overnight accommodation. We have discovered that the route always passes the Gare and have managed to pick up the route like this quite often.

It was an easy cycle along a long flat route on the tow path next to the Rhone- au- Rhine canal. The Rhone- au - Rhine canal is a significant waterway of France. It joins the Rhone to the Rhine river, thereby linking the Mediterranean to the North Sea. Planning for it started in 1784 and it was finally completed in 1834. The canal runs through agricultural plains with the beautiful white Charolais cattle just starting to make an appearance here and there. The ripening wheat fields juxtaposed by the bright green young corn fields made for a beautiful patchwork of contrasting colours landscape.

The cyclists on this stretch were few and far between, we only passed 8 people with touring bikes, such a change from Germany. The cyclists have been really friendly - there are very few that don't give one a cheery Bon Jour.

After a good cycle we got to Montbeliard for lunch. The town is in the Doubs Department of the Franche - Comte.The Chateau de Montbeliard was built by the dukes of Wurtemberg and stands high on a rocky promontory at the entrance to the town. It has been changed many times over the centuries. The Henriette tower, was the last addition in the 18 C.

It was such a lovely evening so we decided to have a picnic supper in the park with some delicious Martin Jund Schlossberg Riesling 2012. We felt that this Riesling was a bit young and would still be good for another 5-10 yrs.(WWW 9). 

There were long flat stretches alongside the Rhone-au-Rhine canal.

The locks line up to climb over the hills between the two river systems.

The boats were concentrated around the locks.

Out to dinner in the Parcel la Rose, Montbeliard.

Day 54. A day in Colmar, Alsace.

Day 54. A day in Colmar, Alsace.

The Alsace wine region lies just north of Mulhouse, and as we had cycled every day for the last twenty, we decided to have a rest and to leave the bikes in Mulhouse and catch a train to Colmar for the night. We had initially thought of cycling there; what would have taken us 4 hours by bike took 16 minutes by train. The French railway system really is amazing.

The vineyards on the southern slopes of the Vosges mountains were evident as we approached Colmar across the plains. The old town of Colmar is immediately appealing. It is a maze of cobblestone streets lined with characterful and colourful half-timber houses, and pots of red and white petunias and geraniums. 

On the good advice from the TI we found our way to the outlet of the Domaine Viticole de la Ville de Colmar winery in the centre of Colmar. There the young and enthusiastic sales lady gave us an excellent and extensive tasting of a range of their Rieslings, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminers with a Grand Cru of each cultivar from the 2009 to 2012 vintages, as well as their 2011 Pinot Noir. We particularly liked the Cuvée de Unterlinden 2009 and the Hengst Pinot Gris Grand Cru 2010. The Pinot Noir was both austere and intense - a serious but beautifully structured wine.

The Alsace Rieslings have a higher alcohol concentration and are dryer than those from Germany; the Pino Gris wines are sweeter. Surprisingly, in spite of being quite far north, the Alsace vineyard region is one of the driest wine regions in France with a rainfall of less than 600mm per year.

Having been thoroughly spoiled at this winery, we stopped in at Karcher, a smaller family-run cellar. Here we tasted an acidic 2012 Riesling, a sweet Pinot Gris and very floral Gewürztraminer. By this stage we needed a meal, so wobbled into the Les Racines Restaurant for their excellent plat de jour of roast beef followed by strawberries.

After exploring the town further and settling into our distant lodgings we visited Martin Jund  wine cellar. Here the relaxed and friendly winemaker opened numerous bottles to show us their full range of 5 different Rieslings from different terroirs, as well as their 2012 Gewürztraminer (which he recommended should accompany the local Munster cheese) and an outstanding 2008 Pinot Gris late harvest. The difference between the Rieslings grown on granite soil compared to clay soils was marked. We particularly enjoyed his 2010 Grand Cru Riesling from the granite Brand Vineyard.   

We huddled in light rain under an umbrella on a quiet park bench for an evening picnic of the Cuvée de Unterlinden Riesling (a unanimous WWS 9), baguette and a round of Munster cheese. This is a soft intense cows' milk cheese which some may call strong and pungent but we really enjoyed it. 

A thoroughly good day! Tomorrow we will be ready for the bikes again. We would have loved to have spent a few days cycling around the Alsace but the Atlantic is calling and we  have only a month left.

Street scene in Colmar.

The shop signage in Alsace is elaborate and fun. 

Half timber houses struggle to stay upright.

Getting some support from the railing after an extensive tasting.

Lunch time in France. No one on the street, everyone eating.

Decisions decisions.

The Little Venice section of Colmar.

And again.

Picnic in the park.

The local Munster cheese.

Day 53. Basel to Mulhouse, France.

Day 53: Basel to Mulhouse, France. 52 km, 3:06.

It was a beautiful day as we cycled out of Munchenstein through the quiet streets of Basel. Michael very kindly offered to show us the way. After only 5 km we were in the centre and made our way along the Rhine through the industrial area. Novartis and Roche have their headquarters here, with Roche in the process of building the highest structure in Europe.

Michael left us at Hunigeu on the Rhone au Rhin canal. This is where the three countries converge on the Rhine. It was fantastic to have a personal tour guide and navigator pointing out some landmarks that we would never have seen otherwise. What a lovely evening we spent with Jenny and Michael and lovely to meet their dear little Laurin of 3 months.

The remainder of the route hugged the canal through Kembs. We watched some exciting kayaking on a special course just outside Hunigeu. These guys are so skilled at passing through the gates in both directions, no wonder they do so well at the Olympic level.

A lady and her son cycled passed outside Mulhouse and when she saw our cycling shirts she stopped for a chat and to find out if we were genuine South Africans. It turned out she was born in Pretoria, went to university in Durban and married a Frenchman and is living in Mulhouse.

The whole atmosphere changed as we cycled over the bridge into France. The cyclists are so friendly we had to haul out our rusty French and cycled along Bon Jouring everyone that we passed.

The route was prettier than we expected along the canal. Being a Sunday everyone was out and about, fisherman, cyclists, joggers and walkers enjoying the sunshine. We cycled into Mulhouse through an area with unattractive buildings and surroundings, but once we made our way to the market square, the Place de la Reunion, where we were met with a cheerful exhibition of Alsacian dancing. The Town Hall (1552 ) is a handsome Rennaisance building with beautiful murals and a double external staircase. the sight of lovely old half - timbered buildings set around the square. The beautiful Church of St Ettienne has stained glass windows from the 15 C and choir stalls from the 17 C.

Mulhouse was an independent Alsacian city in the 13 C then became Swiss and then German and back to the French in the early 19 C. It is situated in the South of the Alsace between the Black Forest and Voges mountains. That explains why there is a strong German influence in the cuisine and architecture of this area.

We found the food in the restaurants that were open on a Sunday quite pricey and ended up eating in an Italian restaurant where we had the most delicious lasagne.

Laurin looking nervous - Who is this strange old man?

Setting off with Michael.

Basel Munster and old city from the other side of the Rhine.

Directions to three countries.

The small spire in the centre marks where three countries meet.

Kayak course on the canal in France.

Alsacian folk dancing in Mulhouse. 

Hotel De Ville in Mulhouse.