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I had been to 48 countries around the world before I managed to put my Australian snobbery about Bali aside and finally get there – Indonesia became number 49. I am so glad I got over myself – we had a blast! I travelled with …
Only 40km south of Adelaide, the McLaren Vale wine region is a patchwork of vines planted on rolling hills, framed by ocean views. Grape vines were first planted in the area in 1838 and the Seaview and Hardy wineries were operating as early as 1850. …
Beaune is one of those places that just charms your socks off. Gorgeous medieval buildings, cobblestone streets, French accents and every second shop sells wine or food! Especially at night, I felt like I was walking around in one of my favourite movies, Midnight in Paris. I expected Ernest and F. Scott and Zelda to come around the corner and take me dancing! I spent three nights in the region and was utterly smitten.
Beaune is the central town in the Burgandy (Bourgogne in French) wine region, about 35 km from Dijon. I actually stayed in Ladoix-Serrigny, a tiny little village about seven km out of Beaune in a delightful little Airbnb self-contained apartment out the back of a grand sandstone home (click here for a $55AUD discount if you haven’t stayed in an Airbnb before and you can read all about my tips for Airbnb here). My host was kind enough to loan me a bike for my stay and I had a wonderful time riding around the countryside through the vineyards. I knew I had a short time in France so, surprise, surprise, wanted to eat as much decadent food as possible! It was the first week of November and the weather was gorgeous. Crisp, cold mornings and sunny blue sky days, with the leaves on the vines on their last legs. I was told it was unseasonably warm for that time of year and I made the most of t-shirt weather during the day – layers were crucial for the cold nights and mornings.
There is something so delightful about riding a bike through the countryside, particularly when it’s filled with vineyards. There are lots of wineries in easy riding distance from Beaune where you can do tours through cellars or just ride past, taking photos of the grand chateaux. Villages like Ladoix-Serrigny have beautiful homes and little churches and schools to cruise past and bakeries to top up the croissant reserves. It’s always best to know where your next pastry fix is in France! If you want a slightly more organised experience, there’s also a 35km bike trail called the Voie des Vignes which runs from Beaune to Nolay and mirrors part of the Route des Grand Crus which runs from Dijon to Santenay.
I decided I was going to have a fancy meal in Beaune. I’d been mostly cooking during my time in Piedmont before I arrived in Beaune and was ready for a bit of indulgence. Based on an article I read by a wine writer, Robert Draper in the New York Times, I booked in for dinner at Le Bistro de l’Hôtel, mainly because of how much he raved about their Poulet de Bresse, saying ‘there is no better dish in all of France’. The Bresse breed of chicken has appellation d’origine contrôlée status and is served whole and roasted, with all of the butter.
The experience at Le Bistro de l’Hôtel was a little strange initially as the restaurant was entirely empty when I arrived at 7.30pm. I figured I was just super early, but it turned out only one other couple came in the whole night! I was already a bit nervous about solo dining in a fancy French restaurant, but it’s even more intense when you are one of three people in the whole place! As it turned out, I had a lovely experience once that early awkwardness passed and I just enjoyed the food and wine and delightful service.
The menu was very French and very traditional and it seemed clear to me I needed to try escargot again. The last time was 20 years ago with my friend Sarah in a much more low-key Parisian bistro (read tourist trap!). The owner (who also served me and was in the restaurant along with two other waiters, two chefs and a dishwasher – they definitely did not make a profit that evening) explained to me that the recipe was his grandmother’s and actually took me through the process step by step. The snails were garlicky and buttery and delicious and made even more so by understanding the story of the recipe.
Unfortunately, the much famed Poulet de Bresse was a dish for two, so I opted for the roasted chicken breast which ended up being half a chicken (and came with two types of potato which is basically heaven)! It was cooked beautifully; tender and moist and buttery with crisp skin that makes me salivate just thinking about it. I like to think it was pretty much the same thing as Poulet de Bresse, but with a chicken from just down the road perhaps? I finished with a Crème Brûlée, perfectly caramalised, with silky smooth vanilla bean custard waiting underneath. Cracking your spoon into the top of a Crème Brûlée must be one of the most satisfying sounds in the world, right up there with a champagne cork popping!
The benefit of only having three people in a restaurant is that you can pretty easily make friends with the other patrons! I was able to see the Poulet de Bresse carved and served at the table and the iconic Crepes Suzette also set on fire table-side whilst chatting to a lovely Canadian couple who bought a home in Beaune a few years ago after many summer holidays. So I got to watch the spectacle in the end after all!
The main event in Beaune, aside from the wines, is the Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel Dieu. It is a fascinating and beautiful building with its glazed tile rooves and panel paintings. It was founded in 1443 as a hospital for the region’s poor. In 1457, a parcel of vineyards was donated to the Hospice. For five centuries, wine has been made to support the works of the Hospsice, now housed in modern buildings whilst the original is preserved as a museum. A wine auction is held on the third Sunday of November each year and has been since 1859. Much of the wine produced is classified Grand and Premier Cru. It attracts collectors and serious wine buffs from around the world who pay big money for the limited volumes of wine produced each year, with all proceeds going back into the current hospital site. Christie’s holds the auction each year and has a great video about the Hopsice and the auction here.
Not probably what you want to hear, but I did not even begin to get a grasp on the wines of this region! I can tell you that the main grapes are Pinot Noir, Gamay & Chardonnay. There are six regions within Burgandy, including Chablis (exclusively white grapes) and Beaujolais (Gamay grapes), which if you grew up in Australia you probably recognise. Within those regions are nearly 120 appellations (official wine zones), some as small as 2.1 acres. And then, of those appellations, some are actually individual vineyards. It is these that can be designated Grand Cru (the best of the best) or Premier Cru (better than most, but not as good as the Grand Crus). It’s a complicated place to learn about wine – not helped by the fact the labels all look the same! This is a pretty good article to get some of the basics. And remember, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again!
Hostellerie de Levernois is a Relais and Chateuax hotel and golf club a few miles out of town. I rode the bike out there and partook of the lunch special in the bistro. €39 for three courses of great French classics and some more adventurous options also. It seemed a very popular option for golfers, business people and tourists alike.
This gorgeous place sits very high on my list of European Must Return To Places. I didn’t stumble upon The Cook’s Atelier until my last day which meant I couldn’t do one of their cooking classes and I was travelling very light which meant I couldn’t buy all of the things. All of them. I could have a very good coffee however, which was much welcome after leaving my beloved Italian coffee and being subjected to what the French deem acceptable coffee! Check out their website, it’s enough to make you book a flight to France all on its own.
For self-catering, on the northern edge of town, just near the main roundabout joining the A6 motorway, there is a fantastic organic supermarket called Grand Frais and bakery Boulangerie Marie Blachère. Go for the bread alone. Amazing. Then pop your baguette, fromage, jambon and a bottle of vin rouge into your bike basket and find a great picnic spot among the vines!
I first laid eyes on Crested Butte in the winter of 2002/03. I had just finished university and was due to start my first job as a baby lawyer in March 2003. A few months of adventure seemed like the right thing to do before …
Rome takes a little while to fall in love with. At least it did for me. But once you do, it’s going to be a long term affair. Having now returned to Rome twice in the last two years, I know this trip won’t be …
I am a roamer. The older I get, the less interested I am in ticking off a list of sights I have to see. I find myself drawn to smaller towns, to nature, to food, to hiking. To places and things that enable me to roam with no guilt. When I’m on holiday, whether it’s for a week or a year, I don’t want a big “to do” list. That’s the point, right? To get away from work and commitments! That’s not to say I don’t want a plan – I’ve talked about that before. But I guess I don’t want to feel obligated or guilty or have fear of missing out (FOMO is the worst!). Like I have to see that cathedral or museum, because, well that’s what you do here! By no means have I nailed that by the way, when I wrote this a few days ago I was fretting about not having enough time to get to the Abbey of Fontenay in Burgandy!
I think this is partly why I fell in love with Slovenia. It is a place that allows, no, almost insists, on you just being there. Not racing from place to place with your head in a map. It slows you down, sometimes stops you in your tracks. For lots of reasons, but mainly because it’s just so f*cking gorgeous. It’s not that it doesn’t have great galleries and old churches and museums and plaques commemorating historical events and important people and shopping and all the rest. It has all of that. It’s just that the sheer, overwhelming, stunning beauty of the environment means everything else comes a distant second. I’ve not met a single person who has been to Slovenia that hasn’t raved about it. But neither have I met that many people who have actually been! And it would be disingenuous to suggest that is not also part of the appeal.
I’ve told you about Ljubljana and Hiša Franko. Here is a little about the rest of Slovenia that I visited. I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, I will be back.
Bled is probably the most recognisable and visited destination in Slovenia. It is firmly ensconced on any Eastern European tour itinerary. It’s just that it’s usually a day trip, or maybe an overnight stop, and not a lot more of Slovenia is seen. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but most of the big coaches pulling in were gone again that evening. It’s worth a couple of nights here at least, especially if you want to do some hiking.
Firstly, if you happen to be doing the drive from Lake Bled to Kobarid, take the Visnic Pass if it is open. It only stays open about 8 months a year for cars. It was an incredible drive. The road itself was built by thousands of Russian prisoners of war and there are several stops along the way with great information boards telling their story. This was one of those drives where you stop frequently because it’s just so beautiful!
Dubrovnik was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1667 and most recently sustained further considerable damage during the armed conflict in 1991, but has managed to preserve its beauty, buildings and walls. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. A beautiful city, …