Friday 13th brings another long drive- this time 160km. The Medieval town of Beaune provides around 70 car park spaces set aside for Motorhome parking -perfect! From the parking it was only a short walk into town, so off we set for the Tourist Information office. The Hotel de Dieu, a former hospital, was recommended for a visit as well as the Notre Dame Basilica. Following our long drive and the intense heat we were too tired for either; instead stopping for a drink and a spot of people watching before returning to the Aire.
Beaune has a real “buzz” to it even though it’s a compact town. The next day was Market Day too so we had a lot to cram into Saturday.
The Saturday market was worth a look around though prices seemed high, for example poulet roti was €17 when similar were on sale in a supermarket for €8.
While meandering through the market, we spotted the Basilica, so went in for a look especially at the tapestries dating back to the 15th Century. There was no audio guide, but Andrew helpfully provided his own, slightly cynical version of the scenes.
Hotel de Dieu did not disappoint at all, despite the hordes of tourists sharing our afternoon visit.
Hotel de Dieu is a beautiful building. The fascinating story of its foundation and subsequent use and of its self funding through farming, wine production and much more was covered by the tour audio guide.
Aires provide some brilliant examples of interesting parking; this clown parked in the roadway when there were many empty spaces. Doh! We also heard a Motorhome sideswipe another, which was inconsiderately parked in a short space- all 8m of him.
Here are a few photos of Beaune
