Day Four Biking through Burgundy

For the first several days of our trip, I was worried a little about the lovely Laura Lee. She could not get a decent night’s sleep, had some stomach disorders, and just generally seemed out of sorts. Monday night, she only slept about three hours and she got up Tuesday and took an alternate route adding about seven miles to the trip. Then, last night at dinner (Tuesday night), she had a little wine and agreed to join a group attempting a “century trip” today, a ride of just over 100 kilometers or 62 miles. I thought she had lost her mind but she slept pretty well Tuesday night and she actually completed the 100K trip today.

I, on the other hand, have been perfectly happy to do the regular route so my distance today was about 25 miles, 40 kilometers. The route today took us up into the mountains to the west of Beaune, south through magnificent villages, and then down into the most famous white wine vineyards in the world. The uphill portion of the trip this morning was terribly difficult but we were rewarded with incredible views. The weather was cold but the rain has stopped. As we came down from the mountains, I found myself at the corner of the Chassagne-Montrachet vineyards and the Puligny-Montrachet. We had lunch (from noon until 3:30 p.m.) in the village of Puligny-Montrachet including a tasting of 10 wines and then returned to Beaune through the village of Mersault. Tonight, we were on our own for dinner in Beaune. The lovely (but tired) Laura Lee and I found a nice little restaurant near the hotel and we’re now back in the hotel lobby, checking email and blogging.

Tomorrow will be the last day on the bikes. Friday, we will be dropped back in Paris for one night and Saturday we’ll be back in the good old U.S.A.