Best of Burgundy Day 6
Best of Burgundy
DAY 6 - Saturday - 9-24-05 - Chalon/Cruise to Verdun sur le Doubs
It was another beautiful sunny day in France. We had breakfast with Clint and Ruth from Tacoma, WA, and we shared our great times in the Northwest, and their beautiful state.
At 9:30 we joined Michel and the rest of our group for a walking tour of Chalon's beautifully preserved medieval town center, which surrounds the Cathedral of St Vincent. We saw many half-timbered facades and a 15th-century timber-framed house. Chalon is the second largest city in Burgundy, and has been an important trading center since Gallo-Roman times. This was also the home town of Niecephore Niepce, the inventor of photography. The shopkeepers were just opening for the day and the locals were enjoying their first cup of coffee in the old square.
Our next stop was the Allox Meilleur Ouvier de France, a chocalatier where we had a lesson on the making of chocolate and were able to sample various sweets and specialties of this shop. Gennie was in heaven with the choices and selections, but many of us felt it was a little too early in the morning to overdose on chocolate.
At 11:30 we were given time on our own to find the one and only internet café in this city of 20,000 people. We asked several people on the street where we could find the internet and the kind people of Chalon directed us by pointing out the streets on our map, gesturing, and giving us oral directions all in French, of course. With only one minor miscue we found it, a large and very well kept web café. The manager was very helpful and accommodating and while I uploaded the journal Gennie spoke to him as he wanted to practice his English because he was moving to Australia. After updating the web site and responding to a few students, we were on our way to find a light lunch. We passed up several cafes offering heavy Saturday noon meals and their famous local gastronomic specialty la Pochouse, a delicious river fish soup. We elected to stop at a corner sandwich bar where we shared a table with Ernie, a world wide OAT/Grand Circle traveler from Knoxville, TN who is retired from the CIA. We had a lively discussion and then quickly walked back to the waterfront.
Back on board, at 1:30 we began cruising on the Saone River heading northeast toward Verdun-sur-le-Doubs. Although it was sunny, we were traveling rapidly so there was a cool breeze. Along the river bank we saw many blue herons and on the river there were graceful white swans swimming in front of the gorgeous chalets and country manors. There were also many fishermen along the river and families who were enjoying picnics in the Saturday sun.
At 3 PM we went into the galley where Jean gave us a cooking lesson on making cheese puff pastries. The recipe called 250 grams of unsalted butter, ½ litter of whole milk, 250 grams (2 cups) of white flour, a pinch of salt, 8 cracked eggs, and 250 grams of Swiss cheese. Melting the butter in the milk over a half fire, he stirred in flour until there were no lumps and about the consistency of mashed potatoes. He let it cool a bit adding the salt and beating it until it was light and fluffy. He added two eggs at a time, continuing to beat it and add air to the mixture. He added the Swiss cheese and white pepper, again whipping it to a smooth consistency. He put the mixture into a cake decoration bag and squeezed little puffs about the size of golf balls onto parchment baking paper. Grated cheese was added to the top. The oven was set at 400 degrees and the pastries were baked for about 30 minutes. At 4 PM he brought out the finished product - puff pastries.
A few minutes later we docked close to the city boat ramp at Verdun sur le Doubs where we had a tight maneuver as all the moorings, even the one that was reserved for us were full. Richard was not a happy captain but he did manage a very skillful docking. We disembarked for a stroll around the town, which is almost like an island situated where the Saone and Doubs Rivers meet. We visited the only museum in France that is devoted to the 4000-year history of bread making.
At 6 PM we unchained the bicycles and seven of us took a ride around the beautiful and flat countryside. We got a little exercise and had a chance to see an area away from the barge and canal. We returned to the barge at 7 PM for a good dinner with Clint, Ruth, and Michel. After dinner we left the boat and walked to the local park where we were given a lesson in a petanque, a French game with silver balls. We played until 9:30 when Clint won.
Accommodations: Lafayette - - - Meals: B, D
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