Sunday 19 January 2014

Back in the saddle.

It has been an exciting Christmas/New Year season for AGA and I.  Time passes swiftly when one is having fun.  
A few days before Christmas Day, we hired a car and motored down to Burgundy.  We rented a self-catering cottage in a small village called 'Change'.  This is in the midst of the vineyards and caves of Burgundy but of course, being winter, there were no luscious fields of bright green grapevines to be seen - just brownish sticks.  
The cottage was beautiful:


And contained a lovely old fireplace which we made full use of:

We ate plenty of nice food while we were on hols:
 (If one is in Burgundy (Bourgogne) then one must have at least one meal of Boeuf Bourguignon)

We bought the food for our Christmas Day meal at the local market but I had made the cake in advance to take with us:

There was no snow, but plenty of rain:

But when the grey clouds drifted away and the sun made its brief appearances, Change proved to be a lovely place, even in winter:


With lovely countryside:

Change, is just down the road (and around the corner) from the market town of Beaune.  A lovely town, home to the famous Hotel Dieu:


In the opposite direction is Autun with its atmospheric cathedral:
Medieval houses:

And various Roman ruins, including the so-called Temple of Janus:


 and the largest still existing Roman Theatre in western Europe:


Although it was the Christmas Season and most places were closed, we were able to visit at least one chateau.  In this case it was the Chateau de Sully:
(No photographs were allowed inside but I can you that it was lovely to walk around)

We also went to one of the most beautiful Romanesque Churches I have had the pleasure to visit:  The Abbaye de St Philibert, at Tournus (the weather was starting to pick up a bit):

Inside are some amazing mosaics from the 11th Century, hidden for centuries under the flooring, and only relatively recently recovered:


We also visited Cluny, with its wonderful monastic ruins:


* * * * * *
After a wonderful time in Burgundy, we slowly wended our way home, stopping en route in the Alsace region for a few days:


The main object of this part of our holiday was going to Colmar:



But I must admit that the village of Kaysersbourg pleased us more: 

Kaysersbourg has a delightful castle ruin, set among the vineyards and overlooking the town:

We also visited the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg.  This is no longer a ruin, having been restored by Kaiser Wilhelm II while the region was under German rule:
(This is the view from the top)

 Winter in this part of the world was (and remains) quite mild this year.  We did however find some snow:



And we were most fortunate to find and photograph a white stork.  I had never seen one before:


A few days in the Alsace with blue skies and sunny days, and then we were heading back home.  Coming with us were a couple of French late nineteenth century bedside tables, and a mid 18th Century clock case which was so long that it just fitted in to the car.  Even with the hood removed the case had to be pressed up against the rear vision mirror so that we could close the hatch.  This made for an interesting ride I can tell you!

These holidays have given me some nice ideas for future posts.

And now we are back at home, and back at work, and bracing ourselves for an eventful 2014, as we prepare for our journey back to Melbourne.  The current adventure is slowly coming to a close and the new adventure is champing at the bit to begin!

29 comments:

  1. Wow, that cathedral interior is amazing! So atmospheric and tall.

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    1. There was no artificial light within the Cathedral (excepting the side chapels) while we were there, and so at first it all appeared very gloomy but actually, I think it 'worked' and gave one a sense of being in something old and somewhat mysterious. Bats lived inside the cathedral too!

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  2. Dear Kirk - loved all of your photos from Burgundy and especially that wonderful fireplace with the roaring fire - very inviting.
    Exciting news for you and AGA to be travelling back down under - will you be buying your long hoped for property with a garden?
    I can just imagine the difficulties involved in carrying two bedside tables and a long case clock case in your vehicle. Does that mean that you have a clock waiting to reside within it?

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    1. Dear Rosemary,
      Thank you for your kind comments. I do like taking photos when we are out and about.
      Once we have moved to Melbourne, and settled in, then yes, the next stage is a new house. It is all very exciting I must say and we are very much looking forward to having a garden again. And a dog.
      The clock case does indeed have a clock now residing within it: An 1880s comtoise (French Grandfather) clock made in Domfront. I like it but with five grandfather clocks living with us in this apartment, I think we now have more than enough!

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  3. How absolutely beautiful. You turn life into a work of art.

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    1. Thank you Mitchell, that is very kind of you. It is truly a lovely part of the world - even when unadorned in Winter time.

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  4. WELCOME HOME! Kirk, you travel the most intriguing places, and you capture the best shots of castles and cottages! CHANGE looks like a perfect story book place for this YANKEE! Bravo and here's to travel in Europe! Anita

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    1. Thank you Anita,
      It's good to be home although with home comes work. But then one of the reasons that we work is so that we can enjoy nice holidays! It all works out in the end.
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  5. That is a very beautiful cottage and that fireplace looks amazing. I want that cake!! :)

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    1. It was a beautiful cottage, Keith, and the owners were really rather charming. We do like a nice big fireplace so we were well happy with this one.

      Alas the cake is all gone: It is but a photograph, and a pleasant memory…
      Bye for now,
      Kirk

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  6. Hello Kirk, Thank you for another fascinating tour of a region I am unfamiliar with. You make me realize that I don't get out enough. I can sympathize with your difficulties carrying the clock case. Many times I have dragged home items that seemingly were bigger than my car--I guess it comes under the category of 'where there's a will there's a way.'
    --Jim

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    1. Dear Jim,
      Thank you for your kind comments. Clock case, plus two bedside tables, plus luggage and accoutrements for two people for just over two weeks, plus the two people themselves, made for a rather squashy journey home - bit it was worth it. Kirk

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  7. Hi Kirk,

    Am I right to understand that you will be moving back to Melbourne? What a huge undertaking, but if so, an exciting one.

    I enjoyed your photo's of France. You visited some beautiful places!

    Hope 2014 will be a good year for you and Aga.

    Madelief x

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    1. HI Madelief,
      Yes, you are correct, but it won't take place until December 2014. It is indeed going to be a huge undertaking which is why we have given ourselves twelve months to prepare.
      I hope that 2014 will a good year, a comforting year, for you too my friend.
      Kirk

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  8. Hi, Kirk,

    I think I gain a little weight every time I look at your postings and see such good food. The cottage in Change with that picturesque fireplace is just as I would imagine Burgundy. I liked the photograph of the stork — it appears in that photo that the homeowner has provided the base especially for the stork's nest.

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    1. Hi Mark,
      Thank you for your kind comments. Even in winter (and a drab old winter at that) this part of France proved to have its special charm. In the old days they often had an old wagon wheel on top of the house to attract the storks into nest making. The one in this picture is the modern equivalent. I was very excited to see the storks as I thought they flew off to Africa at this time of year.

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  9. Welcome back, Kirk!! Happy New Year to you and AGA!! Burgundy is such a beautiful region of France. And so rich in history, culture and finances. We visited Beaune a couple years ago. So lovely! The food was divine and quite rich. But we don't mind :) When will you be returning to Australia? I hope you'll continue this blog as we'd love to follow your adventures there.
    Cheers,
    Loi

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    1. Thanks Loi, it's good to be back!
      You are right about Burgundy - and Beaune. Such a lovely part of France.
      We will be returning to Australia at the end of next December so there is still plenty to do here. I shall indeed continue my blog as there will be plenty of adventures there too. Not least being buying land and then the planning and building of our new house!
      Ciao!
      Kirk

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  10. Hi, Kirk!
    I see your holidays were interesting and you've seen some French villages. I love your photo of ancient mosaic ans Roman theater. Pretty views of mountains, river, snow and the most I liked is the fireplace.
    Happy weekend!

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    1. Hi Nadezda,
      Thank you for your kind comments. I do love a nice fireplace on a cold day. This one was big, and old too which made it just perfect.
      I hope you are enjoying this cold week we are having!

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  11. KIRK! HELLO THERE! How lovely to get a visit from you today! I inspired you? BRAVO! I hope that you and your loved ones will be able to build your paradise; we have. It takes time and more than just the building materials, I have learned. To build one's paradise begins with inner peace. It sure does help however, to surround oneself with nature and I agree that the little bird with the straw speaks so much to my heart. We have an old robin's nest still sitting on the beam of our entrance way overhang. She built it there and since we have a "speak easy" window in our front door, we could see her build it. My husband said, "That's not a good place for a nest because the wind will knock it over." Sure enough, Mrs. Robinson the robin came back the next day with MUD packs and set that nest down so secure, it has survived about 6 years now through violent winds. After my husband witnessed this "miracle of nature, all discussion about that nest being in the wrong place CEASED! :)

    Enjoy! Anita

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    1. I hope that we are able to build our paradise too. We are certainly going to have a jolly good try!
      A speakeasy window - I have never heard of that before but now, having 'looked it up' I see what it is and I think that I will want one when we build our house.
      Kirk
      x

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  12. Hello Kirk,
    Back to Melbourne... how exciting for the both of you! What a sweet cottage, I loved Burgundy (been a few times visiting friends north and south). Happy to see you enjoyed your time off. Hope you are both well.
    Ivan

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    1. Ivan my friend!
      We are indeed well and it is good to see you here. We always enjoy our times off (that is why we work - so that we can enjoy our time away from it!)
      I hope you are enjoying the week,
      Kirk

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  13. Hi Kirk, that sounds like you guys had a wonderful vacation over the holidays! I admire that when you are off from work you pack you stuff and go see something from the world. Simply great! I surely could dive into the Boeuf Bourguignon and have a bite of your Christmas cake for desert :-)! To have good food is always a joy in life! I loved to see the photos of places that I have never been to. The shot of the inside of the cathedral of Autun is amazing. Hope you comfortably settled back into the daily routine at home. Looking forward to follow what you are up next, too. Have a nice weekend!
    Christina

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    1. Thank you Christina,
      We did have a lovely holiday. It always makes it hard to return to the daily 'grind'… But then we have the next holiday to look forward to!
      Kirk

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  14. I hope 2014 proves to be a good year for you and yours.

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    1. Thank you Jerry.
      I hope it is a good year for you too!
      Kirk

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  15. Pardon me, Kirk, while I am green with envy. :) LOVE that little stone cottage! What a charmer. Not to mention that glorious cake and all the holiday vittles. I spent Christmas sick in bed with the flu so I am particularly feeling as if the world passed me by and then I see your post and I am sure of it! Still I don't begrudge you your adventures since you share them so obligingly with us and that makes me feel ALMOST as if I'm tagging along.
    Thank you so much, m'dear.

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