Wednesday 30 January 2013

Meursault

I'm going to tell you about Meursault and nearby Beaune for a little while, and then I'll be finished with France for a while. As I said before, we were surrounded by vineyards and the area had obviously benefited from this industry. 





There were some amazing houses to gawk at. We didn't visit any of the wine tasting places, as I figured the prices would be more than we were prepared to pay.  



Our first night we ate at the restaurant and were given a free glass of wine. It was supposedly Vin de Campsite and was very nice. However Bill bought some Vin de Campsite, as the name amused him, and what we brought home was nothing like what they served. 



I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say perhaps it didn't travel well. 



What we didn't buy from the campsite shop we cycled the mile or so into Meursault to the convenience store and bought:  fruit, veg, wine, sausages, cheese. 



Bill was keen to enjoy the French food on offer as opposed to the tinned goods I brought.  




Our camping site was at the end of a terrace that gave us tremendous views.  



However, the Mistral  threatened to blow us away the first couple of days.  Luckily, it completely disappeared and all was peaceful after that.  




Experiencing Le Mistral firsthand reminded me a lot of growing up in Oklahoma.  




We looked in the windows of several estate agents and found any number of flats or small houses that sounded reasonably priced, but we'd already decided not to go that route.




There two things I'm sure I will always remember about our stay in Meursault.  One is having eaten escargot and lived to tell the tale.  Once I got used to the chewy texture, the flavour was quite nice.  I confess to having gobbled them down and then taken the photo, as I didn't want to risk having to eat them cold!





5 comments:

Beryl said...

Cute comment about growing up in Oklahoma preparing you for Le Mistral. Every since moving here, when my husband steps outside to that amazing dry, strong, and cooling Oklahoma wind, he starts to sing, "Ohhhhhhhh OKLAHOMA! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!" A song we've known all our lives, that makes perfect sense now. Is there a French musical equivalent, I wonder?
Thanks for those wonderful pictures.

Heather Robinson said...

Well of course I loved this Shelley! For so many reasons. And yes, the escargots have to be eaten hot or not at all!!!

Carolyn said...

Breath taking architecture. I remember escargots well and feel like I do not have to repeat that particular dining experience ;)

Unknown said...

Lovely photos. They remind me of Saint-Émilion.

Shelley said...

Beryl - You are right, it's not just an icy winter wind in Oklahoma, but a cooling one in summer...sort of.

Heather - Glad you liked the photos. I suppose one could eat cold snails, as the flavour would remain, but I expect it would be...rubbery. Yech.

Carolyn - I'm not sure if I would go for that again or not. They really weren't bad, but not sure they were worth the price for what you get.

Susan -- I'm not sufficiently familiar with various bits of France to say what parts are similar and which are different. I suppose these houses are 'typical' French architecture and that is probably what grabbed me about them - they definitely aren't British and they definitely are not American.