Bourgogne: Day 3

      Day three started with an even earlier walk before the sun had come up.  The moon was even bigger and brighter, the wind even colder, and the fields somehow even more beautiful.  It was kind of sad in that I knew that it would be the last day, but I also knew that another good day was ahead.  I walked further than before and had the sense to take more pictures even though there wasn’t much light.  

sunflowers

Your's truly in the wind

     Okay, I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of this photo.  Not that it's exceptionally nice, but at first glance, it looks like this could be a pond or at least some very large puddle.  However, this little puddle probably had a surface area of about 9x9in. to be generous, and yet in the photo it looks huge!  Just gotta say...

      After returning to the gîte, I warmed up with two bowls of coffee and more bread with strawberry jam.  Should I ever settle down and retire in the country, I would hope that every day would start off with a short walk, a bowl of coffee, and strawberry jam.  It really is the perfect combination.  However, these days I need all the sleep I can get and the country is pretty far away, so I think for now I will settle for cereal and the metro.
      Once loaded on the bus, we headed for Vezelay which took us through more fields and into some extremely green and lush forests.  I so badly wanted to stop and walk barefoot through the woods on the moss covered ground, but Bernard sped along and soon we were at our destination.  Our first stop in Vezelay was the Musée Zervos where once again we found an amazing collection of modern artists in another out of the way place.  Hidden along the main road in an old apartment, it showcased artists like Kandinsky, Giacometti, Miró, Picasso, and Léger in small rooms with creaky, wood floors and all natural lighting from the many windows.  It was a close second to the Dalí museum the day before, and yet another place to put down on your list of must-sees.
      Almost as soon as we finished the museum it was time for lunch, so we walked over to our restaurant for what ended up being two hours of some really good food.  The French really know how to make their cheese tartes, and even though I typically don’t like my chicken with skin or bone, I ate my plate clean.  Dessert was a rather interesting pear mousse/cake thing that went nicely with a touch of red wine and an espresso.
      Completely stuffed, we somehow managed to walk up a long, steep hill to the Basilique Saint-Madeleine.  Our guide was a young red-headed nun who seemed quite nice, but it was hard to tell because we were in a large group surrounded by other groups in a place where loud noises were forbidden so she was basically whispering.  In other words, I didn’t hear a thing she said the entire 60min. tour, but at least it gave me the time to look at every detail of what she was showing us.
      It really is a nice church, but I most liked the lawns out back with their amazing view of the countryside.  We were pretty high up on a hill so we could see for miles, and the vines around the bordering wall were attracting tons of bees that didn’t seem to mind if I interrupted their harvesting trying to take pictures.  I had a picture in mind that I wanted, and this one is the closest I came before we had to head back to the bus.

a bee and the campagne

      Vezelay was our last stop and as we settled in for the 4hr. drive back to Paris it began to sink in that we had to go back to life, back to our classes, back to the busy, and away from the beautiful campagne.  Most of us talked the entire way back which ended up being even longer due to traffic.  I didn’t get home till almost 10pm, and even though I wanted to be back on that little country road looking at the setting moon, I was happy to be in my own bed.  Thus ended my wonderful weekend in Bourgogne, and I cannot wait for the next weekend trip to see what new adventures and sights are in store for us.  

Au revoir Bourgogne!