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00:20¶¶
00:36Raise your travel dreams to their upright and locked positions.
00:40Join us now as we discover the ins and outs of travels in Europe.
00:56¶¶
00:57Bonjour, I'm Rick Steves. I write travel guidebooks.
01:01In this series, we're exploring the best of Europe's offbeat nooks and backdoor crannies.
01:06Glad you're with us.
01:10¶¶
01:12Mostly by rail and car, we began our trip in Ireland, hit Scotland,
01:16swung down through the English and Welsh countryside, and crossed the channel to Belgium.
01:21Working our way south to Spain and Portugal, we've arrived now in Burgundy,
01:25one of the regions the French call Profound France,
01:29home of fine wines and cozy villages.
01:34¶¶
01:35In this program, we'll visit a few time-passed hill towns,
01:41a mom-and-pop chateau,
01:51and one of France's oldest hospitals.
01:57¶¶
01:59We'll sip pricey Burgundy wines in a candle-lit crypt.
02:05That's good.
02:07And sample high cuisine with the French in a campground.
02:11We'll enjoy an inside track with my friend Steve Smith, an American who lives here.
02:16We'll look at a bit of France's best Romanesque architecture.
02:22And then scream off on France's bullet train, the TGV.
02:37To see France, most Americans see Paris and maybe the Loire Valley.
02:41But to me, this is France.
02:44And the best way to savor its subtle pleasures is at an escargot's pace.
02:50In France, getting away from the crowds is easy.
03:08From Luxembourg, we took a French train to Burgundy.
03:10Steve met me at the train station, and we boarded a barge to Chateauneuf.
03:15This village will be our home base, and we'll explore Burgundy from there.
03:21Barging is popular all over France, but it's best in Burgundy.
03:29Despite the image, barging isn't only a rich person's hobby.
03:33While it can be done in royal style for a king's ransom,
03:36for a little more than the cost of a hotel,
03:38you can budget barge on a self-drive boat.
03:43It's been a very long way to Dwayne.
03:48It's been a long way to Dwayne.
03:52It's been a long way to Dwayne.
03:59Is it going to say two of us, where you come, you come?
04:01And where's it going?
04:01Yeah, you came, David?
04:02Yes, you came to the law.
04:24Well, Holland's canals were built to drain the country.
04:27The French system of canals was built purely for transportation.
04:30This Burgundy Canal connects Paris with the Mediterranean.
04:37This was a great idea in the late 1600s when it was started, but it wasn't completed until
04:43the early 1800s, just in time to be put out of business by Europe's new railroads.
04:50These barges used to be pulled by horses and Spanish prisoners.
04:53Today, they're used mostly by French people on holiday.
05:04Another slice of France so often missed by traveling Americans are the hill towns.
05:14Idyllic villages like Chateauneuf are just waiting for you to discover them.
05:22We'll pick up Steve's car tomorrow.
05:25Luckily, the hotel is just a short walk up the hill.
05:31This makes a beautiful home base.
05:33And these days, rural France is one of Europe's best values.
05:38And to find the offbeat places, one of the best tips I can offer a traveler in Europe is
05:43to look up old friends or family or friends of friends.
05:46There's no better way to get good advice and maybe even your own personal tour guide.
05:52There are a lot of new castles.
05:53This one's in Auxois, this is the Auxois region of Berkeley.
05:57So it's Chateauneuf in Auxois.
06:00How many hotels up here?
06:01One.
06:02Yeah.
06:04I think this town was probably discovered about 10 years ago.
06:09By travelers?
06:10Now, by locals.
06:12It's funny, because it used to be almost a ghost town when I first came here.
06:16Look at that, Chateauneuf.
06:17Yeah.
06:24This is my friend Steve, he lives here in Burgundy when he's not leading tour groups
06:28or writing travel guidebooks.
06:29Bonjour.
06:31Where's the hotel?
06:31Not far.
06:32Follow me.
06:32Okay.
06:38Since Steve is still working on his place in the next town, the television team and I are
06:42staying in one of many reasonably priced hotels.
06:46This one used to be part of the Chateau of Chateauneuf.
06:52Bonjour.
06:53Bonjour.
06:54Je suis Monsieur Steve.
06:55Oui.
06:57Réservation?
06:58Yes.
07:01Number 10.
07:03Number 10.
07:03Number 10.
07:04Merci.
07:05Merci.
07:18We are fifty feet from the castle.
07:21My room's a bargain.
07:24France seems to specialize in small, cozy hotels like this, often with fine restaurants.
07:38This is a medieval market town.
07:56You can tell by these ledges this was a medieval market town.
07:59It must have been a pretty prosperous town about 500 years ago.
08:03The vendors would display their goods on here and actually order right through the window.
08:08The castle predates the village.
08:20I imagined that, to the peasant farmer of medieval Europe, castles like Chateauneuf symbolized
08:26the class structure of feudalism.
08:29One of the few perks offered the farmers was a castle to flee to when their towns were
08:33under attack.
08:34Medieval Europe's social pie had three slices.
08:37The landed aristocracy, the landless peasantry, and the clergy, which had a corner on literacy
08:43and spiritual power.
09:02Medieval abbeys like this one, hiding out from the twentieth century in the village of La Boussier,
09:07day, remind us that this third slice of Europe's demographic pie was also a power.
09:24How's this for wheels in Europe?
09:26Steve Citrone is great for back roads.
09:28The Duchaveau model was last built in 1985.
09:49It is great.
09:51You guys have done a lot of work.
09:53Yeah, it's been a lot of work.
09:55Too bad you can't stay here.
09:56No, really.
09:57Gites are perfect for families and for people who want to explore the region more closely.
10:02A gite is a complete country home rented out by the week.
10:06This ancient farmhouse on the Burgundy Canal is being renovated by Steve, his wife, and
10:11his parents.
10:12They're running it as a gite.
10:15Today, Steve's dad is getting some neighborly advice.
10:24Gites offer a budget refuge.
10:27They're very popular with overworked French and English urbanites and are becoming more
10:31popular with American families.
10:33Most of France's rural gites require a minimum stay of seven days.
10:48With a speedy itinerary, consider Chambre d'eau, French homes offering an inexpensive bed-and-breakfast
10:55to those who want to stay only a night or two.
11:09We're on our way to Beaune, a compact but thriving little city with vineyards at its doorstep.
11:16Life in Beaune centers around the production and consumption of the prestigious and expensive
11:21Cote d'Or wines.
11:23This wine capital of Burgundy has a helpful tourist office, plenty of reasonable hotels,
11:28and some fascinating history.
11:35This medieval charity hospital is our first stop in Beaune.
11:39Like so much of Central Europe, the Hundred Years' War devastated much of France.
11:44Here in Beaune, it left over 90% of the population destitute.
11:52Nicholas Rolland, Chancellor of Burgundy and a peasant by birth, wanted to do something for his people.
11:59So, in 1443, he paid to build this Flemish Gothic hospital.
12:03It was completed in only eight years.
12:27It was completed in only eight years.
12:53The finale is this dramatic painting of The Last Judgment by Roger van der Vaiden.
12:59Europe's biggest monocle helps magnify the exquisite details.
13:22Part of the fun of being in France is eating in France.
13:26And part of the fun of eating is shopping.
13:42It's good for you.
13:43It's good for you.
13:44It's good for us.
13:48Remember, Europe uses the metric system.
13:51A kilo is about 2.2 pounds.
13:54There are a thousand grams in a kilo.
13:57Things are often sold in 100 gram units.
14:00That's about a quarter pound.
14:02In Europe, a comma is a period and a period is a comma.
14:05And if I ask for two like this, I'll probably get three.
14:09When counting with your fingers, start with your thumb.
14:13Specialty shops line the roads of French towns.
14:16And we have just one more stop to make.
14:21No French picnic is complete without a bottle of local wine.
14:25Especially in Burgundy.
14:27Bones Marché Au Vin is where professionals and travelers buy the region's wines.
14:33This is a wine smorgasbord like nothing you'll find in Europe.
14:3650 wines to choose from.
14:39Here we have white wines.
14:41And on the side and upstairs we have red wines.
14:44This is for tasting.
14:45It's a tasting cup.
14:46It's typical in Burgundy.
14:48A tasting cup.
14:57That candlelight provides perfect lighting to it.
15:01Shows the clarity of the wine.
15:04Yeah.
15:05It's a nice atmosphere.
15:09The best wines are saved for last.
15:14Carrying a basket implies you're really shopping.
15:18That is our wine.
15:19It's not bad at all.
15:20Let's get one.
15:22Let's take one.
15:31That's a nice time.
15:31So I'll see you later.
15:31I'll see you later.
15:32Let's go.
15:47This is a VIP meeting.
15:47We're all having a hotel.
15:48I'm gonna do something.
15:48And you'll find a可愛い friend of Gupta.
15:48I'm gonna do something.
15:48I can't wait to get some water anymore.
15:51I wanna do something.
15:54You'll be able to get anything.
16:06look at these baby grapes
16:08once you've sampled the wine
16:09you'll want to visit its birthplace
16:11Burgundy's Cote d'Or
16:13that means the Golden Slopes
16:14and if you come here in the fall
16:16you'll know why
16:22the best grapes grow right here
16:24where the flat valley meets the slopes
16:26of the Ho-Cote
16:28Steve explained that the slightest change
16:31in soil or location can create a whole new wine
16:35so the location really makes a difference
16:38yeah wine from this row could cost three times
16:41as much as wine from just say three rows away
16:43triple
16:48every foot of Burgundy is studied for wine production
16:56Burgundy's wines are named after their villages
16:58Merceau is produced here
17:20we'll see you at the next row
17:22music
17:23music
17:25music
17:34Castles like Roche-Pos are another reminder of Burgundy's strategic location, guarding
17:39the valley south to the Mediterranean.
17:42This position led to the region's involvement in the Hundred Years' War, a dispute over
17:47who owned France that began in 1337.
17:54At that time, a good part of France was owned by England, and part was owned by powerful
17:59dukes, like the Dukes of Burgundy, whose empire at one point stretched from here all the way
18:04to Holland.
18:10Most of the castles you'll see in France were constructed for this war.
18:14Finally the French kicked the English out and established more or less the boundaries of
18:19modern France.
18:21This century of war was fought solely on French land, which is why much of the country was
18:26destroyed.
18:30A Gregorian chant?
18:33The acoustics in this chapel are irresistible.
18:47This mom-and-pop chateau offers a rare peak into this era.
19:06Escargot.
19:09The French can even make a snail taste good.
19:14Camping in France is as refined as the eating.
19:17It's the middle-class European family way to go.
19:21You know the butter and the garlic help also?
19:24They say you're only supposed to drink aligote with snails.
19:31Rather than a chance to get close to nature, camping here is a chance to get close to Europeans,
19:36and enjoy a cheap alternative to a hotel.
19:40You get just enough grass to pitch your tent or park your camper.
19:45Reservations are rarely necessary, and camping is safe from a theft concern point of view.
19:51You'll find a grocery shop, a place to wash clothes, a fun zone for kids, and a bus stop to
19:57take
19:58you into town.
20:15Many travelers save enough money by camping to enjoy France's high cuisine.
20:21Actually, eating French is one of Europe's great values.
20:26You can spend a fortune, but you don't have to to eat well.
20:29To the French, eating is sacred, but fun.
20:40Very good.
20:41Very good.
20:43I would like the salad.
20:48Salad with apple.
20:49Salad with apple.
20:51Okay.
20:51Okay, salad with apple.
20:52Apeu.
20:53Very good.
20:54And for the second course, what is filet di...
20:59Fish.
20:59Fish.
21:00Fish.
21:01Fish.
21:01Fish.
21:02Very good.
21:06Restaurants expect no turnover.
21:09You won't get the bill until you ask for it.
21:12No problem.
21:16How many times have you posted in this show, guys?
21:18Oh, I love it.
21:20Oh, I love it.
21:21You have to have a roast, though.
21:41Before we leave Burgundy, we have time for one last stop, the village of Brancione.
21:45It's ideal for a panoramic farewell view and a lesson in Romanesque.
22:02Burgundy is noted for its pure and elegantly simple Romanesque churches.
22:06This tiny hamlet has a textbook example.
22:14This 12th century church reminds me of the great monastic movement of medieval Christian
22:19Europe.
22:20The church and its architecture spring from the Benedictine Abbey at Cluny.
22:30After the Roman Empire fell, the church worked long and hard to put the pieces back
22:35together.
22:40Abbeys formed as small utopias of Christian practice and thought.
22:45The simplicity and purity of architecture like this reflected the values of the monks
22:50who were such an important part of the medieval church.
22:58The roughly 2,000 associated abbeys became as powerful as the Vatican.
23:03What a natural place to think and pray, on a hilltop in Burgundy.
23:17Wherever there are French people, there's a good restaurant.
23:20We're treating ourselves to lunch at the Auberge de Vaubrenthion.
23:26Chef and owner, Francois, knows his Burgundian cuisine.
23:30Not cheap here, but a good value.
23:34Hello.
23:35Very nice.
23:37Good afternoon.
23:38Good afternoon.
23:40Fantastic.
23:41Very good.
23:42I'm salivating.
23:43I suggest you.
23:44If you like.
23:46You're making this thirsty.
23:48Francois has selected a bottle of Gamay.
23:50Yes.
23:53Yes.
23:55Is this like the Beaujolais wines?
23:57It's the same one, but it's absolutely not the same method.
24:04Right.
24:04It's a different method.
24:06It's the same grape plant, but absolutely different wine.
24:25You may be tempted to stay in one of Francois' cozy and inexpensive rooms.
24:30Remember, for the French, dining comes first.
24:33The rooms are almost an afterthought.
24:47We're just about to catch the bullet train for Avignon in Provence.
24:52I feel like I should be having my surfboard at the top and singing Beach Boys songs.
24:57Oh, yeah.
25:02Good.
25:03That is great to see you.
25:04Likewise.
25:04Bye-bye.
25:04Au revoir.
25:05Au revoir.
25:07Today's travelers enjoy yesterday's spreads, conveniently, with the help of tomorrow's technology.
25:17To drive to Avignon from here would take four hours.
25:21By TGV, it's about half that.
25:37Just one more sign of France on the technological forefront.
25:41The channel, the Concorde, and the French jet on rails, the TGV.
25:58And so we leave Burgundy.
26:01We've had a taste of superb Burgundy wines and cuisine.
26:10We've looked at accommodations from a castle to a campground.
26:15We've marveled at still-preserved abbeys, medieval villages, and market towns.
26:27We've picnicked, we've cruised the Burgundy Canal, and we've seen the advantage of calling a friend.
26:46Join us next week as we head south for more travels in Europe.
26:49I'm Rick Steves, wishing you happy travels.
26:52Au revoir.
26:53Home videos of destinations in this series are available for $24.95.
26:59To order the 60-minute, two-program tape on France's Burgundy and Loire and Provence, or any other destination tape,
27:07call 1-800-866-7425.
27:11Also available, Rick's 422-page Europe Through the Back Door book for $17.95.
27:17To order, please have your credit card ready and call 1-800-866-7425.
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