Beaune! Cluny Trip Day 10

Recap of Days 7-9: Day 7 was a Saturday, which meant the Farmer's Market was in Cluny. Starting at around 9 am, the streets of Cluny were lined up with booths where you could buy practically anything. These merchants come to town once a week to sell their things, from fresh groceries to fashion and art. Even though the population of Cluny is quite small, the farmer's market is always PACKED! It was as if everyone in town would leave their house to go shopping, even people from other places would come to Cluny for their market day. There, we were able to try some very unique cheeses from private farmers that were top quality. We were given time to spend on our own as we toured each booth to see what they could offer. Just to give you an idea of how diverse the Farmer's Market was: There were booths for fruits and vegetables, spices, cheeses, antique cars, skin care, clothing (from formal wear to trendy), art, jewelry, legitimate furniture, and the list goes on. Day 8 was a free day so we spent it at our hostel working on our final projects. Day 9 was a lecture day where we learned more on the microbiology of cheese and wine. Day 10: Beaune was by far my favorite excursion on our trip. It's perhaps one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to in my life. Beaune is well-known for its wealth, history, and wine. This ancient town has architecture left dating back from the pre-Roman and Roman eras, through the medieval and renaissance periods. It also attracts tourists from all over the world. It's one of those towns that is just so breath-taking and unique in its character, that there is perhaps nothing quite like it in the world. I'm astounded that I didn't even know about Beaune, until I read it in our Schedule this week. It makes me curious about how many other sensational places there must be in the world that I still don't know about, since they don't have as notorious of a name as Paris, for example. We began our visit in one of the oldest wine establishments in Beaune, called Bouchard Pere et Fils, founded in 1731. There, we learned about the role of a negotiant in the wine trade of Burgundy and visited their wine cellars, located in the chateau de Beaune, which is a royal fortress built in the 15th century. The Chateau was once the home to French Soldiers that belonged to the Royal King of France to show his authority in the city of Beaune. However, in order to gain money, the French government sold this Chateau to the Bouchard family who used it for their wine trade. The oldest aged wine we saw (still drinkable!) was from 1847! The chateau stores a total of 4 million bottles of wine, all of premium quality. This picture is of our professional wine tasting! Our last stop of the trip was the famous Hospices de Beaune. This place was founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, who was the chancellor of Burgundy (so really really rich guy!), as a hospital for the poor and needy. And apparently, Dragon's Blood was one of the medicines used at the time!

- Victoria L.