Bourgogne (Burgundy), France

We spent a weekend in the Burgundy, France region with 8 of our good friends from Geneva. The place where we stayed was in Givry, France, which was 20km from a popular area called Beaune. This is the heart of the wine region. We stayed at an estate called Cote Park and it was just fabulous. The grounds were beautiful and the people that owned the place were amazing (Thanks Julie)! We went to dinner shortly after we arrived on Friday and it was delicious. From Fois gras to mussels on toast flavored with balsamic vinaigrette. They had lamb and fish dishes as well. Divine! On Saturday morning a few of us rode bikes for a few hours on a paved bike path through vineyards and farms. The weather was gorgeous. A little brisk, but very sunny. Cote Park scheduled 3 wine tours for us in the afternoon and it was awesome! The girl I was in contact had an uncle visiting from Lyon that was a sommelier (wine buyer/taster). Because he was well known in the area, we got hooked up. Specifically on the first tour. The wine-maker never does public tastings and does not sell his wine to individuals. We later learned that some of the wines we tasted sell for over $1,000 per bottle in restaurants!!! Craziness! Needless to say, after about three hours I was three sheets to the wind. We went for dinner an hour after we finished the wine tour and it took 4.5 hours!!! Ok, European service is nothing like it is in the US...mainly because they get paid salaries and don't get tips. In the US, they do more of a dog and pony show because they know their take-home pay is based on the experience you had (and the food, of course). Anyway, this restaurant had THE slowest service on the planet. I kid you not; I fell asleep at the table!! Ok, all of the wine in the afternoon probably did not help, but I seriously felt like I was being tortured. They didn't even serve us our wine. It was sitting on this table off to the side. They were waiting for our entrees to come out, but it was over an hour. We served ourselves. Plus, I think our waiter seemed like he needed some happy pills. Saddest looking man I've ever seen. Anyway, I didn't exactly fall asleep and snore. Just laid my head down for a minute, which also involved some serious head nodding. Head drops and snaps back real fast. On Sunday, we headed to Beaune since I was so close (although in the opposite direction from Geneva). We visited the Hospices de Beaune (Hotel Dieu) which was a hospital for the poor that was considered a palace. It was built in 1443. The architecture was unreal. It also has a very famous painting above the altar in the chapel, but was only allowed to be seen by the sick on Sundays and feast days. It was called the Last Judgment by Roger Van der Weyden. It was built to help people in the wake of the Hundred Years' War, which apparently left 75% of the people in the town with nothing. Really cool place to see. We grabbed some ice cream and then headed back to Geneva. The surrounding area makes you want to live there. The architecture in this area of France is beautiful. Great trip...Next trip is Oktoberfest in September (yes..it starts in September).