Monday, 4 October. We had to have our luggage out by 7:30, and the buses left at 9:00 for the Gare de Lyon. Our TGV ("Train a Grand Vitesse" or high speed train) left promptly at 10.34 for the 350 kilometer trip to Dijon, capitol of Burgundy. GCT had arranged private cars for its travelers. The scenery was varied, but we were surprised that for most of the trip we say no sign of human habitation. There were no stops en route and we arrived at 12:14, an average speed of 94 m.p.h. even including the low speed segments leaving Paris and entering Dijon. Not bad. Leaving the station, there was an accident when one of our party fell backwards on the up escalator and bowled down several more as he fell. I was right at the bottom and managed to step back from the falling bodies. I tried to turn off the escalator but could not find the switch. After some delay, an employee rushed over and turned it off. The switch (not labeled) was high on a post a few feet away from the escalator. There were a few cuts and bruises, but no one was seriously hurt.
There was no sightseeing in Dijon. The buses left about 12:35 and headed south along the Dijon (or Burgundy) Canal. Every village we passed through had the streets lined with flowers, and the entire countryside seemed to planted with vineyards. We followed the "Route of the Grand Crus" through some of France's prime wine country. A narrow road parallel to Highway N74 took us through many of the picturesque little villages of the Cote de Nuits wine district (the northern section of the Cote d'Or) including Marsannay-la-Cote, Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, and Chambolle-Musigny. Returning to the highway, we passed through Vosne-Romanie, Nuits-St.-Georges, Comblanchien, and Ladoix-Serrigny. These villages were so charming that I could not help but think it would be great to spend a whole vacation right here. About 1:30 we finally arrived at the Chateau de Savigny les Beaune and had an outstanding lunch. We had close to an hour afterwards to explore the grounds. The owner had a large collection of jet fighters, helicopters, racing cars, and motorcycles that seemed oddly out of place at the classic chateau and vineyards.
The buses left the chateau at 3:30 and in ten minutes we were in the town of Beaune. After some brief remarks by our guide, we were on our own for nearly an hour. The guide offered to take those who were interested through the Hospices de Beaune Hospital. Several of us gladly accepted.
The Hospice was built in 1443 as a charitable endeavor by the Duke of Burgundy and remained a working hospital until 1971. It has recently been restored to its original state. The Hospice also features a 15th century polyptych that originally hung above the altar in the chapel. Seeing the Hospice took most of our free time so we only had half an hour to explore old Beaune.
The buses left for Chalon sur Saone shortly after 5:00. We were taken directly to our ship, the MS Ravel, and were on board by 5:40. Our luggage was already in the cabin and we started unpacking. We appreciated having a room with a small balcony so we could easily step outside without having to go on deck. As we were to discover later, the balcony provided shelter from the wind when it was too breezy on deck.
There was a briefing in the lounge at 6:15 that lasted until 7:00. By then the ship had sailed for Macon, and it was time for dinner. As with every meal on the ship, the food was outstanding. Of course, there was too much of it, especially after the huge lunch we had at Savigny. We lingered in the dining room talking until 9:00. Then we explored the ship before returning to our cabin to finish unpacking. It was great to know we would not have to pack again for a week.
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