Day 18: French Wine CountrySwiss Chocolate to French Wine: We left Switzerland today and headed to France's wine country. Along the way, we picked up some Swiss chocolate, and it was as good as advertised. We drove through some very pretty country and learned that France is the "agricultural powerhouse" of Europe. It is a lot flatter and more conducive to farming.
An Introduction to France: We were formally greeted at our hotel by the staff and personally led to our rooms. After that, we took an orientation walk of the city of Beaune and took advantage of the optional self-tour of the Hotel-Dieu, a museum of a hospital that was established in 1443. It was an interesting and worthwhile stop. The city was filled with small shops and had a very comfortable and homey feel to it. A Little Wine Tasting: We were treated to a tour of a winery and were taught the art of wine tasting. We sampled about 4 different wines while our guides explained the parts of the wine-making process, including the evaluation of taste, smell, texture and color. They even tried to appeal to the fifth sense by piping in music made from sounds associated with the wine and the wine-making process. It was a great, hands-on way to learn about the wine industry. |
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