Chapter One
SECRET BURGUNDY
Liberti, Fraterniti, Igaliti-the heritage of the French. Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Saxons, Franks, Britons, the Dominican and Cistercian orders all influenced the civilization and culture of Burgundy. They have a grand history and you can look at their monuments everywhere.
What can you expect in the twenty-first century? By bicycling (of course) and staying in a location away from less-than-calm sightseers, visitors such as you may realize that contemporary Burgundy benefits from family, flowers, cuisine (cooking and food), agriculture, solid stone houses and many other attributes.
The French expect that the public systems, such as electricity, trains, roads, medicine, mail delivery, and water, will work to high standards.
In addition they kayak, fish, balloon, hang-glide, rollerblade, ride horses, hike and bicycle in large numbers. They maintain canals and the necessary water supplies mostly for pleasure boating.
If you ask for information or just want to chat, people that live here are open and friendly. Need help; you will get it.
It came to me after returning from my fifth Burgundy trip, that there was no litter on the roads or streets in the region. I confirmed this by checking several hundred photos from those trips. Perhaps that goes along with quality of life and self-esteem.
Construction on a large chbteau caught my eye as I started the Gorges de l''Yonne ride.
I walked in to look and then talked with the owner and his foreman. When finished the owner will make it the residence for his family and himself. No one has occupied the chateau for a century.
They will repair much of the stonework, build a new roof and install insulation along with new electrical, plumbing and heating systems, all to code, before the family can move in.
At a cafi in the Morvan, I enjoyed a long lunch and talked at length with the multilingual owner and cook. He told me how he and his wife started the business and he introduced me to a couple that they knew well. Their children attended primary school together.
His friends had inherited a 20,000 square foot chbteau that no one had lived in for over forty years. It had not been heated nor maintained and the roof leaked. I thought it would be a source for cut stone after demolition and the owners might build a new house on the property. That is not how people think in this part of the world. First, they fixed up about 1,000 square feet and the family moved in. Now, while renovations are on going, the children of both families occasionally play soccer in the great room when the weather is bad.
It seems that with no war in western Europe for more than sixty years, people have the time and resources to renovate old but significant dwellings.
All dwellings outside of the larger towns have stone walls. Most have a red tile roof. Should slate be available and close, then grey is the predominate color.
On our 2008 train ride from Burgundy to the Paris airport, the train was unusually full. Most of the passengers were families: well behaved kids, parents and grandparents. With reserved seats, we had no problems. There was a stop in Montbard where no one got off. My cycling friend and I wondered what on earth nearly a hundred families would do at an airport and with no luggage. Then I remembered that the prior day was the last day of school for the spring and the train stopped one more time at Marne-la-Vallie before the airport. I suggested to my friend that everyone would get off at the next stop, and that is what happened. This is the rail station for Disneyland Paris. Most of these parents had the weekend off, and I am sure some just closed up their shops or cafis for the day.
In Apology, Socrates wrote, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Putting a positive twist on that: the examined world is worth living in.
Bicycling in Burgundy is exceptional. Every day is unique. Use this book to plan a vacation and travel to the area easily and stress free. Then try to understand how these people define their life and culture. If you are successful, even in a small way, you will feel welcome and benefit from what may be the best way to examine the world.
Chapter Two
WHERE, WHY Now that you have some curiosity about this book, perhaps you are interested in a region of France that, when you return home, you will feel that you have a better understanding of a distinctive culture. That may be an obscure reason to your way of thinking. Unique bicycle routes that also make you feel remarkable days and weeks after the ride, impressive and photogenic scenery, the occasional meal that is difficult to forget, or just an opportunity to taste wines unavailable in North America. Probably riding on a bicycle that matches you with the terrain and lodging in a spacious, private, quiet, clean and historic location is on your list. Reasonable costs are on many travelers'' minds.
All these conditions are obtainable in the Burgundy region. Plus dense forests that were home to the Celts, Romans, Visigoths and Knights of the Round Table, to name a few. How about great hill climbs that could be categorized for a grand tour except that few people live close and the roads are too narrow.
One more consideration, you can ride these loops without the need to be at a certain place at a certain time-well, you ought to be at a safe location before dark. This benefit allows freedom to adapt a route and schedule to your own whims while not imposing on others.
Chapter Three
A PLAN
This is an occasion to meet people, ride new routes and enjoy a beautiful region. Packing my bag every other night, loading bikes and departing early for my next ride messes with that agenda. Settle on a location for a week or two. The rest of Europe will still be there for your next holiday.
To Do List
1. Select a region and community Page 6
2. When to travel Page 7
3. Select, reserve and confirm lodgings Page 7
4. Buy airline tickets Page 9
5. Adaptation Interval Page 9
6. Decide on a bicycle Page 10
7. Rental car Page 11
8. Select and buy train tickets Page 12
9. Select the airport-train transfer Page 12
10. Cell Phone Page 12
11. Cash and Credit Cards Page 13
12. Bike route planning Page 13
13. What to Take Page 13
14. Ability and Conditioning Page 15
15. Language Page 16
16. Make Cultural Preparation Page 16
Region and Community
The Burgundy region of four departments is great for all the reasons listed in the prior section. I believe that the Dordogne and Massif Central area, the Jura and Franche-Comte region, and Alsace all have many characteristics that make excellent venues for cycling and cultural understanding.
I am not ready to spend more time than is absolutely necessary in Paris and Ile de France (been there; own the tee shirt; too much traffic; etc.), anywhere near the Mediterranean coast (too windy and too expensive), or western France (too flat). These are my biases.
Burgundy continues to improve Viloroutes (cycle track, low traffic and paved roads with cycling direction signs) and dedicated Voie Verte (green way) routes in the region. Burgundy was the first region in France to implement a Voie Verte in 1997 from Givry to Cluny. Now they have over 650 kilometers (404 miles) with plans for a total of 800 kilometers (467 miles). South of Dijon in the Satne-et-Loire department, twenty-three bouclis (loops) are mapped with cycling signs for a total distance of 540 kilometers (335 miles). Most of the distance in these itineraries is gently rolling. Two negatives: the Voie Verte sections are very popular on summer weekends and you must be very cautious crossing roads.
Bicycling these paths can occupy an entire vacation, and I do utilize some parts of them in five of the bicycle loop rides. However, this region has 28,000 kilometers (17,400 miles) of small, rural paths and roads, and 90% of those paths and roads are paved. It is no wonder that France has more road distance per person than any other country in the world.
Suggested criteria for selecting a community are:
Three or more gntes (holiday cottage) within 15 kilometers (number of gntes that may be reserved online);
Within an hour''s drive (during the final week) of your bicycle rental location;
Have a restaurant, a boulangerie-pbtisserie (bakery-pastry) and a grocery store;
A pharmacie (pharmacy) is a plus;
A population between 500 and 3,000 implies light traffic so you may walk to a store and to the occasional dinner;
A location where it is possible to start and finish a couple of the bicycle rides from the gnte.
In eastern Burgundy consider Cormatin (62 gntes), Givry (23 gntes), Buxy (19 gntes), Meursault (68 gntes), St. Liger-sur-Dheune (27 gntes), Mercurey (26 gntes), St. Gengoux le National (24 gntes), and Santenay (37 gntes).
In the Nihvre the best location is close to Corbigny (20 gntes).
When to Travel
Weather that is agreeable for bicyclists in Burgundy runs from late May through September. Rain should be anticipated for a couple days during any month, with a higher probability in June.
The weekly price of a gnte jumps ten to thirty percent for the high season from early July through the third week in August. Most Europeans vacation during August with camping and going to a gnte very popular.
As a result, late May, June and September are the best times to travel in Burgundy. June is lush with green growth and poppies everywhere. During September vignerons (wine growers) from the Ctte d''Or bottle wines from prior years and prepare for the current year''s vendange (grape harvest). Although pleasing, the fall colors in Burgundy are less vibrant than in New England and the Great Lakes region.
Select, Reserve and Confirm Lodging
When you have selected a community and when to travel, decide on the type of place you want to stay in.
With little modification, I will repeat what I wrote in my first Burgundy book. First, consider a gnte. They provide quite a lot of room, privacy, security, a place for your bicycles and car parking all for a reasonable price. Another quality, many are located in some of the most picturesque villages of the region.
Cost and convenience were initial considerations in choosing gntes over a bed and breakfast or a hotel. This type of lodging has a main room, a kitchen, a bathroom, usually two bedrooms, a place to store bicycles, a private parking place and room for two couples for around 320€ ($520 at $1.63/€-June 1980 rate) per week.
Gnte Rural in French translates to "holiday cottage or apartment." In France, The Fidiration Nationale des Gntes de France is a quasi-government organization that lists and rates the quality of thousands of campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, and self-catering gntes. In the four Burgundy region departments, there are over 1,250 online gnte listings.
Quoting from the Gntes de France web site:
[A] self-catering gnte is a house or self-contained accommodation with one or more bedrooms, a lounge-cum-dining room, a kitchenette or kitchen and bathroom facilities. It can be rented for a few days, a weekend, and in most cases, several weeks, -
The Gntes de France quality label ensures that specific standards of comfort (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 ears of corn) are met and that the accommodation complies with our national charter. [Every] Gntes de France self-catering accommodation is inspected on a regular basis -.
Prices cover the full cost of renting the gnte for a week (from 4pm Saturday afternoon to 10am Saturday morning) or weekend. Depending on the category, sheets, household linen and cleaning service may be available on request. Heating is rarely included in the cost of rental. - - Many dipartements provide an on-line booking service for gnte rural (and in some cases for other types of accommodation). - [Y]ou will receive a rental agreement; - [and] you will generally be offered cancellation insurance.
Should you select a location and then reserve a gnte, with a 25% deposit using a credit card, on a region''s web site, you will receive an email with the following:
Subject: Gites de France Confirmation de Reservation Vous avez effectui une riservation Gntes de France, nous vous en remercions.
Votre location from 06/09/2008 to 20/09/2008 a iti enregistrie pour l''hibergement numiro Gnte n0370 at SANTENAY-EN-BOURGOGNE situi dans Ctte d''Or en Bourgogne.
Votre numiro de riservation ` conserver pour toute demande: : ####.
La centrale de riservation vous envoie dhs ` prisent par courrier postal le contrat et la fiche descriptive.
Pour tout autre renseignement, n''hisitez pas ` nous contacter :
ACCUEIL ET VACANCES EN COTE-D''OR Service Riservation, 5 rue Reni Char BP 17011 21000 DIJON CEDEX Tel: 03.80.45.97.15 Fax: 03.80.45.97.16. E-mail: gites.de.france21@wanadoo.fr
My very rough translation:
"You carried out a reservation Gntes de France, we thank you. Your housing from 06/09/2008 to 20/09/2008 was recorded for the accommodation number Refuge n0370 at SANTENAY-EN-BOURGOGNE in Ctte d''Or en Bourgogne. Your reservation number to preserve for all request: : ####. The reservation center will presently send you the contract and a descriptive memo by mail. For all other inquiries, don''t hesitate to contact us."
The text of these communications and contracts are all in French since, by law, contracts in France must be in French. In my experience, the proprietors of gntes work with English-speaking customers to the best of their ability. I have produced my confirmation papers at the start of each rental without the proprietor ever taking notice. To have a rough understanding of the documents you receive from Gntes de France, if you cannot read French, use a site such as http://www.freetranslation.com. The intent, for the most part, of these contracts seems to protect the renter.
After this exchange, you have paid the reservation service 25% of the total charge to confirm your reservation. Now you need to sign the agreement and mail it back. Use four to seven-day delivery of the USPS airmail letter.
The reservation center must receive your final 75% of the total cost of your stay one month before the rental starts. You may accomplish this via the Internet, or send in the coupon you received in the agreement paperwork with your credit card information.
After receipt of your payment, the reservation center will send you an acknowledgement letter with the actual gnte address, the owner''s name, their telephone number and an alternate telephone number.
Don''t be discouraged; this is French officialdom at its best and doesn''t reflect how the actual gntes operate.
What should you expect when staying at a gnte?
Gntes are immaculate, very quiet and precisely as they are represented on their Internet listing.
Sheets, pillowcases and bath towels are not normally included in the rental cost of gntes rated less than four ipis (ears of corn). You may either bring your own or rent from the owner for a nominal weekly charge.
The visitor must leave the gnte clean and ready for the next group. The owner offers no daily cleaning or room service during your stay. You may either do this yourself or arrange cleaning at the end of your stay from the owner when you arrive. Bicycle tourists are tidy people, so this is not a crushing problem.
Water, gas and eight kilowatt-hours of electricity per day are included in the rental. The included electricity is more than sufficient for lighting, small appliances and very little heat. Electric heating radiators are in most rooms and you may turn them on at will, however if you insist on keeping the whole gnte as warm as a North American home you will pay at the end of your stay. Typically, the owner will read the watt-hour meter when you arrive and again just before you leave. The charge for electricity used beyond that which is included will cost 0.11 €/kWh during heure pleine (hour full) and 0.06 €/kWh during heure creuse (off peak period).
If the gnte has a dishwasher, there may be some special soap cubes for it. Ask the owner what soap to use. The same advice goes for lave-linge (washing machine). Getting clothing dry involves unfolding a fil d''itendage, extirier (outside clothes drying rack) and hanging the clothes on it.
Wood for a fireplace is an extra charge.
Never count on air-conditioning, as it is rarely needed. The walls of many gntes are two to three hundred years old, made of stone and close to a half meter (1'' 7") thick. Some descriptions of such gntes are "buildings of character" or "old renovated wine grower''s house." They are not drafty and often have excellent, insulated windows. However, heating them effectively in the spring or fall is problematic, and they seem to stay cool through most of the European summers.
When you arrive, there will be some toilet paper in the WC (toilet). You will need to buy more.
Usually there will be coffee filters for the cafetihre (coffeepot), and an open container of ground coffee.
Go to the Gntes de France web site for an extensive description of Chambre d''httes (bed & breakfast). Prices for a weeklong stay are comparable with similarly rated and located gntes.
Also described on the Gntes de France web site are Camping sites with costs from 6 to 15€ per night.
Perhaps now you know why you are making this trip, even if you can''t express it completely. You have a location and have reserved lodgings.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from BICYCLE YOUR FRANCE: SECRET BURGUNDY by Walter Judson Moore Copyright © 2008 by Walter Judson Moore. Excerpted by permission.
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