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spr ing
of Domaine Drouhin Laroze, plies us with a personally prepared
lunch and pours tastes of her various wines. Later, we drive through
and along some of the great vineyards, including Romanée-Conti.
On Thursday, we cruise through the Ouche Valley, enjoy lunch
onboard and visit Beaune – capital of Burgundy and its wine country
– in the afternoon. We wander through the nearly 600-year-old
Hotel-Dieu Hospice and taste yet more wine during a by-invitation-
only tour of its Medieval cellars. We hit the lottery here and are
gifted with tastes of “The Big M” – Montrachet Grand Cru. When
we return to the barge, we drink another cocktail, toast to our good
luck, and head out to the Abbaye de la Bussiere, a Relais & Chateaux
restaurant that earns a one-star rating from Michelin.
Friday is our last day of canaling. We arrive at Pont D’Ouche and
visit the studio/gallery of English artist Paul Day, afterward heading
up to the 12th-century castle in Chateauneuf-en-Auxois to enjoy the
Clive Cummings is owner/proprietor of the Abbaye de la Bussiere, a one-star Miche-
lin restaurant and hotel “in the heart of Burgundy.” The property was founded in 1130
and though the original building burned down just two years later, structures on the
property date from the beginning of the 13th century all the way into the 19th century.
Although our group was there for dinner as part of our cruise (foie gras de canard,
Supreme de volaille de Bresse, a plethora of local cheeses, fresh cherries, Savoie bis-
cuits, and vanilla ice cream with a dash of bourbon, mmm, mmm), the Abbaye is also,
from what we hear, an excellent hotel, with room rates starting at a quite reasonable
215 euros, especially in light of the opulence of the buildings and the grounds.
We sail through the heart of Burgundy, close by homes, schools, and fields; the
canopy (center, just above the table) has been electronically lowered as the boat
approaches an upcoming bridge
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