Thursday 23 May

Today was all about packing up to leave our beloved Venice – such a short stay this time due to BDR’s work commitments. I think this has been my 7th visit to Venice, and not once have I been happy to leave. So, choking back tears (me), we jumped into the water taxi arranged by our landlords (just an ordinary taxi – nothing too fancy like the ones the Emirates chauffeurs use) for the ride to the airport – so comfortable and so quick. We’ve flown Air France a few times now and absolutely love them. The crews have always been so warm and the service fantastic, and today’s flight of one hour exactly was no exception. It was such a beautiful day and I experienced seat envy when the guy across the isle from us had views over Venice, but otherwise everything was perfect. The crew only had time to run around with a glass of water and a packet of savoury biscuits for everyone before it was time to land. The views over the French alps were amazing – snow everywhere and we could see people skiing at one stage. Then over vivid green forests and pastures to land in Lyon – such a fabulous flight.

Collecting our hire car at the airport was a breeze, with great service from the Herz people, and a very easy exit onto the motorway to Beaune. We stopped at a Carrefour supermarket we know well (the produce is amazing – fantastic charcuterie, cheese, wine and butcher) to stock up on supplies for tonight and tomorrow, and then headed straight to “our” little cottage in the countryside.

It is wonderful to be back in this tiny village. The garden is so green and full of little birds. There are beautiful black sheep in the paddock across the lane, horses and a goat a few doors down to the left, cows to the right, chickens in the garden and our landlords’ 3 cats next door. This is sheer heaven for me – and such a contrast to Venice.

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This evening I was planning to cook the little castruare artichokes in accordance with the method given to me by one of the lovely owners of Ristorante Local – olive oil, garlic, parsley, little bit of water, cover and steam lightly. But as we were about to leave our Venice apartment, I realised that I’d accidentally thrown the bag of castruare and parsley into the bin. I raced downstairs to the rubbish trolly to retrieve it but the rubbish man had already taken it away. What a waste! So instead we had some fresh bread, cheese, ham and salad before retiring to our beautiful bedroom upstairs, with luxurious linen bedding. And outside, complete silence. It’s so lovely to be back.

Friday 24 May

This morning we had a bit of a sleep-in after a quite hectic day yesterday, BDR made brunch, I did some washing, and we settled down to catch up with email. We were joined by one of the cats from next door (think he’s probably the tiny kitten we met on the day we left the cottage four years ago) and we played backgammon.

We first came to this cottage 18 years ago and have played backgammon every time we’re here using the small travel set kept in the “games and jigsaw” cupboard. We think we are probably the only people who use it because I still keep score on the original piece of paper we used back on that first visit and every time since. When we leave, I put it in the folded backgammon board and it appears never to have been moved by anyone else.

We ventured out to a supermarket in Beaune to buy a few bits and pieces and returned home to light the fire and make a very simple dinner of duck confit (I bought it already prepared in the supermarket), with little potatoes baked in duck fat and a simple salad – and of course it was served with a very good Burgundian pinot. And as we cleaned up afterwards, I found the vacuum-packed whole beetroots that were meant to go with the duck! So disappointing.

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It was so lovely to have a day to catch our breaths and settle back into our normal Burgundian life – and it’s also very good to have all of our clothes clean – all drying by the dwindling fire as we headed upstairs to bed.

Saturday 25 May

Saturday is always my favourite day in Burgundy – the day of the Beaune market. We gathered our shopping bags and headed for the centre of Beaune mid-morning and found a parking spot quite easily.

First to the market hall – my favourite part. It’s a matter of walking around to see what’s available and then joining the queues at the best counters. I joined the Bresse counter and chose a smallish chicken to roast and the butcher proceeded to remove the head and feet (I actually wanted the feet for stock but forgot to tell him), remove and trim the giblets, show me the ring that the poor chook once had around its leg, and then wrap it all up with enormous care (Carl Torre style) before placing it in an insulated bag.

Next stop the butcher with the longest queue. The butcher was so charming and helpful, and also treated the produce in that caring Torre way. I chose an entrecôte on the bone and asked for enough for 6 people – to provide us with leftovers. Just 2 steaks were all that were required. Then the cheese shop with the longest queue. I chose a large wedge of comté which was also wrapped as though it was made of the finest crystal. And that all took just over an hour!

Then outside to get a slab of bread (purchased by the kilo), olives, fruit and vegetables until we could carry no more and back to the car. Our lunch in the cottage was so delicious and then down to the serious business of planning dinner when one of BDR’s old friends from London (John) who is staying at Savigny Les Beaune, would join us. We haven’t seen John since our honeymoon almost 29 years ago when we (and our kids) stayed with John and his wife in London and then at their holiday home in the south of France.

Dinner was very good. The chicken was delicious, but I would have liked it to have been just a little more tender, and the vegetables were wonderful, as were the pre-dinner olives and the post-dinner comte. And of course the burgundy wines were sensational.

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So after our dinner guest had left, I checked the Bresse website and discovered that their chickens should be roasted in a lowish oven (which I did), but the most important part (of which I was not aware) is that the roasting must commence in a completely cold oven. Damn! That’s what was wrong. Next time…

Sunday 26 May

This morning I washed my hair with the hand-shower while sitting in the bath, and through the bathroom window, had the most perfect view of our landlady’s sheep in the paddock outside. They are so beautiful and such characters – mostly just move as one but run if they spot a great piece of grass one or two metres away and there is the occasional head-butt and short-lived bullying behaviour.

After collecting John from Savigny-les-Beaune, we drove to a restaurant called La Cabotte in Nuits Saint Georges, one of our favourite villages. The restaurant, recommended to us by our landlord, is quite small, bistro style, no nonsense with fantastic food. I had pork rillettes as a starter, BDR had terrine and John had escargot, and for mains I had the best boeuf bourguignon I’ve ever had, BDR had a veal cutlet and John had sweetbreads, and of course we shared a bottle of Nuits Saint Georges pinot. We took a lovely stroll around the village before taking the scenic route home, dropping John off on the way.

Back at our cottage, I opened the doors and sat at a small table overlooking the back garden to check emails and update the blog and was delighted to receive a visit from Lapiduse who was a tiny kitten when we met him four years ago. He made himself at home, sat on the window sill in front of me swishing his tail and then jumped across onto my table to use my handbag as a pillow for a short afternoon nap.

John joined us again for dinner tonight and I cooked a small potato gratin, made a green salad and cooked the boeuf entrecôte by searing it in a frying pan that wasn’t quite big enough to cope with these enormous steaks, then finished them off in the oven with an impromptu baking dish I constructed using a small flat tray and several sheets of Alfoil.

I have to say the result was spectacular. The beef, cooked medium-rare / rare, had such a fabulous flavour and was so tender. John said it was the best beef he’s ever had. We followed with just a little of the comté cheese and some crisp apple – all very delicious.

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It’s been a lovely day today, quite warm and very peaceful. Great food, great wine and even better (for me), close encounters with our beautiful four-legged neighbours.

Monday 27 May

This morning we set off at about 11am, just as our landlady was taking Baldon, one of her horses, back to the paddock following a home visit from his chiropractor. We collected John for a scenic drive through a few vineyards of the Côte d’Or and then moved onto the motorway to arrive in Chablis just after 1pm.

“Au Fil du Zinc” was another restaurant recommended by our landlord and we were fortunate to get the last available table. The Japanese chef of this small bistro style restaurant/bar previously worked for Joel Robuchon, and the food we had today demonstrated that influence. Three small, delicious crackers stuck in a bowl of pebbles were placed in the middle of the table to start, and a bottle of 2013 Grand Cru Chablis was chosen with the help of “the boss” (as our waiter called him). 

We all chose the three-course option:  As entrée, John and I had the white asparagus, ham culatello and mustard tiles and BDR had the marinated wild mackerel, chickpea crisps, coriander and turmeric potatoes. For mains, BDR and I had the Challans duckling with spices, turnip and pureed artichoke and John had the catch of the day, spinach and grey shrimp broth with peas, and we each had a small cheese platter to finish. What an amazing lunch – we all absolutely loved it. Very simple, no fuss but very efficient service and the most beautiful food. We found out later this evening that this is our landlord’s favourite restaurant in Burgundy and I completely understand why.

Then back home along the motorway to join the Route des Grands Crus and meander home (for almost 3 hours) through all of those famous Burgundian villages and vineyards. Just time for a bit of a rest before joining our landlords at 7:30 for “supper” in their beautiful home next door.

We started in the living room around the fireplace with fabulous hot-out-of-the-oven gougéres served with a 2002 Pol Roger champagne – and two cats, Kit, the shy 14 year-old who allowed me to share her chair, and Albion, the cuddly 9 year-old who is like a huge fluffy rag doll. Then into the dining room for free-range chicken (just like Bresse but from another producer preferred by our landlady) which had been roasted in the correct way – started in a cold oven. It was so delicious and so tender and served with a lovely mixture of vegetables along with two fabulous 2002 Burgundian reds. Then a bowl of perfect strawberries dressed with a syrup that included some liqueur – something like Cointreau I think, served with a Beaujolais which our landlord said was the perfect wine for strawberries – and it was. 

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We had such a fantastic lunch and the most perfect evening next door – fabulous food, amazing wines, great conversation and lots of laughter. We are so lucky to have such fabulous landlords, and were very grateful that we only had to stroll a few metres to reach our front door!

Tuesday 28 May

We had a quiet morning in the cottage before setting off to collect John and drive into the centre of Beaune to go to the Musée de l’Hôtel-Dieu, a place we have previously visited, maybe 18 years ago. 

Hotel-Dieu was founded by a wealthy couple in 1443 as a hospital, primarily for the poor, run by catholic nuns, and continued to be run as a hospital right up until the 1970’s. This building is amazing. So enormous and so beautifully built. It was designed to have a very austere exterior and a most beautiful interior – with exquisite coloured German tiles covering only that part of the roof which is visible from the inside. There is a fabulous cathedral which was later converted to a smaller church at the front and a large hospital ward at the back, an enormous kitchen from which the nuns would prepare food for the patients and make bread for the poor to collect every morning. The hospital is built right on top of a fast-running river providing access to clean water and also a means of disposing of waste!

I left the boys who were both fascinated with the pharmacy and medical equipment, while I rushed off to visit a cooking shop that was recommended to me by an Instragram “friend”. This little shop called “The Cook’s Atelier” is really beautiful, full of expensive copper-ware, knives, wooden cooking implements and wine, and has a cooking school upstairs. As far as I can work out, there are three owners – an Italian (I think) husband and wife and an English woman. I met them all, as well as the couple’s gorgeous baby who had no trouble understanding my English baby talk, and they were all absolutely charming. I bought some miniature copper canelé moulds and a copy of their recently published cookbook.

From there we went back to our cottage and while BDR made a simple dinner of leftovers (the fridge was completely full of chicken, beef, cheese etc), I went for a little walk down our street to visit our landlady’s horses and goat and spent some time inspecting “our” garden. The three horses just looked at me and carried on eating grass, while the goat, which is a retired milking nanny, came sauntering up the hill for a pat. Her name is Capucine (French for nasturtium) and she is absolutely beautiful – very gentle and so affectionate.

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It’s been a quiet day today. Lunch at a restaurant opposite the museum was pretty ordinary, but dinner of cold beef with fabulous Beaune mustard and salad was delicious. And it was so nice to finally have an early night.

Wednesday 29 May

We popped into Beaune this morning to farewell John (he caught the train to Nimes to join his wife at their holiday home), buy fresh bread and a few more coffee pods and had one of those days that we love just “hanging out” in the cottage. Playing our favourite music, coffee or a glass of wine over a game or two of backgammon, walks around the village and pottering in the garden.

We had a lovely visit from 9 year-old Albion who ran up the back stairs when I called him, and then there was a knock at the front door – our landlady inviting me to join her as she checked on the goat, horses, chickens and bees. This little property reminds me so much of Beatrix Potter’s. Very cute stone cottage, beautiful garden, healthy and organised vegie patch, 6 chickens, 7 sheep, 3 cats, 3 horses, a goat and 3 bee hives. This is my idea of heaven.

The chickens’ enclosure is very large, very green and in the most beautiful setting between the creek, the horse paddock and the next-door neighbours’ house. The door on the cute little chicken house automatically closes after the sun sets and opens after sunrise and there is an automatic feeding station in the hope that crows won’t get into the food (that may not be working as well as hoped).

Then into the next paddock to visit the horses and the goat, Capucine. She immediately came to us and leant on me so that I could pat her. She is so beautiful. As our landlady and I walked up the hill to talk to the horses, I was suddenly bumped and gently pushed aside so that Capucine could get in front of us. And the horses are all the same. So gentle and affectionate.

Then back to the other side of our cottage to the bee hives – keeping our distance. One of the hives was very active, the middle one had recently been deserted, and the third one had a new batch of bees that someone didn’t want – and they seemed to be doing the right thing. Later in the afternoon, I saw our landlady all dressed-up in her bee-keeper whites (covered head-to-toe) taking a closer look at the new bees.

I froze the chicken neck, wing tips and giblets of the Bresse chicken I bought on Saturday and yesterday, BDR used them along with with the remains of the cooked chicken frame to make a stock. So today I used up all of the vegetables we had left to make up a pot of soup – such a great thing to have on a lazy Wednesday at home.

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Then this evening we packed our suitcases ready for our departure tomorrow morning. We absolutely love staying in this cottage and are already talking about coming back – hopefully next year – fingers crossed.

Thursday 30 to Friday 31 May

We were up early this morning so that I could finish packing and BDR could prepare a picnic breakfast. We said our final goodbyes to our landlady (her husband left for Paris on Wednesday afternoon), set the GPS for Terminal 2 at Charles de Gaul airport and headed off on the 3 hour drive to Paris. The GPS took us along the Burgundy canal, through vineyards and little villages initially before getting us onto the motorway to Paris. It was all so easy. Drivers stick to the right lane unless overtaking, nobody speeds up when you try to pass them, everyone is very accommodating and polite – if only Perth drivers could be like this! I sat on 130 kph most of the way and was passed constantly.

We stopped a couple of times for breakfast and to stretch our legs, filled the car up with petrol as we approached the airport and then apprehensively made our way to Terminal 2 having read reports that finding the Hertz car rental return is almost impossible. And there it was, a sign saying to get into the left lane for hire car returns, and then just there opposite the terminal entrance was the Hertz sign – could not have been easier. Then a very short walk underground into the terminal, up in a lift, and there was the Emirates check-in. Piece of cake!

We were the first passengers to check-in to the Emirates lounge which has recently been renovated and is very comfortable. Of course we had our customary glass of Moët and a very light lunch and discussed how easy this trip has been. Apart from getting lost while walking in every single city we visited, everything has worked like clockwork.

Then onto the plane (we were allocated the “sweetheart” seats 9E and 9F on every Emirates flight) and were both watching movies (“Midnight in Paris for me, “Apollo 13” for BDR) as the plane took off at about 3:30pm. I was aware that we were heading down the runway but didn’t realise that we’d taken off until I looked out the window and saw that we were way over the top of Paris. These A380’s are so comfortable – and so quiet.

We met in the bar for what we thought was a pre-dinner drink, but in fact it was a pre-lunch drink! Then back to finish our movies, have another lunch and a bit of a snooze before landing in Dubai just after midnight local time. As we stepped out into the terminal, BDR had to stop and readjust his hand luggage and a man in one of those little airport trains called out to us and gave us a lift over what seemed to be several kilometres to the security gate for our next flight. So we were first to check-in again! Through security, onto an underground train to another terminal and up the escalators to one of the many Emirates lounges.

BDR fell asleep almost as soon as we’d taken off, but I had a bit of breakfast and watched “Ladies in Black” (bit of a girlie movie but I loved it) and then slept for about 7 hours. Lunch was served and then there we were – flying in over Rottnest and Fremantle, and up the Swan River (looked like a mill-pond) . The sun was setting as we landed – such a beautiful sight.

Once again, the experience of getting through Perth airport was a breeze – seemed to take no time at all, and everyone was so friendly. Not like the Perth airport of a few years ago thank heavens. Our Emirates chauffeur was waiting for us and we had no sooner finished reading our email messages than we arrived home – in the dark at about 6:15pm! In Burgundy, it was still daylight until 9:15pm.

And what’s the first thing you do when you arrive home? Check the sourdough starter of course. I had one batch in the coldest part of the fridge and it looked great – started bubbling as soon as I fed it (just flour and water), and a small batch in the freezer which had to be thawed out for 2 hours before I fed it – not quite as active as the other batch but still looks good.

Then at 8:45pm, we jumped into my car and drove to Gloucester Park to collect my mum who was having an evening out with friends, and drive her home. It was so lovely to see her, she looked gorgeous and was in high spirits. Then back home for the best shower and into the best bed for the best night’s sleep!

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And this morning I woke to the sounds of a Wattlebird outside our window and could hear Magpies calling out in the distance, and soon after there was a Butcherbird singing somewhere nearby and our local flock of Carnaby’s Cockatoos screeching as they flew past. Not the sweet melodious songs of the darling little birds of Burgundy – our birds are big and so incredibly noisy, but I wouldn’t swap them for the world. It really is wonderful to be home.

Saturday 1 June

We absolutely loved this trip, and apart from getting lost in every single city when walking – New York, Milan, Venice and Beaune – everything just worked like clockwork. Recommendations that come to mind for me are:

Flights:

• Emirates – we absolutely love flying on the A380 Business Class which entitles us to chauffeur services before and after every flight. We choose the “sweetheart” seats (2 seats together in the middle of the plane) as close to the front of the plane as possible.
• Air France – we’ve flown Air France (economy) 3 times in the last 18 months and cannot fault them. The booking system is good, the crews have been outstanding and the planes are very comfortable.

Car Rental:

We have hired cars every time we’ve gone to Europe in the past 10 years. Experience has taught us to hire and return cars only at airports (they are always open, are easy to find and are situated on major roads / motorways) and to take out the highest level of insurance. We’ve used Hertz / Thrifty on our last 2 trips and have found them to be fabulous – would choose them every time now.

Hotels:

• The Empire on West 63rd Street in New York is fine – not great – but in the most perfect position (for us anyway) being just across the road from the Lincoln Centre and The Met, two blocks from Central Park and around the corner from Columbus Circle.
• Starhotels Rosa Grand in Milan is fabulous – very central and around the corner from il Duomo. We would choose to stay here every time from now on.

Holiday Rentals:

Our favourite holiday accommodation in Venice and Burgundy both have great landlords, well equipped kitchens with excellent appliances, washing machines, comfortable beds and very good quality bedding. Our flights and train bookings are planned around availability of these holiday rentals.

• Venice – we stay in an apartment that overlooks the Grand Canal and is very close to Rialto Mercato.
• Beaune – we stay in a cottage in a small village just 20 minutes from the centre of Beaune. It is the only accommodation we’ve had since first visiting Burgundy in 2001.

Restaurants:

• New York – Buvette for breakfast/brunch, Bar Boulud for excellent food and wine list, Burger Joint for inexpensive, casual dining, Bluestone Lane for coffee.
• Milan – Tartuffi & Friends for fantastic food and service.
• Venice – Alla Toletta for breakfast/brunch/lunch, Antiche Carampagne and Ristorante Local for the most fabulous food.
• Burgundy – Au Fil du Zinc in Chablis for fabulous food.

Shows:

• The Met opera house is simply wonderful – an opera lover’s dream.
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway is great fun but I think it is necessary to have either read the books or watched the movies beforehand to understand who the characters are.
• Woody Allen’s jazz band at the Carlisle Cafe is wonderful for good food and fun music.

Art:

• Our private tour of small galleries with our friends in New York was just amazing – such a fabulous thing to so.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is fabulous – but so big – needed more time than we could / were prepared to allocate.
• The Biennale at Arsenale and Giardini were amazing – but once again we hardly did them justice in the time we had.
• There were so many other galleries we wanted to visit in New York and Venice but just didn’t have enough time. It’s one of the things that keep us going back.

Bookshops:

• New York – Three Lives & Company, Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks and Kitchen Arts & Letters are all exceptional.
• Venice – Libreria Acqua Alta is fabulous to visit – such great fun.

People:

As always, the best part of our trip is always the people – those we meet on planes, in theatres, bars, restaurants and shops. Most of those “friendships” are fleeting, but in some cases, when we share the same values and/or interests, life-long friendships can and have been forged. It’s all about having the time and being open to engaging with strangers – something that’s possible when we’re relaxed and on holiday.

Lessons Learnt:

• Don’t fly 36 hours without taking at least an overnight stop-over.
• Do something to have better maps and/or plan walking trips in advance, and don’t rely on google maps in Venice – it just doesn’t work!

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What’s next?

Possibly another trip in 2020 to Venice, Puglia, Rome, Paris, Burgundy, Provence?
Fingers crossed…

A bit of background info…

New York
New York City Bound
Singing in the Rain
Das Rheinhold
Lower East Side
Art, Music & Burgers
West Village & Greenwich Village
Private Homes & Galleries
Brünnhilde’s Final Day
Harry Potter & the Cursed Child
Upper East Side
Del Posto

Milan
Milano

Venice
Venezia
Favourite Books & Authors
Biennale at Arsenale
The Very Best in Venice…
Binge dining
Biennale at Giardini
Ristorante Local

Burgundy
Sad to leave Venice…
A day to unwind
Saturday Market in Beaune
Nuits Saint Georges
Chablis
Afternoon in Beaune
A day in our cottage

Perth
Homeward bound

Recommendations
To wrap up…

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