Contrast between two regions

We awoke to hear rain once more, only to discover someone was taking a shower on the floor above us. Unfortunately it seems as if the sunny days of Provence are behind us, as it is another cloudy day in Bourgogne ahead.

Meursault
We started our day driving back south, since we heard the market was in town. In the small town's main square you had a market, and stores, of everything that we needed: meat, cheese, fruit, a boulangerie, and a small supermarket so we could buy some yogurt. We ate our breakfast right in the square, looking at the foggy vine-covered hills and the distinctive burgundian glazed roof tiles. A perfect start to the day.

Bourgogne wine
We made our way back to Beaune, passing through many other wine villages, including those of Volnay and Pommard. Vines and wineries are again everywhere, and you could sense that wine is the raison d'etre here. There was one big difference from the other wine regions - they have massive wine "plants" here. They must make, and ship, so much wine here, that these seem to be the manufacturing sectors of the area. It is crazy to think of wine on such a grand scale.

The french believe that bourgogne wine is one of the best, if not the best, in the world. So of course the price reflects that. I took a stop in one of the bigger wineries and tried several wines, which were more reasonably priced. Alas, they were some nasty tasting wines. So I bought the one that was actually palatable, curious to know if aging it will actually bring more life to the wine. Not too sure what the french see, but I certainly wasn't going to pay the big bucks to find out.

Beaune
The rest of our morning was spend in this historical city, wandering the streets and looking at some of the old buildings. Many narrow alleyways, more of the typical glazed roofs, and some buildings being restored and hidden from view. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and were soon on our way.

The fast route
We continued up north for a bit to Nuits-St-George, when we decided we didn't have enough time to spend in Dijon. Besides, aside being famous for its mustard, we couldn't really figure out what else there was to visit that we haven't already seen variations on a theme of. Further, I doubt it would compare to my favorite polish mustard.

So we turned our car east, away from the vineyards, and through the quiet countryside. We finally found an entryway to the autoroute and quickly made our way to our next destination.

A different world
The autoroute helped us speed along and get to Alsace in good time. As we entered the region the sun broke through the clouds, and we saw mountains and fall-coloured trees, and life was good again. Soon we saw the mountainsides covered in vines and turned to take our last wine route for the trip.

When researching where to go, I heard that Alsace was very different from the rest of France, and it is true. This area is a hybrid of French and German cultures, where it looks and tastes like Germany - right down to their food and wine - but they speak French.

Alsace wine
We started the route in Turckheim and made our way north through many different villages. Instead of stopping we decided to get to our hotel early and spend the evening walking through Ribeauville.

Ribeauville
A very quaint town, it didn't take long to locate our hotel, check in, and start touring the town. The buildings were more house-like, with wood on the facades and flowers hanging from window baskets.

We ended the evening with a dinner of "pork knuckle". At least that's how it was translated, although we're still trying to figure out what part of the pig that is. But whatever it was, it was delicious, even though it meant that the skin of the pig was still on. I had the better version with plums and honey, while mon mari had the version of beer and honey. Side dishes could not be any more German: sauerkraut and potatoes. This was all washed down with a pitchet of riesling. Absolutely filling!