This story will take a few minutes to tell.
It all started with a reservation for the hot air balloon ride for August 9 in the town of Vezelay in the Burgundy Region of France. We rented a car in Paris with Elaine as driver and Edward navigator (with help of Tom-Tom) we drove to Vezelay. As we got about half way there it starting raining and it was difficult to see with all the water splashing up from the cars and trucks. The forecast indicated the weather would be clear and sunny the next day so and we thought we could have the balloon ride. Well, the weather cleared, but due to the high winds, the flight was cancelled for the next day and probably would not be able to do it until Friday.
The trip to Vezelay was not for naught. The town is over 1,000 years old and dates from the Gauls and Roman Empire. It is famous for two reasons. First, the church at the top of the hill was, for a period of time, the resting place of Mary Magdalene (yes, that Mary). It was also the gathering place and point of departure for the Third Crusade. Richard the Lionhearted spent the night in a home in the town that is still marked for his stay. The Benedictine abbey church of Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene is of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture, though much of its exterior was defaced during the French Revolution. The church and hill at Vezelay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
We walked to the top of the hill, past all the quaint boutiques and galleries, cafes and restaurants and courtyards with geraniums all along the street.
View out our window at the vineyards.
We split a snack of “fruit salad” which consisted of cucumbers, red bell peppers, onions, etc. but no lettuce in a oil and vinegar dressing and croque-monsieur, a hot ham and cheese (typically with emmental (Swiss) or gruyere cheese) then grilled. This one was one of the best with the herbs and tomatoes on top.
The wines in this area are wonderful and the prices are really super deals. At our hotel got wines by the glass for 3.50 euros and in Paris this best price has been 5.50 euros and it did not taste as good as these wines. We had a Burgundy Vezelay Chablis that we really like and plan to buy some bottles to take back to Paris to enjoy there.
These are some the the signs outside the hotels and shops “Cave” in French refers to a wine cellar and is usually associated with a store that sells wine or a tasting room.
We had dinner at a lovely quaint ( I know I use that term too much but I can't help it) restaurant La Bourgainville. I read some reviews and it received 6 out of 6 stars. The reviews raved about the beef bourguignon which is Edward's favorite so off we go. The restaurant is located on the Main Street that goes to the Abbey and we didn't even notice it was a restaurant on our trek up the hill earlier on the day. It just appears to be a small snack place from the street but as we go inside it has several rooms going toward the back. The staff was very accommodating and helped us with understanding and describing the menu items. Edward had the beef bourguignon and I had a veal dish. They were both awesome. For dessert I had a chocolate mousse cake with pistachio ice cream and Edward had a cherry and almond tart with a scoop of cherry sorbet. Both were delicious!!!
La Bougainville Restaurant – just looks like a snack place but NO!
They also had a cheese cart with several types of cheese. We had already had so much to eat but that cheese cart looked so delicious we were tempted but decided to forgo that part.
Just a few types of cheese to chose from 
Menus at La Bougainville Restaurant
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