The last part of part one

It's nearing the end of week 1 of our fabulous Burgundian holiday.  What is so exciting is we get to start all over again for week 2 somewhere else.  The internet connection is plenty dodgy here so you sort of have to make hay whilst the solleil brille.  My next post will be when we are ensconced in our new abode.

We found patisseries various so I have now partaken of quite a few little delicacies.  Oh, they are so yummy.  Today I have a cake shaped like a cat to look forward to - I don't know what's inside but he's chocolate on the outside.

We chateaued today, Santenay and Rocheport.  Quite beautiful.  We didn't do interiors but just mooched round the outside a bit and did the wine cellars of Santenay and a bit of degustationing.  I found white Santenay rather sharp in the same way that I found our swimming pool rather fresh,  (i.e. sour as hell).

We had a burning curiosity to see if the gigantic Carrefour supermarket at Beaune is any bigger than the gargantuan one at Challon sur Saone.  Well, we don't really know as we were side tracked by all the wonderful things to buy and we only ever make it half way round these places anyway.  (Apparently, the one at Autan is even bigger - oh goody we go there next.)  Mr Smith bought loads of wine - cases and cases.  I bought a big tray of cheese.  We'll never eat it all but it looked too good to pass up.

Honestly, this is such a typical french gite with three corkscrews and no colander.  The loo is raised on a sort of mountain of cement wrapped in gaffer tape so you need to be 6ft tall to use it.  My legs dangle as I sit on it - there is a little wooden stool that I find reassuring on the way down.  On the plus side there is a kettle, a state of the art coffee maker (too complicated for me) and a very good gas cooker.  There are only two saucepans one of which is teeny wee and neither have lids but then there is a superb le Creuset in which I casseroled our rabbit last night.  However, overall the place is brilliant; very peaceful - even the cows nearby are quiet.  There are lovely views, great walks and superb foraging - walnuts abound as do pears, grapes, blackberries, apples, almonds and quinces.   I'm sure the neighbours clocked Mr Smith returning with a load of walnuts.  "Not content with looking through our bin, zay are now collecting ze fruits from ze trees.  Les pauvres anglais."  There are nutcrackers here which is a bonus and saves our teeth.