BURGUNDY
FRANCE
We escaped the tourist crowds in Sarlat with a serene retreat in Burgundy’s Parc naturel régional du Morvan, exploring ancient Celtic sites, savoring gourmet meals, and immersing ourselves in local history and culture.
Escaping to Burgundy: Peaceful Retreats and Historical Wonders
Feeling the need to escape the tourist invasion in Sarlat, we decided to spend a few days in the Parc naturel régional du Morvan in Burgundy on our way to the Paris airport.
We ended up staying in an apartment owned by Kada, a Frenchman, in a 16th-century chateau converted into apartments, located in the heart of the park, making it wonderfully remote. The setting was gorgeous and peaceful, with a community that had embraced an ‘alternative’ lifestyle, living simply, growing their own vegetables, and getting back to nature. It felt like the Nimbin of Burgundy.
The chateau’s owners, Dukes dating back to medieval times, had built a new Renaissance-style chateau nearby in the 19th century, which they now use for holidays three weeks a year, residing in Luxembourg the rest of the time. It spoke volumes about the French tax system.
Kada was a brilliant host and an intriguing individual. A compulsive traveler, he had walked around the Mediterranean, sharing stories like crossing the Sinai Desert with an old Bedouin and two camels. He was also an amazing cook, preparing gourmet meals each night, such as salmon and scallop quenelles, a wild duck dish reminiscent of shepherd’s pie, and a spinach and smoked fish open pie. Each meal was accompanied by local Cote de Rhone wine.
We did more than sit around and eat. One day, we visited the ancient Celtic site of Bibracte, once a major fortified hill city, later settled by the Romans. Julius Caesar spent a year here and wrote his “Commentaries on the Gallic War.” Today, the site is an active archaeological site with a fascinating museum.
We also visited the town of Vézelay, a small village dominated by the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the starting points of the Camino de Santiago. It was also where Richard the Lionheart stopped on his way to the Crusades. The grandeur and architecture of these massive churches always leave me wondering about the toll it took on the locals to build them.
After three nights and two days, we set off to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to fly to Bangkok. The roads were pretty quiet, as all the French had gone off to the seaside, but the weather was cold, and it rained heavily for much of the trip.
For information on traveling in France, read our France Travel Guides.
