Turks and Caicos reunion in Burgundy

Isabel with Havana (right) and the girls (and Chico, of course)

A traditional  Borguoyne lunch whipped up by Isabel

SEVIGNY de ROSENVORT -- We met up with Isabel, who was Savannah's baby sitter when she was just one year old! A random Facebook connection the day before alerted us to the fact that Isabel lives only about an hour form Dijon so we had to stop in for a visit. It turned out to be an over-nighter as we settled in comfortably to her beautiful country house (an old mill) and the girls enjoyed the company of her five year old Havana, as well as numerous goats, chickens and Che the fat cat. It was a perfect stop over and great to catch up with our old TCI friend

Isabel moved to this little town in Burgundy from Hong Kong, where she lived for several years with her husband Perry, a pilot for Cathay Pacific (whom she met in TCI when he was flying for Sky King). Perry still lives there but gets to France about once a month. She is originally from Quebec so speaks fluent French and has made quite a life for herself, including running the 'jite' (sort alike a B&B) upstairs in the two bedroom apartment they renovated beautifully. Havana even has her own business, selling the eggs her chickens produce (1 euro for half dozen and Hubert gave them two thumbs up).

Savannah was the goat feeder

Baume Les Messieurs

BAUME les MESSIEURS - Isabel took us to a very cool place near her house. It's kind of like France's version of the Grand Canyon, on a much smaller scale. This picture shows us looking down into the canyon, which literally reveals the generations of evolution in the earth's history on the stone walls on either side.

Barely visible at the very top of the picture is a town called called Baume les Messieuers which is nestled in the base of the canyon. It's a tiny town and you have to wind down a narrow road to get to it. We enjoyed a traditional local meal there, including local trout that populate the cold water streams which run through the canyon.

A day trip to Beaune

BEAUNE - Beaune (pronounced bone) is a quaint little town in the heart of burgundy, one of the premier wine producing regions in France. It's a prototypical small France town with lots of old buildings, narrows streets and great cafes. The main attraction there is an old hospital, now a museum,  called the Hopices de Beanue. It was built by Belgians (according to Hubert) under direction from the Dukes of Burgundy who had re-located from the region to Bruges, Belgium where a similar hospital existed.

We had intended to spend the night in Beuane, or close by, but we got word that Elisabeth's wedding ring, which she had lost that morning at the Hotel Wilson, had been found, so we headed back to Dijon for the night. Needless to say Elisabeth was relieved and happy to go back.

Deja Vu in Dijon

Caveua de Mosigny. Chico was unimpressed - he crapped in the wine cellar

DIJON -- We pulled into Dijon late Tuesday afternoon and went straight to a hotel Toni and I had stayed in years ago - the Hotel Wilson (named for US President Woodrow and located conveniently on Place de Wilson - apparently the good people of the land of mustard have an enduring admiration and appreciation for our 28th president).

We enjoyed Dijon back then, and found it just as enjoyable and attractive this time around. It's in the heart of Burgundy, which is prime wine producing region and we sampled the local fare extensively, even stopping at a vineyard called Caveau de Mosigny, which Hubert highly recommend (he even thought he might know someone who used to work there but the manager on duty surmised the guy must have died years ago since Hubert met him in the 1970s and he was pushing 70 then). Dinner that night at an aptly-named place called L'escargot, which is another staple of the Burgundy economy, and we feasted on that local delicacy as well.

If it's Tuesday, it must be...

BRUSSELS, Belgium - We arrived this morning in Belgium and after only a slight bit of panic retrieved our luggage and Chico. Chico was only casually examined by the friendly customs people (more for their amusement than any real regulatory issues), and his paperwork checked out fine.

After clearing customs, we were promptly met by Hubert and Elizabeth - with two cars! One of them, a BMW SUV is to be ours for the year, and after a quick breakfast at the airport hotel, we loaded her up and hit the road. Our target destination: Dijon, home of the famous mustard

Check in at JFK

That's Toni behind the mountain of bags. Actually, not too bad all things considered. Chico is banished from the cabin and will ride underneath with the unwashed masses of other canines.

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Rotary meeting in NYC

My good friend and fellow Rotarian 'New York' Steve hosted me at his club's meeting. Held at the posh Harvard Club, the New York club is the 6th oldest in the world and a eclectic bunch of wily old timers and feisty up and comer New Yorkers. The guest speakers on this day thrilled the crowd with their story of starting a company that develops a product to address sexual satisfaction in women. Steve and I both volunteered to perform field testing on their behalf.

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Giusti girls at the Plaza

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