Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with
more of the best of Europe. This time, we're enjoying
the edible, drinkable, scenic, and floatable delights of one of my favorite
corners of France, Burgundy. Thanks for joining us. ♪ Burgundy is calm,
cultivated, serene, where nature is as sophisticated
as the people. The traditions
are strong here. If you're looking for the quintessential
French culture, you'll find it
in Burgundy. In this show, we'll appreciate
superb Burgundy wine, visit a medieval hospice, build a barrel, slurp escargots, ponder medieval monasticism, then drop in
on a modern monastic community and explore the Burgundian
countryside. France is the biggest country in western Europe. We'll head southeast of Paris to explore the region
of Burgundy, using the town of Beaune
as a home base to explore its canals,
vineyards, and historic sites. Burgundy, like much of France,
is laced by canals dug in the early
Industrial Age. 200 years ago,
canals like these provided the cheapest way
to transport cargo. With the help of locks, you could actually
ship your goods clear across France,
from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Today, trains and trucks
do the heavy hauling and canals are for relaxing -- an art form in which
the French excel. Whether you're cruising in a big
full-service luxury barge or a small
captain-it-yourself boat, the basic experience
is the same -- a lazy glide by pastoral scenes. This time, I'm joined
by my friend and co-author
of my France guidebook, my favorite Francophile,
Steve Smith. I love slowing down. Cruising is the best way
to see Burgundy. It forces you
to slow down. Steves: And Steve's family
is hitching a ride, too, as we learn how the French, who invented our modern concept
of a vacation, are on to something good
with barging. Oh, my. The canal-side lane, built as an Industrial Age
towpath, is ideal for jogging,
strolling, or biking. Boats come with bikes, and the pace is relaxing enough
to allow for excursions. Your ride is punctuated
by a lock every mile or so. By going from lock to lock, boats can gently "climb,"
step by step, over the rolling terrain. Each lock is a treat. Attendants who live
in the historic lock houses are friendly and always ready
to help out. Some locks are automated. [ beeping ] Others involve a little
old-fashioned elbow grease. [ accordion playing ] Full-service barges
can be hired with a captain and crew
who do the navigating, cooking, and guiding. Boats have comfy state rooms, all the comforts you'd expect
in a good hotel, and you'll invariably
be eating and drinking some of the very best
that Burgundy has to offer. Ah, here's
my wine glass. Our day on the canal
was an ideal family vacation -- three generations, the scenery coming to us, a capable skipper, and not a care
in the world. [ laughter ] The city of Beaune
makes a handy home base for exploring Burgundy. The townscape, lassoed
within its medieval walls, is as French
as you'll find anywhere. You'll feel comfortable
right away in this prosperous
and popular little wine capital, where life centers
on the production -- and consumption -- of the prestigious
local wines. The medieval monks
and powerful dukes of Burgundy laid the groundwork
that established this town's prosperity. The monks cultivated wine, and the dukes cultivated wealth. To enjoy any small French town
at its vibrant best, it's worth visiting
on its market day. In Beaune, that's Saturday, and the town is thriving. We're on a mission --
to buy the goodies for a lunch at Steve's
country home a little later. And here in Burgundy,
it's got to include a pile of snails. You buy your snails
at the charcuterie. Bonjour, monsieur. So, hey, we're in
the charcuterie now. This is the place
you buy snails. Two ways of doing snails. The easy way --
you buy them like you see them
in the window there. Already made,
already stuffed, already ready to go. Or you do it yourself by buying a jar
of snails and the shells separately, and you stuff them
yourself. [ speaking French ]
Viola. 30 euros, Rick. 30 euros. Fork it over.
Et voila. Merci beaucoup.
Merci, monsieur. Steves: While Beaune's
real charm is the colorful town itself, it does have
one must-see sight -- its Hospices de Beaune, a medieval charity hospital. Six centuries ago,
Beaune was devastated by two terrible events -- the Great Plague
and the Hundred Years' War, a drawn-out battle
between France and England that embroiled all of Burgundy. In the early 1400s, 3/4 of Beaune's population
was destitute. Amid all this squalor,
the Duke's right-hand man, Nicolas Rolin,
grew filthy rich because he could tax the people. Concerned for the destiny
of his own soul, Rolin attempted to buy
a ticket to heaven by building
this Palace for the Poor. It was completed
in just eight years. The colorful glazed-tile roof established
what became a style recognized as typically
Burgundian. The tiles, which last 300 years,
are fired three times -- once to harden, then to burn in
the color, and finally
for the glaze. This largest room
was the ward for the poorest patients. Rolin, who believed
every patient deserved dignity, provided each
with a pewter jug, mug, bowl, and plate. The hospice was not
a place of hope. People came here
to die. Care was more
for the soul than the body. The far end of the ward
was a chapel. Patients could attend mass
while in bed. And also from their beds,
they could ponder the powerful symbolism
of a painting that stood upon the altar --
now displayed in an adjacent room. In Roger van der Weyden's
exquisite painting of the Last Judgment, Jesus presides
over Judgment Day, flanked by the lily of mercy and the sword of judgment. The rainbow promises
salvation. And the jeweled globe
at Christ's feet symbolizes
the universality of Christianity's message. As four angels
blow their trumpets to wake the dead,
Michael, the archangel, very much in control,
determines which souls are heavy with sin. Mary and the apostles
pray for the souls of the dead as they emerge
from their graves. But notice how both Michael
and Jesus are expressionless. At this point,
the cries of the damned and their loved ones
are useless. The intricate detail
is typical of Flemish art in the 15th century. Study the faces
of the damned. You can almost hear
the screams and gnashing of teeth. The smaller ward was for the wealthy patients. Since they were more likely to get the best available
treatment, they were more likely
to survive. Tools of the trade
looked like a carpenter's kit. Amputation saws, pans for bloodletting, and syringes
delicate as caulking guns. The decor in this room
portrays themes of hope. A series of Baroque paintings
show the Biblical miracles that Jesus performed. Patients filled these beds as late as 1982. Back out on the street, it seems life is good,
and the focus is on the here and now. A common theme is the region's
famous wine. Every other shop seems
to be selling it. Even the town's historic
chamber of commerce building is dedicated to the notion
that developing a good nose
is good for the economy. In this delightful
sensory exhibit, the complex fragrances
of a fine wine can be experienced. Raspberries. Citron. The forest. Spices. In Burgundy,
a good nose is a life skill
worth developing. Your visit to Burgundy
can include about every aspect
of the wine trade... Even traditional
barrel making. At this cooperage,
a time-honored craft is kept alive, crafting barrels with a mix
of modern efficiency and traditional techniques. Workmen use steam
and bands of iron to bend oak staves
into a wine-tight cask. Vintners know
that the quality of the barrels and the characteristics
of the wood contribute to the personality
of their wines. Burgundy is a big part of why France is famous
for wine. The rolling hills
of the Côte d'Or are blanketed
by lovingly tended vineyards. To the connoisseur, a visit here
is a kind of pilgrimage. By car or bike, you can be immersed in the lush countryside and immaculate vineyards. To those versed in this
drinkable art form, road signs read
like fine-wine lists. From Beaune,
you're just 10 minutes from the heart of the vineyards
on a rental bike. Except for the rare
farm vehicle, the service roads
are the domain of happy bikers. A bike route pieces together
scenic villages, each which produces
its own distinctive wine. And signs make it clear
where visitors are welcome to drop in,
enjoy a little tasting, and pick up
a bottle or two. In the village of Pommard, vineyards
like La Cave de Pommard offer free tasting
and an education in wine appreciation
at the same time. Our hostess, Colette, is ready
to demystify Burgundy's wines. When you say,
"Burgundy," what do you mean
from a wine point of view? I just mean
a gift of nature, unique. Why? Why? Because we have
this terroir, which is so exceptional. So complex. What is "terroir"? The terroir,
this is the earth, the character
of the earth. The combination, the perfect combination
of the geology, the earth character,
the exposure to the sun, the altitude,
and the slope. And each piece of land
in this area has got
a different terroir. Steves: So that the quality
of the wine can be different from here
to 200 meters over there? So different. So the soil looks actually
quite bad here. It's so poor, but this
is what the vine needs. It needs to suffer to produce
grapes of character. Going down,
fighting to survive among the stones
and the lime rock, and as they fight,
they give a wonderful complexity
of aromas to the grapes. Steves: How do you
name the wine? We name the wine never with the name
of the plant. We name the wine with the name
of the place. It's the same grape
everywhere. It's all a paradise
for pinot noir here. But lower down or here,
it's completely different. Because of the earth. So you don't name the wine by the grape?
Never. In Burgundy.
Never. By the place. By the place, yes. Steves: So tasting
is different than drinking. Colette: Tasting
and drinking are two
very different things. You drink with food. You taste the wine,
naked. You begin
to look at it. We just raise it
to the light and look at it and admire
its beautiful color. Then you put your nose
in the glass and you do the first nose. And you take here
your impression, because then you aerate it,
and with the air, you just let the aromas
get out in the glass. And then you go
to the second nose. Is it the same? Oh, the difference! Then you understand
and appreciate the contrast. And then
you finally deserve to put that in your mouth,
after such a long time that you have been waiting. And when it's in your mouth, because you are tasting
and not drinking, you will chew the wine,
you chew it. You do like this. [ slurping ] And you spit out, because your stomach
does not taste. But what is important is that,
once you have spit it out, you exhale
through the nose, like that, because the zone
which is here behind your back nose
and your back throat is so sensitive to the aromas that you keep
the finish of the wine, and you keep the bouquet
of the wine much longer
in your mouth and in your head. So even if you choose
to swallow, rather than spit, you can still enjoy
a good finish? Just exactly the same. Steves: The culture
of Burgundy has deep historic roots. Within an hour's drive
are powerful sights, illustrating how the region
was, for centuries, the spiritual heart
of France. In the Middle Ages,
Burgundy was the cradle of real
monastic power in Europe. This town of Cluny
was once home to a great monastery which, around the year 1100, actually vied with the Vatican to be the most important
power center in all of Christendom. Much of today's old town
stands on the scant ruins
of that monastery. Until the present St. Peter's
church was built in Rome, the church that stood here
was the largest anywhere. The Abbey of Cluny
was the ruling center of Europe's first great international chain
of monasteries. It was the headquarters
of 10,000 monks, the heart
of a church reform movement and an evangelical revival
that spread throughout Europe in the 11th and 12th centuries. In an era of particularly
corrupt popes, Cluny's abbots,
who followed the teaching of St. Benedict,
served as a moral compass and rallying point
for Europe's Christians. The success of the abbey has
been attributed to a series of wise leaders,
or "abbots." In fact, four of the six
first abbots here actually became saints. They answered not to kings
and not to bishops, but directly to the pope. They preached the principles
of piety and the art
of shrewd fundraising. Piety -- they got people
to stop looting the monasteries. Shrewd fundraising -- they talked Europe's
wealthy landowning elite into willing their estates
to the monasteries in return for perpetual prayer for the benefit of their needy
and frightened souls. From the springboard of Cluny
came a vast network of nearly a thousand monasteries
that gave regions from Rome to Scotland
a common thread, helping to kindle the establishment
of modern Europe. While Cluny peaked
in the 12th century, monasteries in general
remained a powerful force until the 18th century. Over time, Cluny's
rich and powerful abbots were tainted
by the same corruption they had originally opposed. The once-dominant Cluny order
was eventually eclipsed by more austere monks, like the Cistercians
of Fontenay. The Abbey of Fontenay
is beautifully preserved, giving visitors a sense for monastic life
in medieval France. It was founded in 1118
by St. Bernard of Clairvaux as a back-to-basics reaction
to the excesses of richer, Benedictine abbeys
such as Cluny. The Cistercians worked
to recreate the simplicity
and the poverty of the church in the first centuries
after Christ. Bernard created
what he called "a horrible vast solitude"
here in the forest, where his monks could live like the desert fathers
of the old testament. They strove to be separate
from the world. And this required
the industrious self-sufficiency that these abbeys
were so adept at. The movement spread, essentially
colonizing Europe religiously. By the year 1200, there were over 500 Cistercian monasteries
and abbeys throughout Europe. The abbey church
is pure Romanesque, and built to St. Bernard's
specs -- plain facade, Latin cross floor plan. No colorful stained glass. Unadorned columns. Nothing to distract
from prayer. The lone statue is the 13th-century
Virgin of Fontenay, a reminder that the church
was dedicated to Mary. An ethereal light still bathes
the interior. Stairs lead from the church
to an oak-beamed dormitory, where the monks slept,
fully dressed, on thin mats. Monastic life was
extremely simple. Prayer, reading, work,
seven religious services a day. One meal a day in the winter,
two in the summer. Daily rations --
a loaf of bread and a quarter-liter of wine. In spite of its isolation, Fontenay flourished
as a prosperous economic engine for several centuries. According to
a 14th-century proverb, "wherever the wind blows,
to Fontenay the money flows." In the 13th century,
the monks of Fontenay ran what many consider Europe's
first metal-working plant. The art of metal working
was largely lost after Rome fell
about seven centuries earlier. Iron ore was melted down
in ovens with the help
of big bellows. The monks made and sold
iron tools for a profit. A stream was diverted
to power hydraulic, or water-powered, hammers
that operated the forge. This technique, first used here,
became the basis of industrial manufacturing
of iron throughout Europe. Like mustard seeds carried
by a European wind, the monks of medieval Burgundy
spread not only the gospel, but helped to germinate
the Industrial Age, which led to the thriving
continent we know today. Monks in Burgundy
still draw crowds. To experience the latest
in European monasticism, drop by the booming Christian
community of Taizé. Taizé is an ecumenical
community, welcoming Protestant, Orthodox,
and Catholic Christians alike. The uplifting ambience
of this place, with thousands of mostly young European
pilgrims spending days exploring their faith
and enjoying a break from the fast-paced
material world, is remarkable. The Taizé community,
which was founded in 1940, welcomes visitors who'd like
to spend a few days getting close to God
through meditation, singing, and simple living. Meals are in keeping with the joyful simplicity
of the place. At any given time, there are
several thousand here from about 100 countries,
enjoying a week-long retreat. When the bells ring,
worshippers and white-robed brothers file into the long, plain,
modern church. ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪♪ Taizé-style worship is a cycle of bible readings, meditative silence, and mesmerizingly beautiful
chants, as worshippers "enter together into the mystery
of God's presence." [ singing hymn ] While monastic life in Burgundy
celebrates simple austerity, Burgundian rural living
celebrates simple pleasures. A great way to experience that
is to rent a house in the country. Throughout France,
self-catered houses which rent by the week are part of a popular
lodging network called the "gites rurals." Steve's family owns
a gite. They stay here
for part of the year, and for the rest of the time,
it's rented as part of the
gite system, managed by a neighbor in the village. This is part
of a national effort to keep village life vital
in an age when young people are being
drawn to the big cities. For about half the price
of a typical hotel, a gite comes fully
furnished, with a kitchen, cozy living room, and all
the comfort you could want, immersed in the country charm
of Burgundy -- or whichever part of France
you choose to settle into. Gite living comes
with a relaxed rhythm that's hard to find
in a hotel. And part of the fun
and saving of gite living is going local
in the kitchen. Steve's wife, Karen,
knows just what to do with the escargots we picked up
in the Beaune market. Simply fill the shell with a lovingly created butter,
garlic, and parsley mix, tuck in the snail, and top with more of the mix. Pop in the oven,
and when ready, you make the family
very, very happy. Steves: So you put it
on the bread, is that right? [ family chattering ] [ indistinct conversation
and laughter ] [ sheep bleating ] Steves: Another dimension
of Burgundy's unspoiled charm is its characteristic
medieval chateaux that stand royally atop hills, as if they still
ruled their feudal domains. Chateau de la Rochepot
is a fine example. Constructed near the end
of the Middle Ages, when castles were built
to defend, it was completed during the Renaissance,
when castles functioned as luxury homes. As a result, with an enchanting mix
of turrets and gardens, Rochepot is a little of both. Rooms, with their artifacts, give a peek into life back then. The door frames,
for instance, are a reminder
that medieval architecture, like medieval life itself,
was colorful and far from the stony gray
we often imagine. The kitchen is equipped
with newfangled gear that was state of the art
back in the 19th century. The castle entertains,
from its rampart views to the bottom of its well -- 200 feet. Way, way down. I hope you've enjoyed
our cruise through the highlights
of Burgundy. I'm Rick Steves. Until next time,
keep on travelin'. Au revoir.
hahaha he snuck that in there didn't he.