Les Hospices de Beaune

On Monday, I took my placement test for CIEF. At the beginning of the test our professors stressed that it was a test and not an exam and that it would not reflect on future grades but rather place us in a class that would best fit where we were in the French language. I won't know my result until Friday but I'm guessing that the newer CIEF students (myself included) are spread across the spectrum of those who are beginning French and those who are working on mastering it. I'm somewhere in the middle but where exactly I will see. I had been told that the test would be both oral and written, but it was just written and that made it a bit easier to take. 

The test was the only real excitement of the day for Monday. We had a some CIEF information sessions but most of the information we already knew. I did learn that the name for old Bourguignonne houses such as the one in this photo are called les maison à colombages. I'd been calling them medieval style houses before, so I was glad to have an official name for them. 

Elsa, our tutor (and a very excellent one), but also a great friend and a  hilarious person with an infectious laugh. Kevin, the Englishman we met Monday through CIEF is photo-bombing in the background.

Monday (and Sunday) I was also able to have a meal with my host family that did not count as my meal of the week as because of the wedding on Saturday, there was a lot of extra food that needed to be eaten. I was all too happy to eat it without charge!

Yesterday was much more exciting as we visited Beaune. Our Professor Stephane who leads excursions was our guide and spent a bit of time telling us the history of the region, the significance of certain areas. He noted that while Dijon was the capital of Burgundy, Beaune was the capital of wine in Burgundy. He also explained a little bit (and with some bias out of loyalty) the differences between wine of Burgundy and that of Bordeaux. The most notable difference is that though the wine is all grown on the same soil in Burgundy there are many different methods for making wine and because of this every Burgundian wine is different and some are inferior to others. At one point on the way to Beaune we stopped in the fields where Romanée Conti is made. The wine in particular is the most expensive wine made in all of France selling for as much as $8,000 dollars. However; in order to buy one bottle one must buy five other bottles of other "grands vins" which are the best wines of a certain area. The total cost can be over $45,000!

These crests mark the grands vins which are named the best wines of a particular year.

Stephane also explained a little bit (and then I did some research) the phylloxera epidemic which was an incredibly severe wine blight that wiped out virtually all vineyards in Europe. The blight itself took place during the mid 19th century (1800s) and is thought to have been such a massive epidemic because of the advent of steam-powered ships which allowed the pest to travel from North America, where it originated, to Europe. After the blight, it was proposed that European vines would be grafted with North American vines which were resistant to phylloxera. Many French wine growers were opposed to this idea but really had no other choice. As we traveled by bus to Beaune and saw vineyards that seemed to stretch to the horizon, it seemed quite clear that the French wine industry was not just safe but probably thriving.

Our destination of the day, was of course, Beaune which is best known for Les Hospices de Beaune. Les Hospices originated during the 100 years wars (historical reference point: Jeanne d'Arc) as a hospital for the poor. Instead of just creating a plain hospital, the Chancellor of Burgundy (Nicholas Rolin) built the incredibly beautiful hospital that is Les Hospices de Beaune as an act of philanthropy so that the poor could live like kings. From the outside the building actually appears plain, which was a ploy to ensure that it would not be looted for its apparent wealth. On the inside; however, the roofs are made of the beautiful glazed tiles that are a landmark of Burgundy architecture.

As a group numbering 50 we were without a doubt as touristy as you can get.

When we entered Les Hospices it was the afternoon and so the sun was shining on the roofs opposite the beautiful tiled ones. Without the sun they are interesting to the eye but not exactly astounding and alas I don't have many good pictures. 

I should note that in continuation of the philanthropic essence of Les Hospices, Beaune hosts an annual wine auction wherein all the proceeds go to the poor.

A polyptych of the Las Judgment on wood (oak) with oil paint. The original was
actually painted over because of the scandal the nudes caused on the bottom.
The  painted on clothes were done with inferior paint and they were actually
accidentally washed off leaving the superior original behind.

Beaune itself was a lovely town, but we didn't get much of a chance to really discover it and there is still much that I would have liked to see (such as the wine caves). It's still only my third week in France though, so I've got plenty of time to see much more. On the bus-ride there several of us noted that we'd have to rent bikes and come back towards Beaune just to ride past the vineyards which must be beautiful in the spring.