The Route des Grands Crus (roughly, “road of the great wines“) is the name of a tourist route situated in Burgundy, France. The approximately 60-kilometre route runs along the foot of the Côte d’Or escarpment, from Dijon in the north to Santenay in the south. Thus it runs through many of the great appellations of Burgundy wine, hence the name of the route. It takes the visitor through the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune and the back hills (Hautes-Côtes) behind and above the wine slopes. read more…
Auxerre is the capital (prefecture) of the Yonnedepartment and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Paris. Auxerre’s population today is about 35,000; the urban area (aire d’attraction) comprises roughly 113,000 inhabitants. Residents of Auxerre are referred to as Auxerrois. read more…
Snails are considered edible in many areas such as the Mediterranean region, Africa, France as a whole and Southeast Asia, while in other cultures, snails are seen as a taboo food. In American English, edible land snails are also called escargot, taken from the French word for “snail”, and the production of snails for consumption is called snail farming or heliciculture. Snails as a food date back to ancient times, with numerous cultures worldwide having traditions and practices that attest to their consumption. Snails were a popular fasting food in monasteries because they are “neither fish nor meat” and therefore eating them does not violate the fasting laws. read more…
Cluny Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to St Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churches built in succession from the 4th to the early 12th centuries. The earliest basilica was the world’s largest church until the St. Peter’s Basilica construction began in Rome. Cluny was founded by William I, Duke of Aquitaine in 910. He nominated Berno as the first Abbot of Cluny, subject only to Pope Sergius III. The abbey was notable for its stricter adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict, whereby Cluny became acknowledged as the leader of western monasticism. The establishment of the Benedictine Order was a keystone to the stability of European society that was achieved in the 11th century. In 1790 during the French Revolution, the abbey was sacked and mostly destroyed, with only a small part of the Abbey surviving. Starting around 1334, the Abbots of Cluny maintained a townhouse in Paris known as the Hôtel de Cluny, which has been a public museum since 1843. Apart from the name, it no longer possesses anything originally connected with Cluny. read more…
