Twice is Nice In The French Countryside

Two emails from mom today!

"Can you believe that we were at the beach wearing shorts on Sunday at Cinque Terre, Italy. Had a great time. Took the boat to another area and had a marvelous dinner overlooking the water. Then also had a glass of wine on the beach.

When we left the beach, we got stopped at the tunnel in Switzerland because they had had a snow storm that morning. It took us forever to get to the place we were staying. When we finally got there, we found that we would not be able to go to the top of the mountain like we planned. I did not have clothes or shoes to go around in the snow so I took a short hike on a path that was clear of snow but had to climb over trees because the weight of the snow had broken limbs all over the place. I got to ride the gondola to Murren. It was so much fun.

Today we arrived in Beaune, France. Tonight we are having a wine tasting of Burgundy wine and the we will go to dinner.

We are only here one night. Then we will go to Paris in the morning.

Love and miss you very much.

Mom"

and the second email I received a moment ago:

"Just got back from the wine tasting. We actually were in a wine cellar tasting the wine. It was all red. (comment from daughter: Mom typically only likes sweet wines so this is a stretch for her.) I could not understand why I drink wine in the U.S. and I am drunk after a glass. But here in Europe, I can drink two and can hardly feel it. I found out that the U.S. puts some kind of preservatives in their wine and some people react the way I do and some people get headaches. (comment from daughter: AHA!)

I like Beaune. I walked around town; found the Basilica of Notre Dame. They have a beautiful tapestry that is an original depicting the story of Mary.

Tonight we are going to a dinner that is featuring regional wine and cuisine. Glad that I brought my nice jacket because we are suppose to look nice tonight. Our guide said that tonight he would have to put his shirt in.

Boy, there is so much to tell you. I really want to take another trip whether with Rick Steves or not. The only thing is that I do not want to take one and you are not there. I had a nice time but it would have been fantastic if you were there so we could go down the alleys and run around. (comment from daughter: DEFINITELY!!!)

I am going to tell Roger that I want to go to Lyon. The high speed train takes 2 hours so if we go early we can explore and then come back in the evening. In fact, I am going to buy the tickets when I get to Paris.

Beaune is a walled city and very FRENCH.

Talk to you later. I should be able to find internet access tomorrow.

Mom"