Beaune

Beaune is the heart of Burgundy's wine country -

highly recommended and close (3 hours), so

we hightailed to France after my Thursday class. (The "A" on the map, south of Dijon. As expected, the mustard selection is HUGE).

Beautiful fall scenery - probably last experienced like this in Ithaca days of upstate New York. Similar landscape, but more muted colors.

The town is mostly its medieval center, walled off with many narrow streets leading to squares, and this 15th century hospital:

featuring this lovely tapestry of the risen, sacrificial lamb:

and this incredible painting of the last judgement of Christ, the saved to the left, the condemned off to the right. No fuzzy thinking about hell in those days!

Much of the architecture of France seems rugged, due to the extensive use of stone.

Beaune is a gastronomic paradise, although we dined in more casual restaurants with the boys. I had steak twice, although the regional dish of Burgundy - boeuf bourguignon - was in firm competition. I vowed to try making this after admiring it on others' plates, eager to compare with the Guinness/cocoa-based flavoring I've had success with. Though essentially a stew, these seemed to retain a nice braised finish, always served with fresh noodles. I'll probably keep my mother's Asian style, serving on rice.

OK, this place

had separate chalkboard menus for red and white wines, as well, but note the roasted fig desert. The boys drew during dead times and did really well for the most part.

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We had a tremendous time at the Saturday market,

featuring seasonal produce and an unusually good selection of clothing, as well.

Check out these mushrooms! Truffles, too.

Fall flora.

Kaki! (although not my favorite variety)

Large array of oysters. The French have a really wide palate and generally you can find great food at the most unlikely places; ie we had a great, cheap meal at a gas station! The attendee rings up your gas, then passes through a wall, emerging on the other side to grill us pork chops, rib steak, with fixings.

Jack and Michael love the candy lady

and the carousel and I was intrigued by these massive macaroons of various fillings:

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On our way back to CH, we took a 30 min detour to visit the Abbey of Citeaux, where Bernard of Clairvaux first entered monastic life in the 12th c. Admired by Calvin and Luther, I mostly know the man through his poetry, having penned "Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee" & "O Sacred Head Now Wounded":

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

There wasn't much to see, but full of atmosphere nonetheless.

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With the grape harvest over, we were free to pick the gleanings,

We brought back dozens of small clusters, along with salami from the vendor above, and served at housechurch; reading "I am the vine..." from John 15, and opting for savory, rather than sweet, for the evening's refreshment.

Michael Turns 9

The day started out nice, low key; Carolyn scrambled eggs - fresh egg taste! - and Michael ate a rare treat of bacon, which he devoured.

Jack's school project graced the table - one of those unfortunate cats which lost its tail.

After sharing some email greetings, M opened Grammy & Papa's gift from NYC...

- always books. This time a beautiful old edition of "The 5 Little Peppers" and another about growing up on a British canal.

Carolyn baked a WONDERFUL double-layer chocolate cake to feed over 70 and, with Philadelphia readily available now, I made an easy cream cheese icing.

The Swiss, however, excel in pyrotechnics, a "9" sparkler in the center

with FUEL-CARTRIDGED, COLORED CANDLES emitting COLORED flames. 70 students singing Happy Birthday! No longer low key.

That's TinTin, btw, with his dog, Milou. We are going full circle, since Herge's comic strip inspired Indiana Jones (M's 8th birthday theme); we will eventually stage a TinTin school party to coincide with the movie premier this week. (This Financial Times article ("TinTin and the War") is worth reading).

The owl hoot by Elle, which perfectly matches Michael's whistling nature. And binoculars.

We then hopped in the car and drove to Beaune in the Burgundy region of France - 3 hours away, just northwest of Geneva - so had a birthday dinner in a wine cellar.

France is absolutely CHEAP compared to Switzerland and many Swiss cross the border to do grocery shopping.

We broke out this great board game based on Switzerland - a group gift from the house,
along with a lovely handmade card signed by the students -

while in Beaune, the heart of wine country (the bottles to the right),

but I leave you with this amazing cake recipe.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened, 3 cups white sugar, 5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
1 cup buttermilk, 2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the dissolved coffee and buttermilk. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.

This time out, we have become firm believers in parchment paper! A big difference and makes serving easy.

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Can't believe Michael will be a double digit next year. There is so much yet to learn and it's easy to feel we're running out of time & opportunity. But the indulgence of birthdays is a reset occasion, reminding us (and him) "We're so glad you're here."

EFT Normandy

We landed in Paris and boarded a double-decker bus, which the boys were really excited about,

being seated up front & on top!

Once a semester, the program undertakes an Educational Field Trip (EFT); this fall was Normandy, a French region renowned for food (a climate akin to the Willamette Valley, OR) and a varied history.

We stayed in Caen, almost entirely destroyed during WWII, taking day trips to the surrounding attractions, such as Mont St Michel...

an absolutely surreal sight: a beautiful abbey arising out of the sea - due to its 20 ft tide - becoming an island.

We climbed through its 365 steps,

some of us getting help,

and discovered the stonework,

a striking cloister and scriptorium (library), where the scriptures were transcribed.

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But for the majority of us, Americans, we were anticipating the American Cemetary & Omaha Beach, where the Allies gained a beachhead.

Cone-shaped trees cut at the top form a landscape motif, signifying the young lives buried below.

Grave markers form a Latin cross, structuring our mourning along a Christian framework; the memorial itself a monument to a bygone era, linking national sacrifice with God. This pivotal statue was encircled at the base with the words:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

Many of us were moved by the number of unknown soldiers, as well as the only father & son burial site in US military history. We placed roses, but everywhere were

red poppies - a traditional symbol of death.

In stark contrast to neutral Switzerland, the French countryside is dotted with national cemetaries holding American, Canadian, & British bodies; every village anchored by a memorial for the slain locals of both wars.

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The rest of the trip focused upon idyllic coastal ports, such as Honfleurs,

its countryside an inspiration for Impressionist painters,

such as Monet, whose garden estate outside Paris we visited, as well as the cathedral in Rouen

that he painted.

En route, we passed tiny French villages which produced early missionaries to Japan, as well as famed varieties of apples, appearing daily as desserts, aperitifs, and after dinner liqueur.

Our trip was 5 days (2 travel) and the terrible currency exchange trimmed our excesses, but the trip was great; the normal logistics of mobilizing 70+ persons in one direction, several times a day, is trying on the staff, which I am, thankfully, not a part.