We bid a fond farewell to our friends. Larry and Patty were off to Italy while Bob and Kathi were headed for Spain. Lisa and I are going toVandanesse en Auxois, just another twenty kilometers up the Burgundy Canal. We were told that before we leave Bussiere we should not miss the Abbaye de la Bussiere, which wasclose to where we were moored.
Lisa made reservation to have lunch there the next day. The Abbaye was nothing like I had imagined. I assumed it was still owned and run by monks. Was I ever wrong. A very wealthy Frenchman purchased the Abbaye about eight years ago. Now, instead of being a very wealthy Frenchman he is just plain wealthy after sinking a ton of money into this incredible property. They currently have an excellent restaurant and sixteen rooms. Someday they hope to have 32 rooms.
Lunch was on a terrace that looks out over the manicured grounds. They were some of the prettiest I have ever seen. I told the waiter I was so blown away by the beauty of the place that it didn’t matter if they served McDonalds. I would still love it. Fortunately they did much better than McDonalds. It doesn’t hurt that they have a Michelin star.
“Lisa and I enjoying lunch on the terrace at Abbaye de la Bussiere.”
“Snails for the first course.”
“The view from the terrace where we had lunch.”
After lunch, that included a bottle of wine (we never have wine with lunch back home) we had to go see the rest of the property. We couldn’t see a bedroom as they were fully booked, but they did allow us to wander through the public spaces. Some people just have class, and can’t help themselves when it comes to decorating. It’s either class or they paid a very expensive decorator. Without actually seeing the rooms I’m sure they are just as pretty as the rest of the hotel. After our visit to Domaine Gros, and our wine tasting with Collette Richebourg I enjoyed seeing the bottle of Richebourg they had on display in the restaurant. Alas it was a Romanee Conti Richebourg and not Domain Gros.
“One of the beautiful public rooms.”
“Another incredible room at Abbaye de la Bussiere.”
“The inside dinning room.”
“A Romanee Conti Richebourg. “
I don’t know who designed the gardens, but they are so beautiful pictures don’t do them justice. They exude a sense of tranquility that few places have. After our lunch all I wanted to do was sit on a bench and watch the world go by. Of course it could have been the wine.
Abbaye de la Bussiere is about 30 kilometers, or less than twenty miles from Dijon. It’s not cheap, but if you’re up for a nice meal or even better a beautiful hotel to stay at you should definitely check them out. Of course if you really want to go first class get a barge.
-Tom Miller
Author of “The Wave” and “When Stones Speak”– Chuck Palmer Adventure novels
OCT
About the Author:
Tom Miller graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. He is a consummate adventurer with over 1,000 dives as a recreational scuba diver, and an avid sailor who has traveled 65,000 miles throughout the Pacific including the Hawaiian Islands. Miller has also cruised the canals of Europe on his canal barge and given numerous lectures on cruising the canals of Europe, as well as sailing in the South Pacific. Piloting is also an interest of Miller's, and He has completed over 1,000 hours flying everything from small Cessnas to Lear jets.