#14 Almost a meeting with mom

November 04, 2021: Beaune

F. On the evening of November 03, 2021, Jenny and I set off to Beaune without suspecting anything. The center of the wine-growing region in Burgundy's southern department of Côte d'Or is supposed to be really beautiful and is home to one of France's most famous hospitals. Because the sun hasn't come out from behind the clouds too often in the past few days, our batteries for heating were pretty empty, so we needed a campsite or parking space with electricity for the coming night. Since most campsites have already gone into hibernation, we called the campsite near Beaune shortly before to make sure that it was open and still had a spot for us. Both could be confirmed to us. In the late twilight, we left Dijon and drove through numerous smaller towns. In Nuits-Saint-Georges - about halfway between Dijon and Beaune - there were two or three police officers at every intersection, strangely enough. In addition, a patrol car drove from one intersection to the next, handing out food packages to the officers on the road. Strange, Jenny and I thought. Such a high police presence at this time and in this rather deserted area.

When we arrived at the campsite, we had to stop in the approximately 50-meter-long driveway because there was a large motorhome in front of us. Due to the tall hedges on the left and right and the darkness, we could only see this one motorhome. The owner was just getting the power cable out when he spotted us. He, also a German, then told us that the campsite owner had told him to stay here because all of the pitches on the campsite were too muddy. We should go directly to the reception. As a hint, he also told us that the campsite owner was a little excited and overwhelmed with the situation. Jenny then ran to the reception and came back to me shortly after. She said I should reverse out of the driveway and come to the reception via the exit. By now I can maneuver with just the outside mirrors even in the dark, so I was in front of the reception a minute later. The campsite owner was sweating profusely and apparently tried to accommodate various motorhomes on his campsite in the last hour without destroying one of his meadows. Jenny later told me that he made very big eyes at the sight of our camper, whose roof he could only see, but then looked somewhat relieved when I turned the corner to the reception. In any case, he then guided us on foot through the campsite and instructed us to park on the front half of a pitch. He paid great attention to parking so that I didn't have to maneuver on the pitch. We didn't care how we stood. It was relatively straight and there was also a power connection. Only now did I notice that there were motorhomes and cars with trailers on all other paths. Only the VW bus next to us and we were standing on one of the pitch meadows.

The night was quiet and warm. In the course of the morning, all the motorhomes left the pitch, with one or the other having to wait for the person in front or behind to leave. During an extensive breakfast, Jenny read the news about the farewell visit of Chancellor Merkel to Beaune. And immediately it became clear to us why we had seen so many police officers on the way to Beaune the night before. We must have missed the convoy of Merkel and Macron by just a few minutes or hours. In the city of Beaune, only a few stacked barricades reminded us of yesterday's guest. The city has a very special charm. As the FAZ writes: "The traffic-calmed old town, enclosed by the mighty ring of ramparts, has a typically French flair. Wine shops tempt you to taste at every second street corner, cafes, restaurants, and brasseries beckon you to stop in." After a long walk through the old town and on the ramparts, we went to the Hôtel-Dieu hospital museum. The hospital was founded in 1443 and operated in its original premises until 1971. One reason for the closure in 1971 was, among other things, that the rooms were often no warmer than 15° Celsius. After the closure, it was redecorated as a museum. We found the exhibition very exciting and were able to gain many insights into nursing in the early modern period.

Day 19 - Total tour 1,743 km

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