We woke up to rain again, which cleared up late morning. Back into Beaune we went where first we made a reservation for Thursday afternoon for a wine tasting lesson that will last a couple of hours. That should be fun – more to come on that later in the week.
The main attraction in Beaune, outside of all the wineries, is the Hospice de Beaune, also known as the Hotel Dieu. This amazing piece of architecture was constructed in the 15th century by a wealthy gentleman dedicated to philanthropy, and with wealthy royal connections. He built the first ever (in France) hospital for the poor. Not only did this hospital, run by very efficient sisters, take in any and all who were ill, regardless of whether they could pay or not, the sisters also fed bread to the poor every single day. And not just any old peasant grain bread, they used their “best” flour and fed them white bread. The irony!
There was a large room for the sick who would recover, and there was another large room for those who were not going to recover. In both rooms, there was a certain amount of comfort and privacy that I believe surpasses the ward standards we have in our own hospitals today. There was also a smaller area where those who could afford to pay were provided with a few more comforts, more one-on-one attention, and a little more privacy.
The Hospice soon became self-sufficient through the produce that came from a farm that the founder also set up, along with the sale of fine wines from hectares of vineyards that were gifted to the property early on. Wine production was so important that it still plays an important part today in helping to finance this amazing attraction. Every November, there is a huge wine auction in which not only the Hospice wines are featured, but wines from all surrounding Domaines as well. This auction draws crowds from around the world and raises huge sums in support of the Hotel Dieu.
We ate dinner in – spinach salad, cheeses, pâté, rilette (my new favourite food), bread, wine, but not before we indulged in more treats.
Not that long ago, I was chatting with someone about the Hospice de Beaune. There is a possibility that my version of comfort and privacy in those lovely curtained bed areas is but a fantasy. Could be that more than one person, and up to four, might have occupied one bed (sigh) – not confirmed, though.