18th-century St. Peter’s Cemetery fits right into the city’s ornate character. Locals buried here include Mozart’s sister and Haydn’s brother. Up above, 3rd-century inhabitants cut catacombs into the rock. Saint Rupert, a Franconian missionary, came to Salzburg in the 7th century and founded St. Peter’s church and Benedictine monastery. The current Romanesque structure dates from […]
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Salzburg
Our stay in lovely Salzburg was cool and rainy, but we were able to explore a bit and duck inside when the weather got too unbearable. Luckily, there’s no shortage of churches and museums in which to wile away some time. The only real hassle in the rain was the 11th-century fortress, Hohensalzburg, which looms […]
Lucerne
My husband and I visited Lucerne during a rainy stretch, which really hampered our impressions since there’s not much to do inside. Since we had to scurry around under umbrellas and rain hoods, we missed a lot of the ambience that makes this one of Switzerland’s most beautiful cities. We walked along the medieval battlements, […]
Simon Bize & Fils, Savigny-lès-Beaune, France
Simon Bize & Fils is a true family operation. When we visited, everyone was hard at work. Patrick Bize was putting labels on bottles and readying a shipment. His young son, who was on school vacation, helped out while wife Chisa educated us about the operations and poured tastings. The domaine has been around since […]
Hôtel Villa Louise, Aloxe-Corton, France
If the sunny weather, charming towns and unbelievable wines were not reason enough to love Burgundy, our stay at the Hôtel Villa Louise would have. The hotel was comfortable with endearing décor and a pleasant, helpful staff. It was a relaxing countryside inn that fit perfectly into the setting. A 17th-century house with an ample […]
Aloxe-Corton, France
We wound through Burgundy’s vineyards and arrived at quiet grouping of old buildings basking in the sunshine that comprise the commune of Aloxe-Corton. Though most of the wines produced are reds, a well-known white wine is Corton-Charlemagne, named after one of its most famous vintners.
Bouchard Père & Fils, Beaune, France
This is one of the biggest and oldest wineries in the region. It’s been around for nine generations and has the French Revolution to thank for most of its holdings since that’s when most of the clergy’s land was confiscated and put up for sale. Today the estate owns 130 hectares of vines, of which […]
Beaune, France
I don’t know how busy Beaune gets in the heat of tourist season, but when we visited it was very quiet and not at all crowded. In other words, it was wonderful. The restaurants were busy, but we were able to find a meal without reservations. It was possible to park. Beaune is the center […]
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, Lyon, France
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière sits high atop Fourvière, the steep hill on Lyon’s west side. It’s nicknamed the “upside down elephant.” Fourvière Hill was where the Romans first settled and established a Roman forum and temple. In the 12th century, a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built on the hill. In the […]
Les Théåtres Romains, Lyon, France
On our walk back downhill from the basilica, we came upon Les Théåtres Romains. It turns out Lyon’s Roman theater is the oldest in France, dating from 17 BC. When Augustus commissioned the theatre, which would serve as the community’s social center, it was only fitting to erect it on the highest hill, Fourvière, where […]
