Living like a Comtesse

We awake to grey skies and rain and contemplate staying put. However the forecast is not promising so we decide to press on. Our breakfast is expensive at 11 euros so we don't feel too guilty when we fill our napkins with extra croissants and rolls: making it three meals in one doesn't seem so bad. We cycle through the now wet but still very attractive cobbled streets of Dole passing the birthplace of Louis Pasteur. My sun visor (improvised from a cut off cap bought in Romania for 75p) which I thought I would never need again now comes in handy for keeping the rain off my face and out of my eyes. My legs feel tired today, and my bottom sore: could be psychological, or physical. The main EV6 route leads to Chalon Sur Saone along more canals and we feel we have seen enough locks to last a lifetime. It also looks like another big city to navigate through and has no known attraction for us (apart from being where Kate's sister lives, we think). The alternative route takes us to Nuits-Saint-Georges and the Burgundy vineyards which do have some attraction (funny that!) Our quest for coffee continues to be challenging as today everything is "ferme mercredi" and we don't find anything until 1pm (Andrew would not have coped well with this). We eat our croissants in a bus shelter. We see Spotted Orchids and eat Fraise du Bois from the verge. We arrive in Nuits-Saint-Georges and find a room in a Chambres d'Hote which turns out to be the manor house home of the Comtesse Demeure de Loisy. The house is extraordinary: filled with antiques and oil paintings, and has its own palm house. Simon even plays the Steinway Grand Piano. We drink the local red in our room and I feel as though I am living like a Comtesse. Simon has already spotted snails on the menu tonight. (Dole to Nuits St George - 41 miles)