France 2014: Bourges

Since we were in the vicinity, we wanted to stop by to see our friends who we met and got to know on a previous home swap in Paris. They now own the beautiful Moulin d'en bas Bed and Breakfast in Sousmes, which is an authentic watermill dating from the 17th century.  Unfortunately their place was a bit too far out of the way from our next stop, Lyon.  We plan to be able visit there on our way back to Paris at the end of our trip. 

Instead, we agreed to meet our friends for lunch at a mid-way point, in a town called Bourges.  When we researched what there was to do there, it sounded so interesting that we decided to stay overnight.

The highlight of Bourges is the Roman Catholic Cathédrale Sainte-Étienne, which is known for its gorgeous 12th century stained glass windows.  It was amazing to see such vibrant colours and intricate patterns from windows that are so old.  We were especially interested in a series of panes that depicted gruesome torture of martyrs who were beheaded, burnt on a bed of coals, beaten with clubs, shoved into a fiery oven and more. In the early days of Christianity, becoming a Saint usually meant encountering a grisly death, as is portrayed by the stained glass.
 

Also of note was the Palace of Jacques Coeur, a 15th Century French merchant and trader who was named as master of the mint and steward of the royal expenditure by King Charles VII.  Through his various endeavours, he amassed a great fortune, built his own palace, and lent money to courtiers, members of the royal family and even the King.  His success led to his downfall as his debtors were jealous of him and conspired against him.  He was accused of poisoning the King's mistress and of financial misdealings.  Charles happily ordered his arrest and confiscated part of his fortune–what a great way to get out of debt!  Poor Jacques Coeur never got a chance to live in his palace, which had many modern conveniences for the time, including a Turkish steam bath.  He should have known that it is unwise to become richer than the King!

It was so wonderful to see our friends David and Stephen again.  They took us to a lovely restaurant called Le Beauvoir and brought along two of their 18-month old border terrier puppies.  We were surprised to find out that in France, you can bring dogs with you into the restaurant since this would not be allowed in Toronto.  These were the most well behaved puppies that I've ever seen.  They never barked and for the most part, lay quietly at their owners' feet.  Our compliments for the excellent training that they must have received.

We were also surprised at the reasonable price for the set lunch menu.  For 16 Euros, we received an amuse bouche of tuna mousse and a meat pastry, followed by a three course meal. I chose a crustless quiche with goat cheese, asparagus, tomato and a pesto sauce, a white fish with vegetable ragout and a foam sauce, and a chocolate soufflé with coffee cream sauce.  I couldn't believe that you would get all that for 16 Euros and had only picked two courses when the waitress prompted me to choose my third!  We had coffee at the end of the meal and again I was unprepared for the tiny cup of coffee–this is not your Starbucks grande!  For his dessert, Rich chose a rhubarb and fruit puree topped with a meringue cookie.  He bragged that he ate "fruit" for dessert, forgetting about the generous "tastes" that he took of my chocolate soufflé.
 

We chose a bed and breakfast establishment that was one of a series of "half-timbered houses" in the area, dating back to the 17th Century.  These were the houses of the tradesmen of the time, while the nobility lived in sturdier houses made of stone.  This B&B was unusual in that there is only one room.  In addition to breakfast, for a modest fee, the proprietor offers a home-cooked dinner made from organic products including vegetables from his garden. This sounded like a unique experience rather than dining out at a restaurant.  We started off the meal in the living room with hors d'oeuvres of  hummus and alfalfa sprouts on homemade bread, and organic white wine.  

Next we moved to the dining area where we were served an unusual dark-neon green soup made of nettles, followed by a boiled duck leg with ratatouille and mushrooms, served with red wine.  The tomatoes, zucchini and other ingredients for the ratatouille were preserved from last year's garden crop, while the mushrooms were picked from the nearby forest.  We ended the meal with a green salad, selection of cheeses, and a dessert that was a like a folded pancake containing white edible flowers which was topped with brown sugar.  The dinner, with all its fresh, organic ingredients, was undoubtedly nutritious and very healthy, as the owner reminded us multiple times. Unfortunately, this resulted in dishes that were rather bland and in need of some seasoning.  Don't they always say the best tasting things are the worst for you and vice versa?

Despite our ambivalence towards the food itself, this was still a fun and memorable experience to dine in the proprietor's home.  We drank wine (even me!), listened to jazz, and conversed with him about travel and other topics as he joined us for dinner.

Once it got dark (which was not until 10pm), we set out for the final activity of the day, and the main reason we chose to stay overnight in Bourges.  Les Nuits Lumière de Bourges is a light show that occurs at dusk from May through September.  The history and heritage of the town are revealed through music and images projected onto the walls and floors of historic buildings including Palais Jacques Coeur, Hotel des Echevins, Convent des Augustine, Hotel Lallemant and Chapelle des Lazaristes.  In the Jardin de l'Archevêché, a video slide show describes the history of Bourges and of the Cathedral.

Even the Cathédrale Sainte Étienne and many of the half-timber houses are lit up.  This was a great way to see the city in a different "light" (pun intended) and learn a bit about its past.  The trek would have been much more fun had it not been so cold that night.  If it had been a warm summer evening, we would have stayed longer at each spot to see all the images.