Footsteps of Big Julie!

An overcast and foggy morning, and very little activity around the village of St Rémy. Woke early to get a score in the Geelong-North Melbourne match - all the important news early, hey!

A little way down the road we had our first stop for the day at Alise-Sainte-Reine. Above the village of Alise-Ste-Reine, was the site of  Julius Caesar’s final victory over the heroic Gaulish chieftain, Vercingetorix. The village of Alise is dominated by a gigantic moustachioed statue of Vercingétorix, which was placed here in 1865.  Cynics feel that it bears a more than passing resemblance to Napoleon III, who sponsored the statue.

It was here in 52 BC that the Gauls, united under the leadership of Vercingétorix, made their last stand against the military might of Rome. Julius Caesar himself commanded the Roman army, which surrounded the final Gallic stronghold and starved the Gauls out, viciously dealing with all attempts at escape. Vercingétorix surrendered to save his people, was imprisoned in Rome for six years until Caesar’s formal triumph. In 46 BC, as part of Caesar's triumph, Vercingetorix was paraded through the streets of Rome and then executed by strangulation on Caesar's orders. The battle was a fundamental turning point in the fortunes of the region, as Gaul remained under Roman rule for four hundred years. 

The interpretation centre at Alise-Sainte-Reine, plus the model Roman fortress. 

Archaeologists at the centre were marking belts and cloth from the basic materials, as the Gallo-Romans citizen would have done.



Around the village of Alice-Sainte-Reine - and Vercingétorix again!

Enough of Vercingétorix! 

We drove on in the direction of Dijon coming across some very quaint medieval villages along the way. We couldn’t help ourselves, stopping to have a short walk around the village of Vitteaux. What a delightful small village, with the 21st century thundering through with its motor cars- and vans - whilst the 500 year old houses gave a little shake and a wobble as it all goes by. 

A little further down the road we stopped by the dam at Grosbois-en-Montagne for lunch. The thunderstorms were threatening again but the French continued to enjoy the water activities on offer at the dam. 

Again, we passed some picturesque countryside before reaching our stopover at  Velars-sur-Ouche. 

A certain member of the crew has been threatening to make Welsh Cakes since when we were in Wales, and today was the day! And tasty too! Of course she did not stick to the recipe- but what’s new!