Meet Cécilia, originally from the Netherlands, she has lived in Burgundy for over 30 years. She is passionate about culture and oenology (the science and study of wine and winemaking) and has been a guide interpreter since 1992. She also set up a guide association in 2007.
Also do not hesitate to visit our website and see our suggestions of itineraries in Burgundy.
As a Dutch girl, I received a good education in foreign languages. In addition, as my parents were English teachers, we often communicated in English as a family, both on holidays and for the fun of it. As I have 6 brothers and sisters this was often interesting! When I moved to France, I realized that I missed conversing in English very much. I became involved in a primary school and started giving small children English lessons. After a couple of great years doing this I decided that the time had come for me to pursue my other interests and so went back to school myself to study art and French history with the idea of becoming a tour guide in the region where I live and love so much. Another reason was that I really wanted to use my languages.
Maybe it was because I was from abroad and therefore looked with different eyes at the way French people live and how beautiful the countryside is and enjoyed sharing this information and pointing out to visitors where and what to look at, to explain why things are different from the way they are at home. So much so, that several guide agencies asked me if I could organize and provide good tour guides for them and that is when I started the tour guide service.
It has been a terrible shock for the whole team and it took us a while before we were able to put our heads together to see if we could do things differently in the future. We had already realized for some years that we would like to work more in harmony with the environment and therefore, where possible, we select organic wine makers for our visitors. Smaller groups, private tours and being outside more were our initial ideas and they turned out to be good ones.
Slow tourism has become a dream coming true, and this is where we want to move to. Taking your time and fully appreciating where you are, meeting the locals and sharing food & wine, good conversation and interesting talks. With the right attitude towards this virus we should be able to cope and continue travelling.
I love walking on the ramparts of Beaune as they are quiet and so atmospheric. Old buildings and every stone have a story to tell. In the surrounding area of Beaune, you find that the vineyards are often surrounded by walls called “clos”. In addition, every vineyard is different as the soil and subsoil changes from one spot to another, which in turn influences the quality of the wine. Just incredible!
When we say Burgundy, we think of wine but there is more much more to the region! Cheese, truffles, the geology and don’t forget the history of the monasteries, the basis of the viticulture.
It is very important that a guide should adapt to the public she/he is guiding. Looking after every member of the group and not leave anybody out, giving the visitors time to enjoy the experience without overwhelming them with too much information. At the end of the tour, visitors should be able to say that their day with the guide did not only ‘meet their expectations’ but ‘exceeded their expectations’.
Salted butter with truffle chips called ‘truffle caviar’ accompanied by a glass of organic Chardonnay produced in the Macon area is just delicious! My favorite cheese is definitely the slightly smelly ‘Epoisses’ which is produced in the north of Burgundy.
That would have to be a cycling tour with an English family through the Cote de Beaune vineyards. This was followed by a lunch where we paired Burgundian wine and dishes. The atmosphere was so good that the lunch ended up in a music jamming session, great memories!
Do I really have to make a choice? There are so many experiences I would like to share with your guests/readers. Well, let’s go for a visit to the chateau de Clos de Vougeot, a former Cistercian winery, or Hotel Dieu of Beaune, a former hospital for the poor, followed by a picnic in the vineyards or on the ramparts of Beaune: tasting wine and pairing those with foods like ‘Parsley Ham’ and different cheeses.
If you ever travel with us, you might come across Cécilia on one or many of your tours. Do not hesitate to contact us or check our sample itineraries 100% customizable directly on our website.
If you enjoyed this portrait of one of our local insiders, check out our portrait of Sophie: a Provence specialist, Sophie: Guide in Provence
