Meet the guides to Beaune and its villages

Question 1

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I was born in Burgundy, on the Côte Châlonnaise. I come from a family of winegrowers. I spent 20 years in Africa and traveled a lot. I returned to France 10 years ago.

Question 2

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

In 1980, I met a tour guide in Paris, and it clicked: this is what I want to do.
Guiding is not a profession, it’s a passion that I live every day.

Question 3

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

I love sharing my knowledge and meeting new people. I love contact with the public and adapt easily.

Question 4

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

My favorite place is the wine route from Beaune to Santenay, unique in France, between hillsides and picturesque villages.

Question 5

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I was born in Dole, in nearby Franche-Comté. My husband is in the wine business, so thirty years ago we moved to Beaune.

Question 6

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

I began my professional life in social work, already passionate about history and old stones.
What was just a hobby became a real passion over the years, then my second profession from 2012 onwards.
These two paths are not so different: human relationships are just as important in one as in the other.

Question 7

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

Heritage, conviviality, leisure and I can add a fourth: service.

Question 8

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

I love going to the Hôtel Dieu rampart, which overlooks the former nuns’ garden. When the sky is cloudless, its blue provides a wonderful backdrop for the multicolored roof of the Hôtel Dieu, as founders Nicolas Rolin and Guigone de Salins look on.

Question 9

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I was born and lived abroad for several years, which enabled me to learn several languages. I have a double degree in history and art history, and during my studies my teachers used to tell us about Burgundy, Fontenay, Dijon, Beaune… and I fell in love with this fabulous region. I’ve been a Burgundian for over 30 years!

Question 10

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

To share with passion and enthusiasm the pleasure of telling the story of places, people, châteaux, abbeys, gastronomy, wine… But also to meet people from different cultures and show them my Burgundy!

Question 11

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

It’s a real challenge to use just three words, but I choose: passion, history and sharing.

Question 12

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

In the late afternoon, the narrow cobbled streets around the Collégiale Notre Dame or the landscape of vineyards as far as the eye can see just beyond Meursault, with Monthelie on one side and Auxey-Duresses in the distance… But there are so many others!

Question 13

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I’m originally from a small village near Cholet in Maine-et-Loire, but I’ve been around a lot: Bordeaux, England, the Loire Valley, Champagne, and finally… Burgundy.

Question 14

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

Even as a child, I loved history and, above all, I loved talking ;-)!
At the age of 16, I discovered that there was a profession that combined history and sharing: tour guide – my path was mapped out.
Sharing and exchanging with people from all over the world is a constant source of enrichment. My fear of boredom disappears, because I change the audience on every visit, and every day is different!
My philosophy: “discover while having fun, far from history lessons!”

Question 15

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

Share
Meet
Discovery

Question 16

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

Ah, it’s hard to choose! There are so many beautiful things. The Hôtel-Dieu is such an extraordinary building.
But I also love walking with clients on the Corton hill, especially in autumn when the vines have taken on their beautiful red and gold colors.

Question 17

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I was born and grew up in Tokyo, a city of novelties, changing fast and constantly. At university, I made friends from different regions, my first encounter with people from the provinces. Their pride in their roots and their land, their respect for local culture and products, made me want to learn about these differences by traveling and sharing this sense of pride.

Question 18

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

I really enjoy discovering other traditions and meeting people. That’s what drew me to the guide profession, while specializing in wine with a great love and interest for the cultural aspect of Burgundy wine. Today, I’m dedicated to bridging the gap between Burgundians and foreign tourists. To bring to life the landscape and architecture that travelers see before their eyes, I explain its history and how people are involved in preserving their culture. So that from now on, a photo isn’t just a travel snapshot, but evokes an emotion experienced on the spot: “I visited this place!

Question 19

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

It’s a moment of sharing, of joy and emotion.

It’s like opening a bottle of wine, opening a window onto a foreign world. For me, guiding means sharing a moment of discovery and emotion!

Question 20

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

For me, it’s a whole: a peaceful landscape of villages topped by a distinctive church, surrounded by vines that exude a life force, I think this is the real jewel of Burgundy.
The expression of the landscape changes with the time of day, very distinctly punctuated by the seasons.
A picnic in the vineyards at sunset in summer is an indescribably serene moment. And let’s not forget the winegrowers’ cellars, where you’ll find good wines and smiles, conviviality and joy!

Question 21

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I come from Saint-Léger-sur-Dheune, in the heart of Burgundy.

Question 22

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

I knew from the age of 16 that I would become a guide, a wonderful profession. Whether in the Côte d’Or or the Saône-et-Loire, I still feel the same enthusiasm, because guiding is not a boring history lesson, it’s a multi-faceted discipline: a way of meeting new people and new cultures, adapting one’s speech to all audiences, an art of transmitting knowledge in a relaxed, good-humored way.

Question 23

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

Communication
Knowledge
Fun

Question 24

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

The cliffs of Saint-Romain: totally unexpected, they jut out into the vineyards and offer a spectacular view of breathtaking beauty.

Question 25

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I come from Franconia, a wine-growing region in Germany. Before settling in Burgundy, I lived in Alsace for four years. My art-history studies had already introduced me to Burgundy: Gislebertus, Roger de la Pasture, Sluter and others. Once I’d married a Frenchman, the question of “where to settle?

Question 26

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

I’m fascinated by Burgundy and its wines, culture and history. I love sharing this passion with my visitors. These exchanges are very important to me, as they always help me to discover new aspects and feed my curiosity and knowledge.

Question 27

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

At the heart of my visits is the relationship with my public. It’s up to me to make them experience unique, unforgettable moments, and to make them love the region. When I succeed and I see their eyes shine, I feel great joy and satisfaction.

The job in three words? Commitment, competence, sensitivity.

Question 28

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

I hesitate between the Hôtel-Dieu and the vineyards. So let’s say: Meursault. Both are found here, with the Hôtel-Dieu holding part of the seigneury for a long time. And vines, of course.

Question 29

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

Burgundian by adoption, I’m a clever blend of Chti, Tourangelle, Provençal, Marseillaise, Corsican with a touch of Poitevin and Italian blood…

Question 30

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

I fell into the pot… of transmission, sharing, altruism, history and Epicure…

Question 31

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

Learn
Share
Good mood

Question 32

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

Le Clos des Mouches.

Question 33

Where are you from?

Accepted Answer

I’m originally from Haut-Marnais, but I spent my early childhood in Dijon, and what I remember of those years are the museums in Dijon. Around the age of 10, my parents and I moved to the Côte de Beaune, settling in Ladoix-Serrigny at the foot of the vineyards.

Question 34

Why did you become a guide?

Accepted Answer

Curious by nature, I love exploring new regions. That’s how I got into guiding, by chance, at an eco-museum in Franche-Comté: on a busy day, I was asked to show the exhibits in the museum, which I already knew very well from having visited it several times.
An internship at Baume-les-Messieurs gave me the opportunity to learn about tours in costume.
In addition to my degree in Art History and Archaeology from the University of Burgundy, I also have a CAP in cookery, to pass on this aspect of French culture.

Question 35

Your job in three key words

Accepted Answer

Today, I’m a tour guide and what I love about my job is meeting people, sharing and promoting my region.

Question 36

Your favorite spot in the Beaune region?

Accepted Answer

My favorite place is the Notre Dame du Chemin chapel in Ladoix. When I first moved to the village, I was always drawn to the site. I was lucky enough to be actively involved in the owner’s association throughout my studies and also through an internship after my bachelor’s degree, which taught me a lot. I was then able to pass on my knowledge to subsequent trainees.

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