If you motor southward from Paris through Fontainebleau, your road follows the River Yonne to Sens, a town of some 16,000 souls. A few notable old half-timber houses are still standing in Sens, but its greatest treasure is the Cathedral of St. Etienne, one of the most significant Gothic edifices in Europe. Its North tower remains unachieved, and its façade, dominated by the immense statue of St. Etienne, is somewhat severe. Nevertheless, the Cathedral of Sens leaves one fairly breathless by its beauty and massive scale. Architecture scores heavily here, but the art of the table is far from forgotten. Sens is famed for its sweets and biscuits, which may be in short supply just now, and also for its snails, hams, and andouillettes, those pungent and aromatic sausages made from anonymous spare parts of a pig, which may prove to be something of an acquired taste.
There are two hotels in Sens where you can taste these and other Burgundian specialties with confidence and delectation. One is the Hôtel de Bourgogne, a long-established house over which Monsieur Trognon has presided for some thirty years. The other is the Hôtel de Paris et de la Poste, located near the Cathedral. Its genial proprietor, Monsieur Sandré, is a Chevalier du Tastevin, which should give more than a hint of the integrity and charm of his cuisine.
If you continue southward and watch the map closely, you will find the village of Villevallier, where the architecture isn’t so noteworthy, but the little Pavillon Bleu is. Here you may dine most agreeably on Burgundian fare, particularly snails, trout from the river, or coq au Chablis, in a shaded garden overlooking the valley of the Yonne.
Should you arrive in the riverbank town of Joigny near lunchtime you are fortunate, for the rustic Hôtel Escargot awaits you here with a distinguished selection of local dishes. Needless to say, snails are among them—in season. Monsieur Froment’s cellar contains some particularly fine Chablis. If you would have an architectural apéritif before luncheon, I recommend a short climb up the steep streets of the town to a most extraordinary brick-and-timber house whose ancient carved beams fan out to represent the Tree of Jesse. It is unique in France.
Architecture assumes the ascendancy in Auxerre, the next stop along the river road. This cheerful city fairly bristles with fine Gothic towers. Besides the Cathedral of St. Etienne and the Abbaye de St.-Germain, there are two other notable churches and a perfect fifteenth-century picturebook clock tower which arches the main street. Either the long-established Hôtel de l’Epée or the attractive old Tour d’Orbandelle will take adequate care of the hungry sightseer after he has made a tour of Auxerre.
The fairest flower of the Yonne, of course, is the sublime hill town of Vézelay. For centuries pilgrims have been coming to this medieval shrine where Saint Bernard inspired his Crusaders in the twelfth century. The matchless Romanesque Church of the Madeleine is one of the rarest treasures of French art. Its sculpture is an utter inspiration. Vézelay would merit a visit, even if you had to nibble a piece of hard tack for luncheon. But fortunately the worthy old Hôtel Poste is in the heart of the citadel, ready to take good care of present-day pilgrims.
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