My cousin, Griet, and her husband, Wim, decided to join us in France for their eleven-day vacation. Of that time, we spent a wonderful week in the Dordogne, and we needed two solid days of driving back to Belgium. For the three nights and two days that were left, we hunkered down in Burgundy. One day was dedicated to more cute villages and the other to natural settings.
Gien-sur-Cure
For this short stay, we opted for a house in a tiny village surrounded by countryside. Despite being located along a main road, it was quiet at night and we managed to keep enjoying the beautiful weather on the patio whenever we were home.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to see their captions.)
The mattresses hurt everyone’s backs, but the bathroom was modern and the kitchen sufficed. There was an antique washing machine, which, surprisingly enough, Mark and I already had experience with in Argentina. It came in handy as I wanted to wash all our clothes before arriving in Belgium, where we don’t have our own laundry facilities. Of course, the machine broke on our second day, but we lucked out because a neighbor could fix it immediately. The owner of the home lived next door.
Châteauneuf-en-Auxois
This tiny village on a hill oozed medieval charm, attractive buildings, and peace. We felt it was built in a different style than the beauties of the Dordogne, but it was cute nevertheless.
Our small group strolled around Châteauneuf for about an hour, skipping a visit to the picturesque castle. We had a busy day planned.
Beaune
From Châteauneuf, a 30-minute drive brought us to Beaune. This town – apart from Dijon, which was too far away – seemed to be the main attraction of Burgundy. We finally saw vineyards during our approach to town, after wondering for two days where the famous Burgundy wine was being made as we’d only seen pastures.
Since it was lunchtime when we arrived, our first task was to find a suitable restaurant. Between the menu choices, high prices, and long lines at the place of our choice, it took a while to pick a table and find a dish. Ever consumed with the search for a new home on wheels, Mark and I were also battling emotions regarding a Vario van that was slipping through our fingers.
During our stroll through town, none of us found Beaune that attractive, so we returned to our rental home earlier than planned. To be fair, we did not go inside the Hospices de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune) because of the steep entry fee of €13 per person. When discovering later that this was the town’s highlight, I regretted that decision.
Cascade du Saut de Gouloux
Our day in nature started with a two-hour hike in the forest near a pretty waterfall. We were wise to take our photos of this attraction early because by the time we concluded our walk, the waterfall area was packed.
Chevresse dolmen
A short drive brought us to a parking lot from where we had to climb a hill to check out a dolmen site Griet had found in her guidebook. The spot was peaceful, slightly mystical, and perfect for our sandwich lunch.
Lac des Settons
In the afternoon, our return drive included a stop by a pretty lake, or better, reservoir. None of us had much energy left, so we just went for a little stroll around part of the lake.
We finished our day at a cafe by the lake for a late-afternoon treat: alcoholic beverages for the men and sweets for the ladies. Vacation time!
On April 26th, after spending three months in Southwestern Europe, it was time for Mark, Maya, and me to complete the last stretch back to Belgium, my home country. Griet and Wim gave us a ride. Our previous visit had been two years prior. Stay tuned!
Expenses for April 2026
April was another bad month for our budget, for a painful reason that left us helpless, disappointed, and frustrated. When we returned our 24-hour rental car in Northern Spain, there were scratches on the driver’s side along the bottom of the cargo van. We had no idea how that happened. They were either there already when Mark picked up the car (being in a hurry, he only briefly checked) or someone left those scratches while the car was parked. We will never know.
Our cargo van rental in Northern Spain
We expected our credit card insurance to cover the $655 cost, but they didn’t. Because this happened to a “cargo van” and not a normal passenger car, the damage was ours to pay. It was in the small print…
Our grocery costs in Europe are increasing, just like everywhere else. And the poor exchange rate between the US dollar and euro is not helping… We all know who to blame for that.
This sticker welcomed us to Beaune
Transportation ($379) was relatively high – even without the exorbitant damage fee – but the trains and rental car brought us from Southern Portugal to Southern France. And me to Bordeaux for a day trip. We did spend an extra $300 on fuel and tolls in April as well.
Eating out totaled $249, mainly because we were on vacation. May should be negligible, as we need to make up for all these extra costs. The same is true for paid accommodation, which should all but disappear for two months. The rest of our expenses are in line with previous reports.
Of the $2,351 we spent in April, about $1,700 went to living expenses and the rest went straight into the trash.
Here is the breakdown:
- Miscellaneous ($655 damage rental, $5 vacuuming rental): $660
- Groceries: $428
- Transportation (train tickets, taxis, rental car): $379
- Car ($297 fuel, $11 tolls): $308
- Dining out: $249
- Accommodation: $155
- Alcohol: $85
- Household supplies: $27
- Dog (extra food): $20
- Utilities (internet): $13
- Entertainment: $10
- Medical: $10
- Health and fitness (sunscreen): $7
TOTAL: $2,351
Next up: Our conclusions and thoughts after three months of renting homes in Southwestern Europe.
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May 27, 2026 at 8:50 am
Many travelers like me romanticize about Burgundy with tiny villages on hills that ooze medieval charm, as you say. And you still have Griet and Wim, who help you figure out fun places to visit.
Sorry about the car rental scratches. It happens. Taking vehicle photos ahead of time helps–if you can remember. I’m glad you can look forward to fewer expenses in the coming months. Thanks for giving us photos and a story of recent adventures, Liesbet! 😀
May 27, 2026 at 11:01 am
Hi Marian,
My cousin and her husband have been visiting – or meeting – us all over the world ever since we started sailing in 2007. They are great travel companions and we know each other well. They are friends as well as family. What more can you ask for? 🙂
Yeah, Mark and I agreed to take a video of each car we rent in the future. Of course, that doesn’t help when someone scratches up the car in your absence… Then location of the damage was in a tough spot that is hard to see. Let’s hope this was a once-in-a-lifetime expense!
May 27, 2026 at 10:06 am
Being without your van must be difficult.
May 27, 2026 at 11:02 am
Hi Jacqui,
After being a month in Belgium, we are starting to miss a new home on wheels. Or some kind of a vehicle at least. Or the prospect of a camper… Time is running out soon.
May 27, 2026 at 11:16 am
Ugh, about the rental car. We once rented a car in Breckenridge, Colorado, a renowned ski town. While we were there for a family reunion, someone threw industrial-strength paint remover onto our car’s hood overnight. We walked out the next morning and were shocked to see the vehicle, as it had stripped the paint right down to the metal. Imagine returning a rental car that way! We later found out from the police that they had some 25 other incidents, all targeting vehicles with out-of-state license plates. Our car insurance paid for the damage once we met the deductible, but of course, our rates went up through no fault of our own.
I don’t like not having transportation for a couple of days. You guys have been making do for months. I sure hope your search ends up happily soon.
June 5, 2026 at 5:01 am
Wow, Pete. That’s a true car rental horror story. You would think that if the police discovered the culprits that they would be charged to pay for for all the damages. It’s a crazy world and it seems like that “bad apples” always get away with a lot. 🙁
While we live in Belgium, not having our own car is manageable, between the availability of bikes, public transport, and the car of my parents. All we usually have to do is plan and schedule everything really well. But now, as we need to make international drives to find our next camper/vehicle, we really miss not having our own car. To be continued!
May 28, 2026 at 9:36 am
the car, i was once asked about i car i rented, two weeks after i’d returned it. they said something in the undercarriage was off. asked if i had driven over a body.
June 5, 2026 at 5:04 am
Haha, Beth. Driving over a body with a rental car. That kind of sounds funny, but definitely creepy as well. Did you? 🙂
June 5, 2026 at 7:53 am
it was such an odd thing of them to say, has this happened before? did the person before me run over a body? do you check the underside of the when you go to rent? no. wonder if there was something under there.
June 9, 2026 at 3:39 pm
That’s such a crazy realization. We never check underneath a rental car. Or any car. Except when we consider buying it!
May 28, 2026 at 12:34 pm
Argh, renting vehicles is awful. I hate doing it, and I always take lots of detailed pictures of the vehicle sitting in the rental lot after I’ve returned it. Then I spend the next few weeks braced for accusations from the rental company anyway. The problem is that they don’t know or care who actually caused the damage; they just blame the current renter when they discover the damage… which might have been there for weeks. Grrr, I feel your pain and frustration.
At least you had good food and nice surroundings. Crossing my fingers for your Vario…
June 5, 2026 at 5:13 am
I’m with you now about renting vehicles, Diane. I never worried too much about them – plus, Mark usually took care of everything and knew what to ask and check – but now I’m less keen to rent. And not just for the high prices.
There was definitely a chance that the damage had been there before Mark checked out the car (it was parked in an awful spot when he picked it up and he felt in a hurry since Maya and I were waiting at some train station, without WiFi, for him to get back). They might even have charged the previous renter for it and then us. Who knows. What bothered us the most were the $300 or so of extra fees. There was the actual repair cost and then the administration fee and “loss of use” costs while it was at the shop. Outrageous.
June 9, 2026 at 1:21 pm
That is outrageous!
May 31, 2026 at 7:36 am
From the line about Mark and you battling emotions about a Vario van, I trust there was one within reach, but you decided against it for some reason. I hope you will have news about finding a home on wheels soon.
I hope being back in Belgium has helped you all relax. With family and friends around, it must be great to be back. What’s the saying? ‘There’s no place like home.’
June 5, 2026 at 5:25 am
Hi Hugh,
You read the reason for our emotions very well “between the lines” and I appreciate that!
There was indeed a (yellow) Vario 4×4 van that we had hoped to see upon our return to Belgium, which would be soon at that point. But we just discovered that day over lunch out with my family that another potential buyer had first picks on visiting and buying the vehicle, which he did on that visit. We were just so bummed that we had missed out because we had been in France still instead of in Belgium, which had been our first plan, before we committed to the vacation with my cousins.
I can’t say we regretted staying longer in France because we had a good time, but these vans are so rare that we hated for our timing to be off by just one week. Currently, the market is dry again.
Our time in Belgium has been relatively relaxing, but our minds are not here. We are too obsessed with our research for a new home on wheels. It’s been dragging for a long time now and we need to come up with a better – or temporary – plan.
June 4, 2026 at 1:17 pm
I love all these places. I just talked with a German overlander yesterday at our campground and he was saying how Europe was a different world. It seems so different. I’m really enjoying these posts and seeing where you are going. It seems like a lot, though.
I hate it about the car damage. I know you hate money being wasted like this. And I know how careful you are with your vehicles.
Anyway, I’m excited to read the next post and find out how you liked traveling like this!
June 5, 2026 at 5:36 am
Hi Duwan,
I’m sure you TOTALLY get it about how we felt about that amount of money being wasted on this stupid 24-hour car rental. What are the chances? Nothing happened during two months of renting the other one – a passenger car that would have been covered – and then, this happens to a car we only had in our possession for less than 24 hours. Crazy bad luck and a painful cost. Or we pissed someone off.
The parts of Europe we’ve visited are, indeed, so very different than the US. I can’t believe I had no idea about the beauty of southern France, being from Belgium. Ignorant me. And, I’m now so in tune with the American way and sites that I truly feel like a tourist here. It’s quite interesting. I think you’ll love visiting these cute historic towns!
June 4, 2026 at 10:13 pm
Wow, thanks for the beautiful pics in France. I had to laugh at your welcome to Baume sign 🤣 But bummer on the rental charges. Brutal! Yep, life is getting so expensive everywhere. I’m curious to know how much is gas around Europe? 😋
June 5, 2026 at 6:00 am
Ha Debby! Finally someone who pointed out the Beaune sign! 🙂 When I posted it on Facebook after first spotting the sticker, it created a lot of action, haha. Here on the blog, people certainly are more reserved when it comes to political sh*t.
Yeah, that extra charge for the rental car damage was a hard pill to swallow and it still is. We are trying to save in other ways to make up for it, but we will just have to mark it as a very unfortunate expense. There’s truly nothing we can do or could have done about it. If the damage would have been our fault, we would have been able to deal with it better, I think.
Gasoline is crazy expensive here, the equivalent of about $10 a gallon or $2.50 a liter. The crappy exchange rate doesn’t help.