A great day of motoring in a quest for Beaujolais.
Teams found themselves Southbound and into Raymond Blanc's home territory as they negotiated sweeping bends and plunging gorges. A feast for the senses for both driver and navigator they traversed checkpoints designed for pure motoring enjoyment.
Their first port of call was the cellars of Champagne Cattier. Alexandre Cattier had granted permission for the teams to search for looted gold. His cellars had been used during the war as a refuge, the walls still bearing the soot from the candles that had been used. The village of Rilly La Montagne itself had been heavily bombed during the war as the local rail;way tunnel had bee used to hide V1 and V2 'flying bombs'.
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A large old key was found, and the "wow' was audible as the crews found themselves in the gold reflection of the exclusive Armand De Brignac cellar. Never open to the public it was a treat for all to behold.
Deep in Franche Comté, only a few miles from Raymonds family home the "Runners found themselves at a WWI fort with a big secret. They had travelled through snow filled fields with clear roads giving great vista's. Their 'looted' gold they had to find was the amazing Comté cheese caves of Marcel Petite. Containing 130,000 wheels of cheese, individually valued at approximately £500 each! Televised on both Raymond's "Very hungry Frenchman" and Rick Stein's Secret France Marcel Petite had rolled out the red carpet for the 'Run.
After a cheese tasting and a lesson in maturing and checking. Parc Fermé was found to be Montreux, Switzerland with teams having made their 'Great Escape' to a 'neutral country'.
With an evening at leisure, to explore the home of 'smoke on the water', Freddie Mercury's statue and 'Funky Claudes bar' the bright lights beckoned. Funky Cllaude's was taken over for the evening by the'Run complete with DJ. For those requiring a little 'R and R' their lakeside hotel with it's views of the Alps was a dream come true.