I should talk about our tour group. Our fearless French leader is Laurent Millet ("La-rahn Millay") - an enthusiastic, organized, and very French tour guide.
The group is comprised mainly of Australians, two Californian couples, three Canadians and one South African. Mark and I are learning a lot about Australia! Here are a couple of photos of us at dinner on the second night:
In the morning after arriving in Dijon, Laurent took us on a walking tour of the city, focusing on the main City Square and the old architecture:
Across from our hotel is a large square in which a large Arch is situated. Cars are not allowed to be in the square so there are a lot of stores and pedestrians. The Arch dates back to World War II.
Behind one of the Arch columns is a tribute to Thomas Jefferson, who stayed in Dijon for a short while.
This is the store that made Dijon Mustard famous! We are bringing back a sample pack.
The same artist who gave the USA its Statue of Liberty, also gave Dijon one. You can see it inside this building's balcony.
Old buildings dating back to the 13th and 14th Centuries.
The town hall's stair case has real gold in its ironworks!
The end of the Square has a fountain.
At our hotel, and here above in a park across from our hotel, are statues of bears. Laurent says that the French really love their bear symbol, but there are very few bears left in France.
BEAUNE: ("Boon")
The wine country of Beaune in the Burgundy region features many small family wineries. We noticed that the root stocks seem very black, large and are probably pretty old, but still productive but with short grapevines. It is very difficult for an outsider to get into this region as a winemaker as the families do not wish to sell their properties or are prohibited by their guilds from selling to non-family wine makers. The land is exceedingly valuable and most of the plots are on small 2 to 4 hectares sizes. Also, they plant only on the flat lands, not the hills. Their irrigation comes from the rains so planting on the hills means the rainwater runs off the hills very quickly, killing off the vines or producing bitter grapes.
The town of Beaune has a very old hospital originally built to treat the poor. Eventually, there was corruption and scandal that resulted in the hospital changing leadership. On our way to the Hospice, we took a stroll through Beaune.
Entrance to the Hospice
The Hospice interior square is famous for its multicolored tiles and patterns on its roof. There are a lot of old buildings in Dijon and towns like Beaune with this roof feature.
You can see the patients' beds.
The patients were care for by nuns, who also cooked.
Mark is reviewing some of the medical equipment used to take care of patients. Be very grateful for advancements in medical science.
Afterwards, before returning to Dijon, Mark and I had lunch at a lovely local bistro.
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