Samedi le 18 octobre - Dijon!

Just sampling a Burgundy Red - Well, you have to really while you are in the neighbourhood!

An early start and just caught the bus with 1 second to spare – it ran a couple of minutes early due to not many passengers at 7:50 Saturday morning.
To the train and remembered to compostez the billets. On this train you could choose where you sit and the girls got a great place for the 4 of us, facing each other with a table in between. The girls continued to eat their breakfast - chocolate waffles on the train.
We arrived in Dijon after 1 hour. The day was gorgeous, fantastically clear blue skies and about 18 degrees.
We headed straight to the Information centre and sussed out what to do. The Owl’s Trail was the first thing. This is a trail around the town’s most important and interesting places. In the footpath are brass plaques embedded for you to follow. We also had a trail booklet in English to tell us the history behind each of the 22 stops.
Off we went with the girls both hot on the Owl’s trail. It was really well done and kept the girls interest the whole way. After about 3 stops we happened to be right in the middle of the Saturday markets – Wahoo! Just my thing – the trail went on hold for a couple of hours while we traipsed up and down many streets looking at all the stalls. Everything on sale – fruit/veges, books, shoes, clothes, belts, antiques, coins (managed to get 20 different ones for €2), old photos, postcards, mattresses, handbags, furniture and general bric a brac. It was heaps of fun poking around.
We also stumbled upon the indoor food market – anything you can eat you get it here! What an experience – the buzz of all the people, vendors calling out (not sure what), the aromas the sights and colour. On sale there were things I have never seen before and not sure I would try some of them!

Hermione was brave and tried a few tastings of a “meaty pate type thing” and the verdict was positive!
I had to be dragged out of there back to the trail!

On we went through the throngs of people congregating to eat in the terraces and places. We found a tower that has a fantastic view of the city – Tower of Philippe the Good! 46m high and about 700 stairs to contend with. Up we went and we were not disappointed with the view. Dijon is famous for its very decorative roofs and I was disappointed as there weren’t as many as I had imagined. We saw about 5 from the top of the tower!

Many photos later we went on our way.

By now it was 2:15 and time for lunch! We headed to a busy restaurant and sat out in the sun – the girls played chicken with the water feature running through the place (plaza / square). For lunch the family tried traditional cuisine – croque madam with an egg and croque Monsieur without. Hermione not being fond of cheese had an assiette de crudités, which is a plate of raw vegetables - lettuce, tomates, corn, beetroot and carrot.

Found the best mustard shop -Dijon mustard of course! It has so many varieties - 32 to be exact! Mustards are also on tap between 76- 149.50 Euros per Kg!

Also stopped at a vey bust street stall to check out what people were buying - something hot that they wrapped and sold in a paper cone - hot, roasted chestnuts! My first real taste of what

they talk and sing about in the Northern hemisphere winter xmas.

Off on the trail to the last few stops and then to the train to come home at 6:45pm. The train was near empty and we had a whole carriage to ourselves for most of the way until a few young guys got on with an Alsatian!

A great day out – home to soup and bread!