A Lazy Sunday, A Few Small Markets, and a Palace

It was a drizzly morning but we were up and out of the apartment early. First stop was Wolf Coffee, the place we've adopted as "our" coffee spot.

Then we headed to one of the two local markets scheduled for the day... an antique market located in the part of town where all the antique shops are located. It was small and we didn't see much we liked. I'm always looking for silver napkin rings because they are fun to find and easy to bring home. But the ones I saw weren't what I like. I'm more optimistic that I'll find something when we go to the market in L'Isle Sur la Sorgue.

In the afternoon we tried the second market, a Local Creator's Market. There was a woman with nice pottery but I wasn't confident things would make it home.

Later we went to the Palais des Ducs, a beautiful, sprawling complex that we walked by on the first night. 

Part of it was built in the 15th century and part in the 17th, and then it was all somehow merged together to make the current structure. It houses the Museum of Beaux Arts and some local offices. One of the really nice things about many of the museums here is that they are free, so you can duck in for a bit and go back later if you want. The signs in the Art Museum lead you through huge rooms filled with paintings and sculptures dating back centuries. Most of them are religious and all of them are meticulously restored. In fact, they are so well restored that they don't even look old. Most have vivid colors and not even a scratch on them. I think it might have been nice to see a few that looked like they'd been around a while. Here's a few pix of some of the things that caught my eye.. (a purse from the 1460's, a metal sculture that was so intricate and beautiful, the Duke himself, and part of a large plaster of paris wall piece that I thought was sweet).

After all the slow walking in the palace, we needed to sit down so found a quiet bar (:e Chat Qui Fume...the smoking cat?) and had some more cassis. I had the kir and G had it straight. 

Like many Americans, we struggle with the tipping culture here, and we generally leave something wherever we go.... just not the 20%+ expected in the US. This bar was the first place where the credit card machine asked if we wanted to leave a tip. I'd read that some places do this for Americans but not locals so thought it was interesting. We had already left something on the table so I just ignored it.

Dinner at home with food from the market, and more cassis for dessert... some little tart that was delicious. We wanted to watch the Packer game but had to settle for The Diplomat on Netflix.

We think there will be a break in the weather tomorrow so we're making plans to take advantage of that.

Here's a few random shots of things I've seen in Dijon the last few days.

Saturday in Dijon - Market Day, Wine Cave, and Stain Remover

The weather has taken a turn and not a good one. Rain is predicted today and also over the next few days. Fortunately, we have saved some of the indoor activities and we'll be planning those while it rains. And to keep warm, we're wearing multiple layers of clothing. Yesterday Greg wore both of his vests! We really should have brought heavier jackets.

Yesterday was Saturday and the town was full of energy. During the week when we're up early, things are very quiet. But yesterday people and families were out and about. We tried a new coffee shop in our search for the best flat white and this one was excellent. But unfortunately they have weird hours and most days they don't open until 10. 

The quiet but wonderful market we went to on Tuesday was even more wonderful and packed with people. I could have spent the whole day there wandering around looking at all the vendors, listening to all the chatter, and people watch. Absolutely no English spoken anywhere. (Except we had a nice chat with a man and his grown son. They were curious as to where we were from and why we chose to come to Dijon. They offered their help if we needed it. Very kind.) I know there are other tourists here but I guess few of them consider the covered market a tourist attraction like we do. Our goal was to find dinners for Sunday and Monday since most of the restaurants close on those days. 

These pates are everywhere and I just don't even want to try them. I know they're local delicacies but not for me. The just look like gross meat and fat. Ugh.

We did laundry and I discovered a cassis or wine stain on my white top. This gave me the chance to try to find some kind of stain remover at the store. It's always a challenge to read labels in another language and guess at what you're buying. I did manage to find something that translates to Stain Devil. No instructions on the bottle so I'll just wing it and see if it works.

We had reservations at a wine cellar/cave called Caveau de Sauix. During the day, there are metal doors on the sidewalk that cover the entrance. But when it opens, this is what you see.... very steep stairs that lead down to the basement of an old building. 

Greg and I walked down very slowly while we gripped those bars on either side. Later we saw others scamper down like it was nothing. Anyway, it was worth the risk to go down there.

I don't know if you can hear the music in these videos but it was all old American rock and roll. Fun.

All of their wines are served blind. Basically you tell the server if you want red or white wine. And you choose either a young wine (under 5 years) or older. Then they serve you a glass of wine, and if we're interpreting it all correctly, we are supposed to guess where the wine came from and how old it is. We ordered an old red wine, and we liked it - but had no clue how old it was (2013) or where it came from (somewhere near Beaune). There were several tables made up of groups of people who had the 5 or 8 blind tastings option. It was an experience just to be in that room.

We planned to stop at a crepe place for dinner but it was closed. Restaurants and shops just seem to randomly close when they want. So we went to Bouilon, a bistro in the center of town. It was packed with people but we managed a table upstairs. Had some of the best French Onion Soup ever. (Or is all onion soup here French?)

Leaving the restaurant, we saw a group of young men dressed in black with face masks. We are aware of the protests and riots in Paris and other cities in France, but we've seen no sign of unrest here... except these guys looked pretty serious. We had considered going to Lyon on this trip but I'm glad now we are not.

PS Thanks for your fun comments! We love reading them and appreciate your thoughts.

Our Day in Nuits-Saint-George

Yesterday was a full day of non-stop activity, and one that I had been excited about as I planned this trip. And everything went exactly as we planned.... with just a couple of snafus.

We took an early morning train south to Nuits-Saint-George, a small village between Dijon and Beaune. Like all the little towns in this area, it is very wine-focused. We walked from the train station into town and picked up our e-bikes. (Greg's first time on an e-bike, and he was glad he opted for one.) We navigated to the Voie des Vignes, the paved bike trail that connects all the little villages and takes you through the vineyards. It was not exactly as we envisioned because our picture perfect weather days might be over. It was incredibly foggy. The fog alone might not have been an issue but it was so humid that we were soaking wet from the mist. But we were not going to let that ruin our day so we kept on going. It was nice to catch glimpses of workers amonst the vines and estates along the way. We rode through tiny villages and managed to only lose the trail once. We probably biked 9 or 10 miles before our hands were freezing and the wet clothes were really getting uncomfortable. So we turned around... But still so much fun!

We dropped off our bikes about 11:30, and we desparately needed a place to warm up and rest. Just down the street, we saw this in the window.

The description said it had hazelnuts, and I'm into those since my trout dinner the other night. Of course, we couldn't buy the big one, but we decide to buy one of the little ones on the lower shelf. And even though we knew we'd be eating lunch soon, we decided to have dessert first! It was filled with a milk chocolate mouse with hazelnuts, and the glaze also had crunchy hazelnuts too. It was so good. And to warm up our hands, we ordered a mocha to go with it.

Nuits-Saint-George is a beautiful village, very well maintained and lovely to just explore. Here's one of the homes we saw on our walk.

We stopped for a couple of Croque Madames which we didn't come close to finishing after all the pre-lunch chocolate, and by the time we finished lunch, the sun had come out and we were starting to dry off. We found a couple of chairs in the sun, decided to let the sun soak in, and this photo was taken 30 seconds after I said I needed a nap but there was no way I could fall asleep in that chair. Ha!

We left the village and walked a mile or so to La Cassissium, a place they call a museography dedicated to black currents and the production of cassis! This area is known for both, and we've seen all kinds of cassis products in the stores... candies, syrups, jams. We'd signed up for a 2:00 tour. We knew it would be in French so we did our best to understand what was being said. Google Translate helped but also gave some pretty bizarre translations. After touring the factory, we were taken to the bar and given samples of some of their creme de cassis, mango liquor, chocolate liquor, and more. They even made a kir for me which is creme de cassis with some kind of white wine. All delicious. 

A bottle of creme de cassis will be coming home with us along with three cassis lollipops. :)

We trained home, quickly showered, and headed to dinner... Chez Leon. We'd been looking forward to it, but were disappointed with the food. An expensive meal that simply was just meh. The only good things was the cassis sauce on my duck. The duct breast was tough but I could have had a glass of the sauce. We did try Crepes Suzette which they did flambe at the table.

This morning we are feeling the effects of too much food, rich food, and eating too late at night. We've vowed to change... at least for a few days. Stay tuned.

A Fabulous Dinner, Stocking up at the Market, and a Gingerbread Museum

Last night we had a wonderful dinner at Le Fine Heure, one of the places I'd read about and was anxious to try. They were getting ready to host a large event in the main part of the restaurant, so we were seated by ourselves in what is probably their overflow room. So it was an intimate dinner until a very nice American couple came to join us. We joked it was where they put the Americans.

But the important part... the food was very good and unique. We had a hard time interpreting the menu, and even Google Translate wasn't working out that well with the wording they used. But Greg started with escargot (that he declared was 10X better than the one we had on night one) and venison steak. I started with the poached eggs in wine sauce again (Oeuf en Meurette) that was excellent! Here's the before and after shots of Greg's escargot. He soaked up every bit of that butter and garlic sauce.

) 

I took a photo of his venison but it just looked like a brown glob. But it was cooked perfectly and he really enjoyed it.

I ordered what Google Translate said was Candied Trout. Intriguing, right? So on the bottom of the plate there was pureed squash with chunks of poached trout on top. This was topped with toasted hazelnuts, shaved fennel, and some kind of sauce with little crunchy things.... I'm clueless as to what they are. Such a creative dish and I loved it. Pictures don't do it justice. The hazelnuts really made it.

We shared an apple dessert that was very good but nothing special. Overall, a really wonderful meal.

This morning we tried a new coffee place and went back to the market to buy things for lunch and dinner today. They have lots of options for pre-made salads and things that are easy for us to just stick in the oven. I could spend hours walking around looking at all the booths there. Today it was not at all crowded but I've heard it gets busier as we get closer to the weekend.

I could live on the cheese here! And a big block of butter.

We rested a bit and then headed to the Mulot and Petitjean Gingerbread Museum! Crazy that there make it a museum, but it actually was interesting and certainly unique. The business started in the late 1700's and it has remained in the family all these years. They've expanded over time, and now sell their products to shops in Dijon and Beaune and beyond. We were the only ones there! As part of the tour, we moved from room to room seeing some of the old equipment that's been used in the factory. And this was a display of some of the spices that they use. The containers at the bottom were filled with spices we could smell and try to identify. We guessed anise, cinnamon, and cloves. H, we needed you there to help us with the others.

Then we got to sample some of their products. We especially loved their nonnettes, a round piece of gingerbread about the size of a hockey puck that are filled with jam or caramel or curd, and then coated with a thin glaze. Wow! Greg spent a lot of time choosing what he wanted, and then he announced that it is looking to be highly unlikely that he will be bringing one pair of shoes home. (He sometimes leaves his shoes here to make room in his suitcase.) These will be included in the sampling with E, F, and G when we get home.

Here's the funny part. As we were sampling the products there, Greg asked if they were available in the states. The sweet young woman did her best to tell us in English that they just started sending their products to ..... wait for it..... COSTCO! Seriously! I think they will be selling tins of their nonnettes there over the holidays. So start watching for them!

A quick stop at our favorite wine shop, and it's dinner at home tonight. Another day trip tomorrow.

In Search of the Perfect Coffee Eclair and Our Trip to Beaune

So much walking the past 24 hours! Yesterday we had over 15,000 steps, and today about 12,000. But the weather is wonderful so it's great to be moving outside.

After lunch yesterday, we wandered the city stopping to pick up a baguette, and vising the mustard store, Edmond Fallot. They had all kinds of different mustards (after all, this is Dijon) and we were able to sample several kinds. Couldn't try the chocolate one, but the ones we did try certainly had a kick. Then Greg was able to find a wonderful coffee eclair. Years ago when we were in France, buying an eclair was a daily event for him, and coffee ones are his fav.

A few random photos around Dijon. The Palais de Ducs in Place de la Liberation (very cool square surrounded with cafes) and a church I want to visit that has all these gargoyles on the front!

We stopped at a tiny but wonderful wine store called Les Clos Vivant. After talking with the guy there, we signed up for their 5 PM Master Class on red wines from Burgundy. So glad we did! It was fascinating, and we learned a lot - especially about how to read and understand the labels of the wine here. We tasted four different wiines and ended with a Grand Cru that costs 200E! Of course, we only had a small taste but it was fabulous!

In comparison to Dijon, Beaune is smaller, more charming, more touristy, and wealthier. Either city would be a good home base for a visit, but the train and bus options are better for us in Dijon. We headed right to the Hotel-Dieu Museum (Hospices de Beaune). I'd seen lots of photos but seeing it in person was wonderful. The tile roof, the hospital chamber, and the history of it all. They had nice audio guides to feed us the information about how it all came to be and on their focus to provide medical care for all people, including the poor.... back in the 1500s. Those nuns really worked hard!

We peeked into the Basilique de Notre Dame, did some window shopping, split a delicious chicken baguette sandwich, and took a few photos. (Again, Greg did not bring his camera so the pix are meh.)

The bus ride home was long and hot, and I nodded off quickly. But the views of the vineyards that I did see were nice, and there were several enormous mansions that I assume must have been owned by the wine producers.

Dinner out tonight. Hope I don't nod off in the middle of it. When will we adjust to this time zone?

P.S. Another quirky thing about our apartment here is that the ceilings are sloped. We are on the top floor of the building (we're basically in the attic), and the peaked ceiling is nice... but there are beams that are about 4 feet off the ground. This means when we get close to the walls, we have to hunch over. We're keeping track of how many times we bonk our heads. So far, Greg is winning 2 to 1. Each bonk is followed by about 5 minutes of swearing and head rubbing.