May 24 - Dijon
Ah, the Bourgogne - region of wine and beef. I didn't know that Boeuf Bourguignonne (Beef Burgundian?) was actually named after the Burgundy region. Dijon, capital of that famous mustard ("pardon me, can you pass the grey poupon?") is rich in good food and history. The Dukes of the Bourgogne lived there in the Palais des Ducs, which now houses the Musee des Beaux Arts of Dijon. (This must be differentiated from the Musees des Beaux Arts which also exist in every other French city.)
Unfortunately, in this so-historical city Min and I managed only to:
1. Buy stamps from the post office. Not easy given everything's closed on Mondays and the French only work about 4 hours a day.
2. Check internet. It was sooo cheap! Only - 1.50 E for 1/2 hour? Critically important.
3. Eat lunch. Of course, I did not order the famous boeuf bourguignonne, thinking I would have it for dinner...but that didn't pan out...I didn't get to eat any mustard either :(
4. Visit the tourist office. V. important to help us locate the aforesaid post office and internet cafe.
5. Saw the Eglise Notre Dame. Quite impressive from the exterior - let's see - per Lonely Planet, "extraordinary facades in Burgundian Gothic style decorated with dozens of false gargoyles". There's a lucky owl on the side of the building which took us forever to find, which is supposed to bring all passers-by luck if they rub it. Why didn't they also tell me you should be rubbing it with your left and instead of your right?! Oh well, it didn't affect the rest of our trip too badly....
6. Plan half the rest of our trip, since we wanted to be "spontaneous" travellers (read: procrastinators) and did not know what the hell we were doing beyond 2 days at a time. Thank god we took the train for the first part of the trip, when we could still call and book hotels...and rental cars...oh, the nightmare....
After that, Min was practically unconscious from the drowsy allergy pills I got her so she had to take a nap while I scoured the city looking for an electrical adapter for my digital camera charger. No luck - was quite scared in fact cause that would be quite a waste of a camera if the batteries all died! Kudos to LW for making me buy an extra battery....thankfully was saved next day in Paris at the hardware store. I got the authentic French shopping experience. But poor Min! She had allergies ranging from bad to really bad through the entire trip...stupid dirty pollenated country...
Also during Min's nap I managed to see the Place Francois Rude and the Cathedrale St. Benigne, which was truly beautiful. A tip for future French travellers - use Dijon as a base for day tours to the surrounding Burgundy wine country, not as an actual city to visit. It's really only worth a half day.
Oh! A word on hotels. One of the saving graces of Dijon was the nice hotel we stayed at. Another word to the wise - I suggest inquiring as to whether the hotel rooms you reserve are on the ground floor, or if the hotel has an elevator, if you are carrying anything more than a duffel bag. While the Hotel Confort in Dijon was very nice and comfy, we almost cried when we found out we'd have to carrying 2 big suitcases plus 3 backpacks up 3 flights of stairs. Small, windy stairs. For the rest of the trip each time we stepped into a new hotel, we uttered small prayers for first floor rooms...or nice hotel owners to help us carry all our stuff!
Unfortunately, in this so-historical city Min and I managed only to:
1. Buy stamps from the post office. Not easy given everything's closed on Mondays and the French only work about 4 hours a day.
2. Check internet. It was sooo cheap! Only - 1.50 E for 1/2 hour? Critically important.
3. Eat lunch. Of course, I did not order the famous boeuf bourguignonne, thinking I would have it for dinner...but that didn't pan out...I didn't get to eat any mustard either :(
4. Visit the tourist office. V. important to help us locate the aforesaid post office and internet cafe.
5. Saw the Eglise Notre Dame. Quite impressive from the exterior - let's see - per Lonely Planet, "extraordinary facades in Burgundian Gothic style decorated with dozens of false gargoyles". There's a lucky owl on the side of the building which took us forever to find, which is supposed to bring all passers-by luck if they rub it. Why didn't they also tell me you should be rubbing it with your left and instead of your right?! Oh well, it didn't affect the rest of our trip too badly....
6. Plan half the rest of our trip, since we wanted to be "spontaneous" travellers (read: procrastinators) and did not know what the hell we were doing beyond 2 days at a time. Thank god we took the train for the first part of the trip, when we could still call and book hotels...and rental cars...oh, the nightmare....
After that, Min was practically unconscious from the drowsy allergy pills I got her so she had to take a nap while I scoured the city looking for an electrical adapter for my digital camera charger. No luck - was quite scared in fact cause that would be quite a waste of a camera if the batteries all died! Kudos to LW for making me buy an extra battery....thankfully was saved next day in Paris at the hardware store. I got the authentic French shopping experience. But poor Min! She had allergies ranging from bad to really bad through the entire trip...stupid dirty pollenated country...
Also during Min's nap I managed to see the Place Francois Rude and the Cathedrale St. Benigne, which was truly beautiful. A tip for future French travellers - use Dijon as a base for day tours to the surrounding Burgundy wine country, not as an actual city to visit. It's really only worth a half day.
Oh! A word on hotels. One of the saving graces of Dijon was the nice hotel we stayed at. Another word to the wise - I suggest inquiring as to whether the hotel rooms you reserve are on the ground floor, or if the hotel has an elevator, if you are carrying anything more than a duffel bag. While the Hotel Confort in Dijon was very nice and comfy, we almost cried when we found out we'd have to carrying 2 big suitcases plus 3 backpacks up 3 flights of stairs. Small, windy stairs. For the rest of the trip each time we stepped into a new hotel, we uttered small prayers for first floor rooms...or nice hotel owners to help us carry all our stuff!
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