France - Day 4 (Dijon)

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

An early start ensured our morning arrival in Dijon would give us ample time to explore the small city.

Dijon is located in the wine region of Burgundy.  We did not know a lot about it when we decided to include it in our itinerary (other than it’s obvious claim to fame), but we did see that it was a central and strategic point for exploring the Cote d’Or area which Sarah had been eagerly researching.

We arrived late in the morning and weaved through road works to get to our hotel.  Once we arrived at our hotel, we had a good feeling.  A good feeling about the hotel, and about Dijon.  Being outside of major capital cities, we finally felt like we were on holiday.  We were quite happy with the hotel, but the elevator wasn't working half the time and it was a claustrophobic's nightmare...

After Jason had a short nap, we went for a wander up the main street and got our bearings.  Multiple bakeries on every block, cafés, pubs and shops.

Directly across from our hotel was a karaoke club which Jason was keen to descend upon.

Nestled between Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon and a merry-go-round was a café where we had some lunch.  We noticed that many menu options, both here and other cafés, featured Dijon mustard.  Snails are also a specialty in Burgundy, but we were not feeling so game.

Next, we stepped into the cathedral which was built in the 13^th century.  Another incidence of misfortune means that not all of the pictures we took have made it to our computer, and are nowhere to be found.  So, here are the limited, uninteresting photos we have of this building…

We then browsed through various shops and considered buying expensive presents for everyone to cram into our already full suitcases, but we instead settled for some postcards.

That evening, we went in search for some reasonably priced local cuisine, but stumbled upon a very nice restaurant called La Cloche situated at the Sofitel in Dijon.  Although we had not planned to have a special meal that night, and even though we were underdressed, we quickly changed our minds and decided that this would be our special meal in France.

We enjoyed the view of a posh green courtyard as we savoured the flavours of Burgundian cuisine.

Prior to our entrée being served, we were lavished with various local breads, complimentary d’ouvres and a splash of local chardonnay.

Our entrée was a French variation on the surf and turf.

For mains, Sarah ordered a slow roasted lamb shank while Jason opted for duck breast.

The desserts were spectacular which made it difficult to choose just one.  But we opted for some kind of chocolate toffee mousse.  We were then served with complimentary macaroons, then coffee and tea and after dinner chocolate.

Any weight we lost being tourists was reaccounted for that evening.