Dijon, Tuesday October 14

After two wonderful weeks in Bergheim, Alsace, we checked out of our Untours rental house, said au revoir and merci to our friendly host, and hit the road heading south. It was a gorgeous day, with warm temperature and blue skies. Traffic was light, and the drive was easy. Then a right turn near Mulhouse, and we were on our way west to Dijon.

At some point along the way we crossed the line from Alsace into the next département, Franche-Compté, and it suddenly became clear that we were truly in France. We only spotted one German looking name anywhere in the next town, and the color of the houses changed dramatically from the cheerful mix we had come to know in Alsace into the assorted shades of beige that we had long associated with France.

We arrived in Dijon mid-afternoon, drove around a bit to get our bearings, and without too much difficulty found the Hotel du Sauvage, a 16th century mail coach inn that had been Bruce’s residence whenever he came to town to visit Sue Anne during her junior year experience here. We learned about it from the famous Europe on Five Dollars a Day, which was really a fact back then. (Or perhaps from Frommer’s?) Prices have gone up a bit by now. Our breakfast tomorrow will be $11.

Here’s the view out the window of our room, across the courtyard and out toward the street.

And another rendition of the same view

Bruce opted for a brief nap after the day’s drive, while Sue Anne set about reuniting herself with the scene of her first big foreign adventure. Then after a bit more rest for both of us, we set out for dinner and a walk around the town. The big change since ‘back then’ is the pedestrian streets, that used to be clogged with cars and parking lots. They really did a lovely job creating these. There was a lot more involved than simply putting up a few signs. Everything looked very harmonious, and they also set up their new streetcar system to complement the resulting traffic patterns.

A few pictures as we walked through the area

 Carousel in the background, and a small, very peaceful pair of opposing protest groups over toward the left. The protests involved differing views on immigration policy, and the action consisted exclusively of the people holding signs and glaring at each other.

 A view down one of the pedestrian streets. Skateboarders count as pedestrians.

Dinner in an outdoor restaurant at the Place de la Libération, across from the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy.