I am so glad I decided to add this stop on the way back towards Paris! We could have simply taken the TGV directly from Zurich to Paris, but I thought it might be my only opportunity to stop here. Our train ride lasted 2.5 hours (265 kms). We arrived directly into the old town and our hotel was right across the street from the train station. This was fortunate because Leon had put his back out a day or so earlier and walking was uncomfortable for him.

A lovely salad for me and even gluten free beer!

Once we dropped our luggage at the hotel, we found the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin. It was about 1.5 kms away. Well worth visiting. The area houses several restaurants that are meant to showcase local foods and a few kiosks, as well as an extensive tasting room. We started with a leisurely lunch, sitting in the sun. Then we made our way through the kiosks (one for mustard, naturally), tried a non-alcoholic cocktail of our making, and stopped at the wine tasting room. This was a new concept for me in that you buy your tasters first, then you pour the wine you want to try from the dispensers. They also offered a great number of wines for sale. We tried none of it as it was time to let Leon rest his back at the hotel. We did wander back leisurely though, or perhaps we got a little lost and took a detour.

After checking in, I was hoping to visit the town in the early evening, but it was just asking too much of someone in pain. We tried again the next morning.

I had expected Easter Sunday in France to be noisy with the sound of church bells ringing. They did indeed ring, but very late on Saturday night, not at a particular hour, like midnight, but they rang a very long time. The view from our room was charming and I left the window open all night to catch the warm (compared to Zurich or Vienna) night air.

You might notice that something has been removed from the arch. I think they would have been symbols of the aristocracy that were taken down during the Revolution or after Napoleon 3 was deposed.

On Sunday, we had most of the day to walk through Dijon. We started with the hotel brunch as I figured most restaurants would be closed or busy. The day was sunny and warm. A perfect day to wander through the main street of Dijon, pop our heads into shops that might be open and just enjoy the ambiance. I found a mustard shop and finally got to do some tasting. This was set up with 6 samples that you would pump onto a paper spoon. I bought 4 small jars to bring back as a souvenir. When I got home, I found out we have the exact same brand available in stores here. And I thought I was so clever with my souvenir.

This shop was closed. I stopped at Fallot for the mustard tasting and purchase.
As I mentioned in another post, global culture has crept into every corner of Europe. Here, the H&M store is prominent. Also seen were Sephora and Shein. McDonalds is in every town and city, it seems.
There was a small outdoor market happening here.
possibly the source of the bell ringing on Saturday night

It was clear that Dijon was a very rich city in previous centuries. The ducs of Burgundy ruled here. I love the old buildings with their sandstone construction. After a while, Leon went back to the hotel to rest in the lounge as we had already checked out. I returned for another walk through town. I could imagine myself living in Dijon. It’s wonderfully central and I think the climate would be quite nice.

Before leaving Burgundy, I had to have at least one glass of local wine. Leon and I sat a few doors down from our hotel and ordered a glass of red and one of white. We did our usual people watching as they prepared to close the restaurant until the evening meal service. At 5pm, we boarded our train to Paris and said goodbye to lovely Dijon. The next stop was Gare de Lyon where we transferred to the Gare de Montparnasse area via the Metro. The trip took 1h43min to cover 263 kms. Very fast, very smooth, nothing eventful.

A bit of wine from Burgundy and my souvenir mustard from Fallot

Easter Sunday dinner was a simple meal at a local brasserie next our hotel in Montparnasse. The next morning, we were heading for Bordeaux, the last major stop for this trip. On the way to the train station, I noticed the entrance to the very famous Cimetière de Montparnasse. It houses the remains of many French celebrities and great thinkers. A quick list from Wikipedia: Charles Baudelaire, Simone de Beauvoir, Jacques Chirac, Mireille Darc, Alfred Dreyfus, Marguerite Duras, Serge Gainsbourg, Juliette Greco, Guy de Maupassant, Michèle Morgan, Philippe Noiret, Jean Poiret, Jean-Paul Sartre, Georges Wolinski. With an early departure from Paris, we had no time to wander through the cemetery. I had hoped to visit this part of Paris when we returned from Bordeaux but we just ran out of time on this trip.