bonjour la france

Dijon 

When you think of Dijon, mustard comes to mind but Dijon is more than a condiment, it is a treasure trove of art, wine, cheese, amazing food and architecture.

The art gallery is located in the old palace and is one of the best curated galleries we have seen.  Only the best paintings are displayed with amazing sculptures throughout.  

We also went into the François Rude gallery which displayed some of his more famous sculptures.

Our apartment was in a fantastic location but up 4 flights of stairs.

4 flights lol

We spent 4 fantastic nights in Dijon and felt we could live here if the weather was far warmer.

famille française

Adele our beautiful friend in Brisbane grew up in Bourron-Marlotte, a French village in the province of Fontainebleau, around 100km south of Paris. Her Mum and Dad still live in the same house and graciously invited us to stay with them after no doubt being coerced by Adele who can be very persuasive. 

Their home, Le buisson, which most of you know I painted from Brissy, felt like coming home.  Lulu and Magic, two very rambunctious dogs, greeted us with much enthusiasm.  Chris and John Pierre have been amazing hosts, from brilliant french meals to tours around the countryside.  

The four of us had a delicious meal at the Chateau Bourron, where we were treated to a six course degustation and some truly magnificent local wines. The highlight though came after dinner when we were taken across to the Chateau by the sommelier (a friend  of John-Pierre’s, who seemed to know everyone in the village) and were shown what a proper wine-cellar is all about. He also told us the story of his favourite wine there, a 1945 bottle of burgundy sent to him by two happy customers who had been on the staff of General de Gaulle many years previously. It was still stored in the same German ammunition box in which it was sent to him.   

We toured the nearby Chateau Fontainebleau, which was actively used by the French kings as a domicile, up to and including Napoleon, and walked around the stunning grounds. 

The next day Chris and  JP drove us to Provins to see the 12th century Caesar’s Tower and the city walls, along with a tour of the underground galleries which had been mined for limestone and other building materials by the locals for centuries. 

We also joined John Pierre on his daily walks with Magic and Lulu through the forests of Fontainebleau. They stretch for hundreds of miles and we enjoyed some of the most magnificent scenery of our trip. The  leaves had just started to change colour and it was truly breathtaking.

   

The area around Bourron-Marlotte was also famous for artists such as Degas, Pissaro and Cezanne, who spent time there to paint nature scenes, such as the bridge at Montigny-sur-Loing.

 

To do justice to the week we spent with the Jaccoons is impossible in a blog. It has been the highlight of our trip and we will not forget their generosity or their magnificent village, which now has the quality of a second home for us. Between the food, wine, architecture, forest walks, artists, and discussions on politics, we feel as if we had a little peek into the French style of life, and found it very much to our taste!   

Paris

On the advice of Chris, the single day we had in Paris was spent at the Musee d’Orsay, probably most famous for its collection of Rodin sculptures including this one depicting the Gates of Hell from Dante’s Inferno.

We avoided the Louvre across the road because it had only been robbed the day before and we did not want anyone to recognise us :) Seriously though, it was like a Pink Panther movie and all anybody in Paris was talking about - oh, that, and the fact they can’t form a government. 

On the way back to our hotel we took in Notre Dame cathedral, finally finished restoration after the 2019 fire. 

    

From here it is a hop, step and jump across the water to New York City where, assuming we get in(!) we will catch up with our friends David, Alicia, Edward and Alfred and begin the US leg of our trip.