Adventure #1

Hello again!

Mathilde and I went out yesterday afternoon for a walkabout in Dijon. We saw oodles of stuff, most of which I remember. Hooray for photos. Voilá:

At the back, you can see an example of traditional Burgundian roofing. The tiles are glazed in terra cotta, green, and yellow, and are arranged in wonderful geometric patterns. 

More roof on the right, and a traditional façade on this building. Dijon has a strong Germanic background. 

A statue in a hidden Protestant place of worship. 

The altar in that same hidden place. Apparently the Protestants had a pretty hard time here. I don't know the whole story yet, but I'm sure I'll find out soon. 

The door to that sanctum. Gorgeous. I would have taken more pictures, but it was closing. 

The mairie, or town hall. Gorgeous. And huge.

The left part of the mairie...

... and the right part. Told you it was huge. 

Another picture of the mairie. Lethbridge's city hall looks nothing like this. Tourists are allowed to go to the top of the tower in the middle, but it was too late when we got there. An adventure for another day. 

The court house. Wow.

Incredibly ornate doors to the court house. They were locked. I really need to get out sooner. 

Saint Michael's cathedral. Beautiful and imposing.

The French "Declaration of rights of man and citizen". On the wall inside the mairie. 

More Burgundian roofing. Incredible.

A little alcove off the street. The doorway is rose and white marble, seamlessly joined with ancient wood. The carvings on the ceiling were amazing.

Cobblestone street, and "la chouette," the mascot of Dijon. At the tourism offices you can find maps for self-guided tours of the city. Little bronze triangles lead the way to different squares like this, and the number on the square corresponds to a place of interest on the map. On my list of things to do. I think he's adorable. 

The real "chouette". He's carved into the wall of Notre Dame de Dijon. Tourists touch him with their left hand as they walk by. He's supposed to give good luck and safe travels. 

So I touched him. He was very cold. 

Just around the corner from chouette, some locals noticed that I was taking pictures like crazy and pointed out this little guy. No one knows why he's there, and I would have missed him completely if it wasn't for that group of total strangers. Merci!

Notre Dame de Dijon. I was in awe. 

The doors to Notre Dame. Fortunately, they were unlocked, so we got to go inside.

The basin of Holy Water. Devotees dip their fingers in this and cross themselves when they enter. 

Welcome!

Statues of women who are important to the French. From the Left: Marianne, Mary, and Joan of Arc. The wall behind them is engraved with names of people who have given their lives in service for France. 

The prayer that devotees say to Notre Dame.

The altar, and a statue of Notre Dame.

Wood carving of Joseph and Jesus. Incredibly old, but in amazing shape. 

Information about the Chapel.

Information about the frescos on the walls. It  was too dark for me to get good pictures, but there are paintings on the walls of Mary and Jesus together, and a decapitated saint carrying her own head. 

A Nativity scene, hand-crafted. 

A welcome to tourists, and an offer to lodge those that have need. 

After a long walk, we returned to "aperitifs", or liqueurs to whet the appetite. 

Mathilde fixing me my first aperitif. I opted for Kir, which is creme de cassis (blackberry liqueur) mixed with white wine. Mathilde was very pleased that I chose Kir. Apparently it's the most French thing I could have chosen. :)

My first Kir. It was delicious. There is another variation, Kir Royal, Which is made from creme de cassis and champagne. I will have to try it some time. 

Mahtilde making bread. She does this a few times a week, and it is fantastic. She tells me that she created the recipe herself. She bakes like my grandmother used to. Nothing is measured. She pours some flour into the bowl, adds salt, warm water, and yeast. She kneads it till it feels right, and puts the dough into 2 pans. The dough rises overnight, and is baked the next morning. Delicious.

MY STUFF IS HERE!!!!!! It got here early this morning, and I'm elated. It's like Christmas! It took me no time at all to take the packed bags here...

... and turn them into this. Now I finally feel as though I've arrived. I'm so relieved! I got my school information this morning as well, so now I know when and where I have to be Monday. 

That's my life in a nutshell so far. I'm still sleeping too much. I need to get going on a proper schedule here. I slept in till 1ish today. I have to reset my internal clock to Dijon time, but it's resisting. It'll happen eventually. I think tomorrow I'll venture out into the city on my own. Wish me luck!

À bientôt!