Bike/museum day

What an excellent weekend.

Got up bright and early this morning (not my idea, there was someone at the door). Chocolate cake was excellent. When Frédéric and Mathilde went to church, I went for a run. The valley behind the house here has a beautiful running/cycling trail, and a park. I'll have to take my camera the next time I go running. Which may not be for a while, because my knees hate me right now.

This afternoon Mathilde and I went to visit the Musée des Beaux-arts de Dijon. It's an art museum that is situated in their city hall. It's enormous. We only had an hour to look around. I have to go back at some point, when I have way more time, and do the audio tour.

All the museums here are free for everyone. It's a decision that the mayor made years ago, so that the arts are accessible to everyone. 

One of the first things I saw when I entered. I have no idea what it is, but it's beautiful.

These are the "Pleurants," or criers, of Dijon. They go all the way around the bottom of the two Ducal tombs that were recovered after the Revolution. The tombs themselves are in the States right now, but the Pleurants live here. They were sculpted by the same guy who crafted the statues around the Well of Moses, but they're much smaller. They're Chartreuse monks that are grieving for the loss of their beloved Dukes. 

There were about four dozen of these little guys on display. They're alabaster. Each of them is in a different pose, with a different face. All of them are grieving. 

I was shocked at the incredible level of detail. You can see the face clearly, even under the hood. The fingernails blew me away. 

This is one of the only ones with his head uncovered. The look on his face is so sad. 

Some of the statues were detailed with gold or precious stones. 

There was not a lot of colour used with the Pleurants. This red rope stood out considerably. 

A table in the museum. Each tile is a different stone. I can't imagine how expensive it must have been to make in the 17th century. 

An enormous painting on the ceiling of the statue room. I wouldn't even have noticed it if not for a mirror on a wall angled perfectly toward the ceiling. 

King Louis XIV. A bit of a legendary figure in French history. Considered by many to be the golden king, chosen by God to rule. 

A new wing dedicated to "art nouveau". In the attic of the town hall. 

The chairs are made of tree trunks, and the table is a solid slab of some incredible stone. 

Medusa on the gates of the town hall. Frédéric joked that this is how Mathilde looks first thing in the morning. 

This is the canal that runs through the city. Gorgeous. Mathilde and I rode bicycles to the museum. Because I'm terrified of the drivers in the city, we took the quieter roads. We went through a lot of parks, and the scenery was marvellous. 

Because there are so many hills here, the city uses a series of locks to move water through the canal. 

A swan! Just hanging out in the canal. Came over to see if I had any breadcrumbs for it. I didn't. It was enormous. I was alarmed. 

And it had a friend. Once they saw that my pockets were empty, they lost interest. 

The bike I'll be using as little as possible here. You can be damned sure I wore the helmet. 

Tonight's supper was awesome. Mathilde and I made a fantastic lasagne, and then the three of us celebrated my first two weeks here. We shared some amazing chocolate, and sat around chatting about how crazy Alberta winters are. I'm having a hard time convincing them that yes, we do go out when it's 30 below. I really enjoy these people. 

School starts tomorrow! I'm very excited. I should get some sleep.

À bientôt!