Owls, snails, and cats... visiting Beaune and Dijon

These burned down all the time, which is why most are gone

Bonjour, tout le monde! I figured an update was in order after my weekend excursion. I went with my group to the beautiful region of Bourgogne (or Burgundy, for you anglo-phones). This is an area in central-ish France and is celebrated for its wine in particular. I was quite excited to visit. We started our trip in Dijon. I loved this city! We had a hotel right in the center of old Dijon, so it was surrounded by some very beautiful, old architecture. The buildings in the city center are a magnificent melange of different styles, from the Middle Ages until the end of the 18th century, before you get to the modern stuff on the outskirts. I really loved seeing the old, Middle-Age houses. The city has been restoring them, since most were destroyed over time, and they're so unique and quaint.

The famous Hospice at Beaune- a great example of the beautiful roof tiles

This region is also well-known for the colored tiles of the roofs. Especially for the houses of the nobility or for the churches, the good clay in this region allowed for some beautiful, glazed tiles. There are all kinds of different patterns. An interesting fact is that the tiles are much bigger than what we see- 2/3 is covered due to the overlapping and only the small part that is shown is glazed. The old tiles are ridiculously heavy. Nowadays, they don't make them quite so heavy since that obviously isn't practical. The slate roofs were actually more expensive than the tile roofs for a long time since they had to bring in the slate from the northern part of France. Now, since the tiles are so famous, it is much more expensive to have the tile roofs.

The most popular church- the church of the people

We went on a walking tour of Dijon before having the day to ourselves, which was nice. This trip was much more relaxed and less time-constricted than the one to Lyon. Having two full days definitely helped. In Dijon, I got to see great examples of old Medieval churches alongside the Duc's Palace, which has buildings from the Medieval style until the the 1800's. For the tour, my group broke up into two groups. I went on the English-only tour, mostly because everyone wanted to be over-achievers and go on the French one and I prefer small groups. My guide was hilarious. When we first started the tour, I said to my friend in French that "I could've gone with the other group, but now I can practice my English" as a joke. Since that was the first thing she heard me say, she asked me if I was Canadian, which cracked me up. Apparently, I have a funny accent, but not an American one when I speak French. Ah, wells. Anyways, she kept joking every time the other group came by us, saying that "We must go! They don't speak English" or "We don't speak French!" haha. She also was using American slang that one of the guys in my group taught her. They said, "Let's kick rocks" means "Let's go". I don't know where this originates, because I have never heard it. My API manager also said "Let's bounce" multiple times, which was hilarious to hear in her Parisian accent.

Isn't this the cutest owl?

Anyways, another random fact about Dijon is that they love owls and cats. Seriously. That, and polar bears for some reason. As you walk through Dijon, there are these cute owl plaques on the ground that indicate something of historical or cultural significance is there. I loved it. Plus, on the side of the church that is pictured above, there is this little owl statue on the side that has been worn down so much by all the people who touch it. It is a good luck charm. You touch it with your left hand only and make a wish. All the students, in particular, do it so that they pass their exams.

Dijon is also known for the mustard that shares its name. Seriously, they invented it. I went into a mustard show and got to try some good mustard. American mustard has nothing on French mustard. It's just so much more flavorful and complex. They have all kind of flavors, like Gingerbread mustard, truffle mushroom, pesto mustard, green pepper mustard, honey mustard, tomato mustard (Provencale), ancient grain mustard. Seriously, the list can go on forever. It was fun to taste these different flavors.

The room for the poor at the Hospice at Beaune

I got to try some of the specialties of the area as well. Beef Burgogne, commonly seen as a stew, but not always, was invented here, as was coq au vin (Chicken in a similar wine sauce), escargots, and of course, Pinot noirs and chardonnay wines. I didn't try coq au vin, but I had the rest. I've eaten escargots before and they are actually yummy. One of my friends can't get over the texture, but I think the French do a good job cooking them. It is all garlic-y and buttery deliciousness. I also loved the beef borgogne. The one time I had it in the U.S., the red wine was so overpowering and sour that it didn't taste good. During the dinner where we had these things, me and two friends drank 9 pitchers of water. Seriously, the waiter was laughing at us. It was a good time for sure.

Wine tasting!

Most people went out that night, since it was one of my friend's bday, but I didn't want to. I got a good night of sleep so that I would be awake for Beaune. This town is much much smaller than Grenoble. When you think of France, you think of this kind of architecture. I loved the small town atmosphere. We visited a very famous hospice that actually had the first trained pharmacists EVER in the whole world! How cool is that? They were nuns who worked at the hospice and provided some of the best medical care in Europe. Another awesome aspect of this hospital was that there was a beautiful room for the poor people, so that they too could get treated. There was a chapel at the end so that they could hear the mass as well.

Pretty fountain in Dijon

After this visit, we went and had a wine tasting. We tried a rose, a chardonnay, and a red. I loved the red. You really can tell the difference between good wine and bad wine. It is almost sad how you can buy a 3 euro bottle of wine here that is better than our $40 wines, easily. I also learned how to taste and savor the wine to fully appreciate all the different flavors. Interestingly, I didn't know this, but pinot noirs and chardonnays are made with the same white grapes, it's just the skins that are added to the pinot noirs that gives it its color. Chardonnays are also stored for a much shorter time and only keep for a few years at most. The wine tasting was a nice way to finish the weekend trip.

Cute little French kids playing in the Liberty Square (formerly Place Royale)

This weekend, I am doing an API Gives Back Event, basically a community service project called "Tirer les bois". It means pull the wood or basically, trim the vines. We are going to a local vineyard to help with some work. I am very excited. Apparently, it's on the mountainside so the view is incredible. I will definitely post some pictures. In addition, I now only 10 weeks left in my experience. That is such a crazy thought. I can't even believe it. My second week of vacation is creeping up on me so I need to get to work planning that. I also need to get my butt working on my thesis. Anyways, that is all for now. Later, everyone!