Day 3
Today we traveled from Lyon through the southern part of the Burgundy region to Dijon. 
Our first stop was in the village of Cormatin, between Cluny and Tournus, to visit the Château de Cormatin. A British expat, Paul Chambers, was our guide through the château. Photo of château taken from their website.
The furnishings in the castle and the opulence and idiosyncracies of the lifestyle were astonishing. I encourage you to follow the link in the previous paragraph to read about the building and the family, then to see my photos in the gallery at the bottom of the page. Astonishing! The class differentiation was massive. The wealth and esteem to be gained from standing in an unheated room for eight hours (for example) to gain an audience with the lady of the castle make the Powerball lottery seem like good odds.
After an hour-and-a-half or so at the château, we reboarded the bus and continued on to Tournus, where we began our visit by walking around the village so JJ could point out the locations of various recommended restaurants. Then we visited the Abbey of St. Philibert, where we were able to view the Romanesque mosaic paving in the nave from a catwalk constructed above it. In this same area are beautiful stained glass windows created by Brigitte Simon, who also created some of the windows in the cathedral in Reims. (See photos in the gallery below.) (Where links are in French, your browser should give you the option to translate to English. If it does not, try a different browser. Chrome automatically asks if I want the page translated.)
Lunchtime. We walked around, seeking a quaint little café. But most are closed on Mondays. We went to the Hôtel-Restaurant Le Rempart (“The Rampart”) and were rewarded with a glass-roofed, light-filled white-linen dining room. I ordered a salad and was discouraged to find it dressed with the same sauce I had struggled through during the previous two meals. Ah, but this time it was just the four of us, so I could ask my companions to sample the salad dressing and identify the offending ingredient. Horseradish! I think I had only tasted horseradish once before in my life, so really didn’t know the flavor. And really don’t like the flavor!!! When we got back to the bus, I pulled out my phrasebook and started practicing how to say “only oil and vinegar” for future dining experiences.
After this elegant lunch, we reboarded the bus, which was parked by the train station. Of course my loves-trains Jas had to go over and explore the trains and, ultimately, be called by JJ to get back on the bus so we could leave. Oops!
Before arriving at the hotel in Dijon, we rode through the city, getting oriented. We visited Musèe des Beaux Arts and saw treasures from ancient times to the 21st century. There was a room dedicated to the work of François Pompon, early 20th century sculptor know for his polar bear. Their 20th century art collection was stunning—many artists who were new to me and whose work I plan to explore. Among those whose works I fell instantly in love with were Joe Downing (images), Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (images), and Paul Kallos (images).
Having walked enough, we found a bar along Place de la Liberation where we enjoyed a drink while waiting for the bus to return.
[A nice history of Dijon written by an American expat who lived there.]
Another nice Mercure hotel, and an hour to relax before dinner at L’Escargot. Now let’s be very clear here. I have never eaten snails, and I am not—heading towards my mid-60s—about to begin now! But others at our table appeared to greatly enjoy this appetizer. The main course was typical wonderful cuisine and wines of Burgundy. Ah, but the dessert … ooh la la! A lovely large pear, soaked in cassis and cinnamon wine, a slice of a local spice bread, and a scoop of currant sorbet. Delicious! I want some of those spoons for serving sorbet or ice cream at dinner parties!!
A walk back to the hotel to collapse from sensory overload.
Day 4
After the typical lavish breakfast buffet (and yet another pain au chocolat for me), we set out to meet our guide, American expat Sherry, for a walking tour of Dijon. Sherry had lived in Maryland and studied with the National Ballet as a teenager, then moved to France in 1971. She was a delight.
We walked all over Dijon, beginning in Place Darcy, strolling down Rue de la Liberté. With my interest in fashion and fabric, I kept strolling away from the group to snap pictures of inspirational garments in shop windows. We passed Boutique Maille, the store for Dijon mustard from the people who invented it. We saw the open air market and the carousel. We saw more historical buildings than I can remember. It was cold. It was damp. We were happy each time we went inside a building.
Sherry was incredible at finding places for us to see. We’d hear her cry, “Oh, that door is never open.” 
Then she’s forge ahead, make nice with whomever was inside that door, and get us in to see things that other tourists never see. We sat in a magnificent courtroom (where her most recent divorce hearing had been held …) in the Palace of Justice. We saw an opulent old ballroom—on that day, taxpayer consultations were being held. Unreal! She was full of knowledge about the history of Dijon and its people. I wished I were better at retaining such facts. And, of course, the more fantastic buildings we visited, the more the facts all mushed together in my brain.
We were given forty-five minutes to wander on our own. Jas, who had walked back to the hotel to get a jacket against the weather, and I met in Les Halles [I found a nice 3+ minute video showing the area around Les Halles. Note: Music autoplays, so turn your volume down or off.] and then walked to Boutique Maille to buy mustard to take home. Then we all met at the carousel and walked to lunch.
We walked into the unassuming door of L’Epicerie & cie, (Click the link and let your browser translate this menu. What a hoot!) then down a curving staircase to the basement where a long table was arranged for us. Kitschy! Full of musical kitsch. I could have explored with my eyes during the entire meal.
The restaurant uses an old bicycle in all its branding. The water was served in a tall bottle with the bicycle on the side—oh, how I wanted one of those bottles to bring home. The food was wonderful. I had a quiche and Jas had a salad with an egg baked in a small glass jar. I don’t remember the main course, but the dessert for me was brioche with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Jas had the floating islands, which I must learn to make. A thoroughly delightful meal.
And then we were off again, to visit Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d’Or department in eastern France. First we went to see the Hôtel-Dieu. 
This hospital (“God’s hotel”) was begun in 1443, completed in eight years, and served as a hospital until 1971! To look back from the vantage point of the 21st century into the medical practice of the 15th-19th centuries was mind-boggling. The only anesthesia was alcohol. The patient had to be drunk to be operated on, and the surgeon had to work very quickly to accomplish his objective before the patient sobered up. The operating room was built over a river; the table was over a drain. Everything that came out of the surgery was swept into the drain. In the wards, the beds were wide enough for two patients to share a bed. There was no heat in the building aside from a few fireplaces; the patients used each other’s body heat to stay warm. If you ever get the opportunity to visit this historical treasure, grab it!
The hospital still benefits the community. The owner of many acres of vineyards through the largesse of donors, they sponsor a wine auction each fall. The proceeds from that auction benefit local hospitals and medical facilities.
From Hôtel-Dieu, we visited the Patriarche winery. We walked and walked and walked—Patriarche has over 5km of underground vaults. As we walked in, we were handed a small tasting cup which we used throughout the visit and then kept as a souvenir. Bottle after bottle was opened for us. Suggestions were given on the best vintages, and on which wines were good to keep for a special occasion and which were good for drinking now. Really—an overwhelming amount of information. So interesting. I felt we were very lucky to have been able to visit this establishment.
After the ride back to Dijon, the four of us set out to find someplace for a light dinner. La Brasserie Dijonaise was a block away from the hotel. The waiter spoke almost no English, and was in a surly mood until about the time we finished our meal. (He brought our beverages, and placed a carafe of water (but no glasses) on the table. When we tried to ask him for glasses, he just took the carafe away!) It was an experience!
To hotel. To pack. To sleep.
Next: Reims
