Dijon, And Beyond, August 10-11, 2010

This House Is For Sale, But The Time Is Not Right

A View On A Side Street At The Plaza Des Ducs, Dijon

The Arch Upon Entering The Darcy/Libertie Neighborhood of Dijon At Night

A Quick Spin Through The Shopping Zone Of Dijon On Thursday

An Enjoyable Stroll Through Darcy Park, Dijon

A Lovely Fountain In Darcy Park, Dijon

Darcy Park, Dijon

Searching For A "Local" Restaurant (Off The Beaten Path) Was Well Worth It

The Grandpére Of The Owners, Enjoys His Pipe & White Wine On The Terrace Of The Restaurant Of The Church 

9€ Lunch, .90 Wine, 1.50 Petit Café.  Amazing!

Colorful Tiled Rooftops Of The Grands Crus

The Main Road, Next To The Church, Leading Through Marsannay La Côte

This Flower Shop Bears The Name Of One Of Our Hawaiian Islands

An Old Church In Marsannay La Côte (Just Outside of Dijon)

Stone Buildings Renovated Into Quaint Housing, Marsannay La Côte

Bronze Of Wine Workers, Marsannay La Côte France

The Mairie's Offices, Marsannay La Côte

Another War Memorial, This One In the Courtyard Of The Mairie's Offices

Our day began on Thursday with a "meet up" with our friend, Laetitia, near Picard in the center of Dijon.  She took us on a pied-a-terre of the city center, pointing out the best places to shop, then took us to Darcy Park and finally to the Colonies tea shop where we enjoyed a wonderful coffee and shared a lemon tart.  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Dijon but with a nice breeze--just perfect for a stroll.

After our previous day in Dijon, we drove to Varois et Chaignot, a small village just outside of Dijon (about 6 kilometers).  We really do like this small village not only because the homes are nice and more modern but also because the village has a small commerce area to buy simple grocery items, bread and cheese, but it also sports a few cafés.  Many of the small villages do not have any amenities, making it necessary to drive into Dijon proper for services.  We found the home (pictured above), which we had seen online and is for sale under $250,000.  An adorable home with three bedrooms but in need of updating regarding the kitchen.  We decided that we've had enough remodeling (we've been in this phase at our Honolulu home since February 4 and right up until three days before we left for France) for the time being and have tabled any idea of purchasing of a second home at this time.  It was a nice thought, though, and one we will definitely revisit someday.

Yesterday, which was August 12 (boy times flies when you're having fun!), we drove to Chenove to scout out a restaurant where we thought we might have dinner (Clos Du Roy) to celebrate our friend's birthday (her favorite, she said).  Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed for August (oh the perils of traveling anywhere in France during July/August!) vacances.  Though our moods were dampened by the closed restaurant in Chenove, we looked around and found a small café off the beaten path in small wine village, Marsannay La Côte.  To our good fortune, we found Le Restaurant de l'Eglise, where we had a fabulous lunch and very traditional.  For only €23, we each enjoyed a generous glass of local red wine, a petit café, and a huge plate of salad topped with hot crisp-but-tender-inside bits of potato, œufs en meurette (an amazing way to poach eggs in a wine sauce and placed a top a crostini), a generous slice of terrine du jambon, sliced tomatoes with Dijon mustard dressing, cornichon pickles and green olives.  This was served with a huge basket of fresh artisan french bread.  Oh la la, we could hardly move after devouring this delicious meal.  If ever in this region, we suggest you stop here for lunch and whatever is written on the black board as the special don't hesitate to order!  We'll talk about this one for a long time to come.

We drove back to our exchange home for a bit of a rest before meeting our friends for dinner.  I think I was still full when dinner hour arrived at about 8 p.m.  I did order a small pasta dish at Il Restorante (our second choice restaurant, a new restaurant that is very modern and very popular in the suburb of Quetigny, just outside of Dijon), but had to pass on coffee and dessert and could not imagine one bite of bread either!  We enjoyed a nice four-hour meal with our friends--mostly talking about politics and the like.  Our friend Laetitia doesn't speak much English, so no doubt was lost, but we'll be paid back as today we are going to her family home in Semur en Auxois and her family speaks only French.

I will take many pictures of the beautiful village we will visit today.  We've heard from many people that it is the most beautiful village in all of France.  There is to be a fête there tomorrow, and if we don't go to the country we will be able to take some pictures. Let's hope!

Stay tuned for more travels in France.