Suivez La Chouette

Or "Follow the Owl".

Our last stop on this 4 day exploration of Burgundy was Dijon.  I need to emphasize that 4 days is not nearly sufficient to explore this amazing region of France.  Gosh, we ran out of time to even do a wine tasting (degustation).  However, that doesn't mean we didn't drink Burgundy wines - both white and red.

Monday, we drove the short distance from Vougeot to Dijon passing by more villages known for their fabulous wines such as Gevry-Chambertin and Fixin.  While I have been to this area of France a couple of times before, I had never visited Dijon so I was looking forward to seeing it.  We arrived at our hotel just after 11 am.  We had planned to arrive early so we could park the car and head into town.  What we weren't quite prepared for was that our hotel was about a 45 minute walk into the town centre.  The good news was that it was all downhill as Talant where we are staying is at the top of a fairly steep hill.  That didn't bode well for the return but then isn't that what taxis are for?

When I did some research before leaving for this trip, I found that the symbol of Dijon is an owl (une chouette, en francais).  There is a self-guided walking tour of the town centre that can be done by following the little owl symbol in brass plaques embedded in the pavement.  There is an app you can load onto your phone to listen to the commentary at each stage of the walk.  Alternatively, you can purchase a booklet at the TI Office for 3.50 Euros, the same cost of buying the app.  Our plan was to follow the Owl's Trail and discover the town.  To be fair, Dijon is actually a city with around 350,000 inhabitants but the town centre is easily walkable.  

One of the stops along "The Owl Trail"

Before we got very far from our hotel, however, we stopped at the nearby Eglise Notre Dame de Talant.  The building of the church commenced in 1203 and it was the first Gothic church in the Duchy of Bourgogne.  It was designated a classic monument in 1908 and, in 1996, an organ by Swiss Metzer was constructed and installed.

We continued walking down the hill coming to Jardin Darcy.  Later we found that it was the first of the 24 stops on the Owl's Trail.  The garden, the town's first public garden, was created in 1880.  The garden is guarded by the "white bear", a tribute to the animal sculptor, Francois Pompon.

Across the street from the garden, we entered the town through Porte Guillaume, an 18th triumphal arch.  Our first impression of Dijon was one of wide, clean streets and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.  

We walked along Rue des Forges, again not realizing we were already on the trail.  One of the stops on this street is Maison Mailard (called Milsand).  It was built in 1560 and the house has a remarkable heavily decorated Renaissance facade. 
  

Toward the end of the street, we located the Bureau du Tourism although it had a sign saying it was under renovation so it took a little longer to finally find its temporary headquarters.  It was there I purchased the Owl Trail guidebook.  We skipped the Musee Beaux-Art - located in a former palace and free to visit - and ended up in Place de la Liberaton.  This very impressive semicircular square was designed in 1685.  It is considered to be one of the most beautiful royal squares in France.

Our next stop was Place du Theatre.  Good thing you don't have to do this trail in order as we seemed to be doing it in reverse!  No matter.  We stopped in this square for a break - and were pleased we could sit outside in the sun.  The theatre was built in neo-classic style at the beginning at the 19th century.  On the same square is La Nef, a former abbey which is now occupied by a cultural centre.  Le Musee Rude, named after a Dijon sculptor, is also housed there.  Around the corner and a little down the street is the Eglise St. Michel.

La Nef

The Theatre

Eglise St. Michel

Inside Musee Rude

Inside Eglise St. Michel

We continued our walk along Rue Verrerie, a street typical of the Middle Ages with its wooden-beamed buildings and arcades to L'Hotel de Vogue.  This is the best example of a 17th century town house with its courtyard and classic design.  Just around the corner was La Moutarderie Edmond Fallot where we made a stop.  I am not a mustard fan but I still managed to find something to buy there!

Rue Verrerie

L'Hotel de Vogue

Fallot's Mustard Selection

The mustard store was located next door to Maison Milliere, a house that was built in 1483.  It has kept its typical medieval appearance:  street stall on the ground floor and dwelling on the first floor with a wooden-beamed facade.

Both were located on Rue de la Chouette (Owl Street) where in a wall is the symbol of an owl.  Over the centuries, the owl became a good luck charm for passers-by, who rub it with their left hand.  Both Jeff and I touched it.  

 

  

The next stop was Notre-Dame.  This is a masterpiece of Burgundy architecture of the 13th century.  It is crowned by "Jacquemart", a war spoil of Philip The Bold.

In the guidebook for the Owl Trail, there is a cute story about the Jacquemart.  The duke took this clock from Courtrai, Belgium as "war loot" in 1382 and gave it to the people of Dijon in 1383 in recognition of their help in the Flanders war.  In the 17th century, people joked about the Jacquemart's bachelor status so, in 1651, a companion was added for him:  Jacqueline.  In 1714, people made fun of their infertility, so a little Jacquelinet was made for them and he was joined in 1884 by Jacquelinette.  Together they mark every quarter of an hour.

While there were more steps on the trail to see, we did only more, the market.  Unfortunately, because it was Monday,there were no merchants; however, we did get to see in the building itself.

By then, we were ready to have a break as it was late afternoon.  We stopped in a nearby square for refreshments and. of course, we had to visit the other mustard store, Maille.  We then took a taxi back up the hill to Talant.  Later, we headed to a nearby bistro for dinner.  Before retiring for the night, I managed to get a photo of Talant's lovely church.  It had been a great day but it was readily apparent we needed more time to thoroughly explore Dijon.  Next time!