Dijon At Last

Our tour guide and host preparing to serve us all...he was rather entertaining!

We got a tour of how cassis is made (it comes specifically from the Burgundy region, and in particular Dijon) which goes into making the drink kir. Kir is made by adding cassis (a sort of fruit concentrate combined with alcohol) to white wine. It's quite good, although a little too sweet for some. It is made with almost any kind of fruit (we tried strawberry, peach and even almond) but the most common type of cassis is black currant (also known as creme de cassis).

This is the small L'Arc de Triomphe (just like in Paris and by the same sculptor!), it sits in the heart of downtown Dijon and is about a five minute walk from my house. The Rue de la Liberte (accents on the e) which is just to the left/behind the arc is where we have spent most of our time exploring...there is lots of shopping available! And there are boulangeries (where they sell bread) and pattisseries everywhere! It's great!

The view from one of my windows. It's so dark because (well you guessed it!) it was getting dark outside but ALSO it was snowing!!! It's hard to tell but it was absolutely beautiful!

After the hike, they drove us to a small French village nearby. I would guess the population wasn't more than a few hundred (at most!) but it did have a beautiful old church from the 12th century (you're looking at it)!

I joined the family for a walk the first weekend I was here. Seen here is my host dad and his French Canadian friend (who along with his wife, came for a visit), oh, and of course the dog Mada who is quite friendly.

My adorable room in Dijon. It's quite cozy and came complete with a fresh bouquet of flowers and a large bottled water which gets replaced weekly. Aahhh...this is the life!