On the TGV to Colmar

Colmar - by TGV - Train a Grand Vitesse

We left Dijon by TGV for Colmar.  All went smoothly. We have learned to take care between the marchepied and the quai - in other words, mind the gap.

We had dinner in the old town.  We were reminded how close this area is to Germany  Suddenly we are no longer in quiet Champagne nor Burgundy!  And we saw our first group of tourists from China.

But both of us caught up on sleep.  Negotiating TGV, plus recovering from a long walking day in Beaune is tiring!

Some pics

TGV at Colmar.  It seemed a very rural station!

The gap!  it was quite big, and not easy if you had luggage.  This man hopped out to spend the few minutes having a cigarette.  But he helped me with my suitcase, for which I was very grateful!

 

Bells and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Walking to Notre Dame Collegial Church, we passed a beffroi.  According to Wikipedia, it s the old Northern French word meaning a structure enclosing bells.  Belfry is the English word.

 As we got to Notre Dame, we could hear the bells ringing non-stop.  Three bells?  That was unusual as they usually rang to announce the passing of time and for a couple of strokes only.

As we got to the front, we could see mourners gathered for a funeral.  There was soft crying at the entrance to the church as people crowded around some key folk.   What stood out to us was that the mourners were mostly African, stately in appearance, in black, some women often wearing striking headwear. We stayed for some of the service. Red River Valley was sung as the coffin was carried by pall bearers to the altar.  The man was a young 41year old, from the Congo, who moved to Baune with his parents, studied at the University of Dijon, then moved to London to work.  He was married and had three young children.  How he died was not mentioned.  The whole service was very moving.  I don't know why we were so affected.  I think we were not expecting this, especially as we have had our share of funerals in the past.  And it gave us some insight into the lives of people who had moved from Africa to France.  

This is the cathedral, back and front.

Beaune - and Hotel-Dieu de Beaune

We caught an SNCF train for the 20 minute ride to Baune.

 A quiet little town when we arrived

But its major drawcard is the Hotel-Dieu de Beaune. Wikipedia describes is as one of the finest examples of fifteenth century Burgundian architecture.  It was founded in 1443 as a charitable almshouse for the poor.  Apparently it continued as a hospital till 1971, when medical care moved to modern premises. It was a remarkable building and story.

The hall where care was given

And the kitchen.  I can see rabbit was on the menu.

 

 

Weird lift in a weird hotel

We're staying at a weird hotel called Mama Shelter. It has weird decor especially the lift.

Dijon- Day 1. Food - and soccer.

More street scenes to begin with...

Les Halles - covered market.

Cheese counter

 

Mushrooms - only 5 varieties! 

Quail - they looks so small with their feathers gone - hardly worth cooking, to my thinking!

And rabbits!! You can see what you are getting!

Kin Mun's purchase - saucisse - small dried sausage, like a salami.

We passed an Asian grocer.

And there is a World Cup on!

Dijon

Tonight we are in Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, for the first of three nights.  We caught the train from Troyes, then went to our hotel, and wandered down the main street to have dinner.

The hotel staff greeted us in English, as did the waiter.  Oh dear - I feel I am in another country!

A young man  spoke to me so earnestly while I was waiting in the ticket office queue at the railway station.   I couldn't work out what he was saying - was he begging? -  so I had to say je ne sais pas and look sorry.  Then he told me in halting English that he wanted to go next because he was late.  No problem, but I figured that gave me the right to ask how to say that in French! Je suis presse he said.  He then said France was a good country to visit, but to live here - he wiped his forehead in a gesture of sorrow.  This began a conversation with the lady behind me who said that young people/French people   were always angry - but not her, she was retired.

The train - SNCF - not the very fast train.

Dijon street scene - Rue de la Liberte

Dinner - Beef Burgundy and Kin Mun's sausage hamburger.  .

 

The Seine in Troyes

Only a small river but it flows on to become that famous river in Paris.

J'ai rhume et mon nez coule. Navigating french pharmacies!

I came down with a cold (rhume)  yesterday. The downside of a group tour and dinners - I know where it came from - I think..

But there is also an opportunity to improve your French.  After an unsuccessful attempt to buy something for my runny nose (nez qui coule!), I came back to the laptop and translated my symptoms and the ingredients I was hoping to get - what is usually in Codral or similar.

It worked!  And so has the medicine.

There seems to be a pharmacie in every block (no Chemist Warehouse here).  Numbers are restricted and space is left at the counter to provide privacy when you talk to the pharmacist.  In one pharmacy in Reims, only a limited number were allowed in the shop at a time. 

Not only that, if you want anything - eg cough mixture, Panadol - you have to talk to a pharmacist.  Much tighter control than we are used to.

 

I skipped the tour yesterday and we had a quiet day today.  We had a look at Les Halles (covered food markets), always a delight in France.  Then we went walking this afternoon to look at the Seine and then have a drink and dinner. 

Some pics from the last two days

Sea food.  We remembered pulpo(octopus)  from Spain...

 Mushrooms - including some strange (to us) ones.  Wonder if she went foraging?!

General view

My morning tea yesterday.  A fig tart with almonds.  There is more than one fig on top - it was almost healthy!

 

Fun runs (Allez! A droite!) and candle-snuffer belltower

We walked out of our hotel this morning (Sunday) to find roads blocked off. 

 I spoke to one of the attendants - there is a 7km run.  First runner....

One self-appointed? attendant was calling our to the runners.  Allez Allez (Go Go).  Some runners went the wrong way, so he called out for them to turn right.  A droite  a droite!

In the afternoon, we went to Villemaur-sur-Vanne.  Wood is a feature of this church. It has a free-standing bell tower, also made of wood and it is described at a candle -snuffer tower.  It does have 3 bells, but there was no way we could go up.

 

Apparently Brookland Church in Kent also has a candle-snuffer tower.  Link here

There is wood inside - french forest oak I am told,

 And a confessional. A while since its use.

Note the cobwebs..

We went on to Villeneuve-l'Archeve. 

Inside is another depiction of the entombment of Christ.  We saw another one a few days earlier.  They are actually very moving pieces.