First morning in Dijon… I flipped through the tourist brochure, trying to find out what “must-see” places to visit.
Flemming and I decided to go to the Market, or the Gourmet Halls. Where else, if not in France, can you buy some deliscious food?! We had a nice apartment, a well-equipped kitchen, and wanted to have a good dinner at home.
We were curious to see the inner yard of the very old and beautiful building we stayed in on the Place de la Liberation. In the corner, there were toilets from the old days, now used as a storage room:
The building where I live in Copenhagen, was built for about 150 years ago. At that time, there also were toilets in the yard, but they were demolished later, with the advance in living standards…
We strolled along those pretty streets of Dijon towards the market halls.
Les Halles Gourmandes de Dijon is one of the best markets in France, some claim it to be the best.
Built in the end of 1800’s, the Dijon halls are listed in the inventory of historical monuments. It consists of four pavilions arranged around two cruciform streets. The corners of the large arches are decorated with animal motifs and symbolic themes related to the covered markets: heads of deer, mouflons, wild boars and cattle, game and poultry, fish and eels, in medallions Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, and Hermes, the god of trade and exchange. The roof is strongly influenced by that of the central halls in Paris.
Flemming and I quickly located our favourite part – seafood.
We bought the biggest oysters we could get… Together wth crab cows, huge gambas, veggies and fruit.
A big wine-place was in the middle of the halls, but it was so crowded people enjoying a drink, we had to go out to the nearby cafe and get a glass of cooled champagne there:
Dijon was so charming with all those cute houses!
Flemming wanted to spend some time programming (for his own company). I decided to go shopping, keeping in mind that not much could be in the baggage compartment of my OY-9797.
I bought a small bottle of crème de cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur, Dijon is also famous for. Kir drink is served everywhere in Dijon – and it tastes much better than in other places 🙂
The Aviator and The Blue Bear were so happy about my choice! They looked forward to have a drink, when we come back to our cold and rainy Denmark.
I found Flemming in a green garden close to our “home”, behind the Palais des Ducs:
He said, he had some good productive time there.
We went for lunch together, and afterwards – for a walk through the old town.
It was a pleasure to be in Dijon. Hot, dry and sunny weather, cold drinks in the shadows of antient buildings, welcoming people, you name it.
We enjoyed our seafood dinner at home. At the market halls, we did our best to limit ourselves and not to buy too much. It was difficult, but we succeeded. We had the best seafood we could buy there (to our taste), and we loved it.
After dinner, we just went down the stairs to the Place de la Liberation, lined up with restaurants, full with happy people, with light-coloured fountains with playing children, and the dark starry sky over the town.