Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. I was rummaging through my collection and realised I still have a few doors from my trip to Dijon, France from almost a year ago now. I love how each door conveys a certain rustic and historic charm…if only doors could talk, I’m sure they could tell a tale or two.
As always, please let me know if you have a favourite.
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Personally, I love numbers four and five but my winner this week is the last door at number five, a door leading to under the stairs. Could there be a French Harry Potter living in there?
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. Here in Northern Ireland it is absolutely lashing with rain as we experience the wrath of storm Babet. It is dark, wet and gloomy here, therefore, I am showing you some of my remaining doors from Dijon, France so I can look back fondly to warmer times. As always, please do let me know if you have a favourite.
123456 & 7
Number five is my favourite this week due to its unique colour and I absolutely love the grills where the windows once were. I’m not sure why I even like them so much and I don’t know why they are there, I suppose maybe for security or ventilation. It also looks extremely rustic and quaint, my favourite qualities of a door!
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. Following on from my Beaune blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to show case my remaining doors from my trip to Beaune. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite this week.
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I really like doors 1 and 5, however, personally I saved the best to last. Number 6 has a real unique and quite a regal appearance. The deep wood of the door and it’s wonderful design. I love the transom window and also the arch that surrounds the door. I’m not sure if there is a name for that? Also the greenery surrounding the door really makes it stand out. What do you think?
When we travelled to Dijon for my birthday, we had it on our itinerary to check out the nearby town of Beaune, specifically for its vineyards and wine culture. We wanted to carry out a couple of wine tastings there so we took the train from Dijon that took about 1.5 hours and was pretty easy to navigate.
Although Dijon is the capital of Burgundy, Beaune is the wine capital. It’s famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir, both of which I really enjoy (depending on where they are grown). Beaune is also notorious for its architecture and art, whilst also being an historical town with its famous hospital, Hospices de Beaune founded in 1443.
I would like to show you the two wine tastings that we experienced and a little about the famous hospital. I also really loved the buildings and doors found in Beaune, the latter of which you can see in my Doors of WordPress posts.
The first wine tasting on our list took place at Joseph Drouhin and booked this directly with their office in Beaune. Luckily for me, my partner knows a lot about wines and picked this one for its central location in Beaune and the fact that it is one of the oldest and respected wine producers (not growers) in Burgundy. I loved how this company still belongs to the Drouhin family, with the great-grandchildren owning and operating the company today. It was fascinating to learn how the wines were made in the past and how these traditional methods are still used today, especially to mark special events or anniversaries. Seeing the cellars where the kegs and bottles are stored was fascinating, it felt like we were in an episode of Game of Thrones, meandering through the dark caves (oldest caves in Beaune) with bottles of wine literally found at every nook and cranny. I really enjoyed learning about cru (a term in France that distinguishes a high quality vineyard) and tasting the difference between the regional wines, village wines, premier cru and grand cru (the highest quality). It was only with the wine tastings that I could really learn and appreciate the differences between these wines. The regional wines were delicious but when you taste the premier and grand cru, my goodness, they are absolutely stunning! Nevertheless, they will be forever out of my price range. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here for our tasting and the staff were fantastic, very welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable, without making you feel silly if you don’t know much about the wines.
Our second wine tasting was with a smaller company, therefore offering a more intimate experience. This offered an experience to travel out and see the vineyards and villages of Burgundy, with a highlight being Meursault. The tour was called Cote de Beaune, lasted approximately two hours and offered one family-run winery with one wine tasting (around six wines). Our tour guide was fantastic, extremely passionate for the region, its culture and wine history. He provided information on the famous villages such as Pommard, Volnay, Puligny-Montrachet and provided the opportunity to stop at Mersault to take some photos of this historic town. Mersault is absolutely beautiful and you can tell it is extremely wealthy, however, I could not see myself living here as it is so quiet with not much to do. It’s waaaaay out of my price range so I need not worry!
Mersault
Our tour guide took us to the family run vineyard of Maison Charles Pere and Fille, Grands vins de Bourgogne in Nantoux, basically in the cellar of the family home. In the garden was a plum tree with plums all over the ground. Our guide recommended these to eat as they are delicious and you would pay big money for these in the supermarkets. He advised to wipe any debris off, break the plum into halves and check for any worms! Once clear you could go ahead and eat. Unreal. We must have had a good few…and for free.
Once in the home we were given an introduction to the family and the history of how the estate has been passed down to Francois’s son and granddaughter. There were only three of us on the tour so it was really lovely to ask questions and learn in a relaxed environment. Our guide provided us with some fine wines, both white and red from villages to premier cru and explained what we were looking for with regards to aromas. I liked how he said there is no wrong way to taste wines and that everyone’s pallet will be different. It can be a little overwhelming with all the wine lingo but he made us feel very at ease and I definitely walked away with a little more knowledge than when I had arrived. We booked this tour through Safari Tours and I would highly recommend, whether you are new to wines, middle of the road (like me!) or a connoisseur.
I wholeheartedly loved both of these tours and was very happy that I was able to try some of the famous Burgundy wines. I also love how you can meet new people and learn from their experiences too. We had a couple of Americans on the first tour and it was fascinating to hear how some Burgundy grapes are now being grown in Oregon, USA.
Hospices de Beaune
I wanted to check out this hospital as I had heard it is a ‘must see’ when in Beaune, plus being a nurse, I was intrigued to see how this operated as a hospital in the 15th century. The building was initially opened as a hospital for the poor by the chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin. The architecture here is exquisite and inside the building is equally impressive as you can see where the patients were treated, how their beds appeared and the utensils that would have been used. You can’t help but be moved when thinking how people were cared for here or even passed away. This hospital was in use until the 1970s, when a more modern hospital was erected and this building was transformed into a museum. For twelve euros you can carry out your own self guided audio tour, perfect for seeing the museum at your own pace and you can choose to spend longer or less time at each point. This was very interesting and a great way to learn more about Beaune’s history.
To conclude, Beaune is a fantastic town filled with history, culture and wine! We were only here for two days and mainly for the wine tasting but I would highly recommend checking this place out if and when in Burgundy.
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to my 60th blog post of doors!!! This week I would like to show you some of my favourite doors from my trip to Beaune a couple of weeks ago. We visited here whilst on a trip to Dijon and I will compile a blog post for Beaune very soon but for now, let’s enjoy some of its amazing doors. Like always, please let me know if you have a favourite this week.
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This is a tough one for me as I really like all the doors featured. However, if I have to choose one, I will pick number 6. It has so much character and charm that it really stands out to me. I love the design and it has quite a Mexican feel for me, I’m not sure why, maybe the colour of the door as it reminds of the day of the dead celebrations when people dress in white paint 🤷🏼♂️. Can you see what I mean?!
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. This week I am delighted to share with you some doors from my trip to Dijon, France. For me, the doors appear very majestic with an old, rustic charm, blending in well with the architecture that has stood there for centuries. Please do let me know if you have a favourite this week.
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I think my favourite has to be number 2. It just has such an enigma about it, the colour and intrinsic detail on the door really make it stand out. My only qualm is the face above the door that looks absolutely terrifying!
Thanks for having a look at my doors this week, roll on the weekend.
We have just returned from a fantastic trip away to Dijon, just an hour and a half from Paris. We headed here to celebrate my fortieth birthday (eek), to explore a new city and to sample some of the famous wines on offer here. Dijon, the capital of Burgundy is renowned for its superb wines that are celebrated and appreciated all over the globe. I couldn’t wait to try some of the wines from this region and experience some of the wine tastings on offer, however, I was completely blown away with how much Dijon has to offer, in addition to the wines. When I hear Burgundy, I always think of the famous wines and when I hear Dijon, I had always thought of Dijon mustard. I have never been a mustard fan so I didn’t come here for the mustards, nevertheless, I was interested to try the mustards and open my mind (and tastebuds) a little.
Below I have created a list of the main things that I loved about Dijon and / or what I wanted to experience within my few days there. I have narrowed the list to eleven in total but the list could go on and on. Please let me know if you have ever travelled to Dijon or the region of Burgundy. Have you ever tried any of their wines?
1. Eat a croissant & have café au lait – now this could be anywhere in France really but it was something I was really looking forward to. The coffee and croissants are unbelievably good in Dijon and I cannot even count how many we had over the few days, keep them coming!
2. Mustard tasting at Moutarde Maille – this amazing store, on the main shopping street, stocks all the Dijon mustard you could possibly imagine with different flavours and ingredients. They will offer you a mustard tasting right there and then for free with some information on their creations. I was pleasantly surprised how delicious they were and my love for mustard has been restored (I had only ever tried English mustard and it was too overpowering for me). I loved the Chardonnay mustard and the honey mustard, ils étaient délicieux!
3. Beef bourguignon – One of Burgundy’s most famous dishes. This was the first meal that we had been dying to try and it certainly lived up to our expectations. It was absolutely delicious. I have had this dish many times on my travels and even here in Ireland, however, none have tasted as good as this dish in its home town.
4. Les Halles Markets – these markets are one of the best in France apparently, open Tuesday, Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays. The best place to see and taste all the foods on offer in Dijon. We took a walk around and spottedmany people just relaxingand sampling the food and drink, which of course we had to partake in also. We decided on cheese, bread and bubbles (blanc de blanc). Sadly I couldn’t find any crackers (my number one choice) and the bread stalls had closed for the day so I had to nip out to the local boulangerie to purchase bread of some description. Funnily enough I had been watching others enjoy their oysters and meats when one woman came to me and asked where I had bought my bread as it looked so delicious.
5. Escargots – I really wanted to try these (when in Rome so to speak). I had tried frogs legs on my last trip to France so this was the time to taste some snails. I loved using the snail tong and fork to remove the snails, it’s quite the art. They tasted amazing, quite meaty and extremely garlicky (maybe to hide the taste). The main thing for me was trying not to scoot the snails off my plate!
6. Kir aperitif – This pre dinner drink is very popular in France and you will find it on most restaurant menus. Kir is simply a French cocktail made from white wine from Burgundy and crème de cassis. Most people will have it before dinner, hence being an aperitif. We have made these at home a few times but they have never tasted as good as here in Dijon. I couldn’t wait to try these and they certainly delivered, the perfect pre drink, very refreshing.
7. Owl Tour – If you want to see around Dijon by foot, then this is the absolute best way. It’s basically a free walking tour around the city that you can follow by keeping your eyes on the little owls dotted all over the city. You can pick up a map from the tourist office for about €4 and it will highlight the main attractions of Dijon and number them according to the various nearby owls. This was a very fun way to explore Dijon and it’s a great idea for showcasing the whole city, as it takes you around streets that you normally wouldn’t even have known about.
8. Architecture – the buildings here out of this world. Being Romanesque Burgundian, they take you back to medieval times and have been beautifully preserved. You really feel like you’re stepping back in time and walking through history. If you love stunning craftsmanship and architecture, then you will appreciate what Dijon has to offer here. I found many interesting doors here also, as you would expect and I CANNOT wait to share them with you all very soon.
9. Jardin de l’arquebuse – I was delighted to discover that Dijon has a botanical garden, with a variety of flowers, plants and even grapes. It’s a gorgeous setting that takes you out of city life and enables you to feel like you’re in the vineyards, way out in the countryside. The different grape varieties allows you to discover the diversity of wine growing all over the world.
10. Notre Dame – (Church of our lady) set in the old part of the city. This chapel was constructed in the 13th century and showcases the gothic style of those times. Even if you’re not religious, it’s wonderful to have a look inside and out and to really appreciate its design, history and magnificent stained glass windows.
11. Wine tasting in Beaune – wine capital of Burgundy – We headed to Beaune, about thirty minutes away by train from Dijon, to carry out a couple of special wine tastings. This area is famous for its superb wines, however, the small town is also a fantastic place to relish in it’s history and architecture also. I will create another blog post to showcase the amazing wine tastings and more about Beaune but believe me for now, they are most definitely worth a visit.
Thank you all very much for reading my favourite activities to do in Dijon. We were there for a long weekend but we could have easily stayed longer. An absolutely beautiful city with plenty of history, charm and culture. I cannot recommend this city enough. Exceptionnel!
WrookieSchU 