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Sinaia, Romania – Star Of The Prahova Valley

Another small town quaintly tucked under the ever watchful eye of Mount Furnica of the Bucegi Range is Sinaia. Out of sight of N60 and tucked away under this hill is a real star town, replete with many large hotels and even a casino for anyone wishing to try their luck in a Romanian tourist location.

Sinaia – Peleş Castle – At the foot of the Bucegi Range – 19th of September, 2021

On the 19th of September we ventured down to this town which sits just below Buşteni, in order to enjoy lunch, the town and to visit Castle Peleş.

Sinaia – The Town

This town is much like Buşteni, aside from the fact that it appears to have more money and is well maintained; no doubt due to the large hotels and the casino that are part of it. It lies on the same strip of N60 which runs north to south its neighbor to the north.

The Prahova River runs alongside the town, as well as a line of the Romanian Railroad; but unlike Buşteni, the railroad does not interfere with this town at all. Traffic however can still be problematic at times, just because of the nature of N60 being the only straight road in these parts, especially during rush hour times. The good news though is, once off of N60, traffic in and through the town seems well controlled by a series of traffic circles and other parallel streets. While we were there they were having an outside market, which apparently drew a lot of locals.

Castle Peles

The Castle Peleş is more or less renovated and is a government run venue hosting tours, both self-pacing and private. It is rather large and consists of many separate rooms that are rather elaborate, including an arms room, study, reception, large dining hall, library and a grand hall that has a most unique wooden spiral staircase with an electrically operated roof that opens fully (though no proof or demonstrations were offered nor provided).  

Sinaia – Castle Peleş – Tickets For Two – 19th of September, 2021

The castle was built sometime between 1873 and 1914, based on the architects Wilhelm Doderer and Johannes Schultz, both of which were German. The structure was later modernized by the Czech architect Karel Liman.  And though some on the internet would suggest or assert it has anything to do with Count Dracula (Vlad the Impaler), it does NOT.  That sole claim belongs to Bran Castle to the west.

The first inauguration of the building occurred in 1883 and introduced central heating to Romania, as well as an electric system that operated the large glass roof enclosure. It also had a vacuum cleaner, air ducts for heating and an electric elevator.

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The castle is the former summer residence of King Carole I and Queen Elisabeth. It was used as part of the Romanian National Dynasty and often used for important political and other European cultural decisions at the turn of the century. It incorporates a synthesis of Neo-Renaissance (both German and Italian), Neo-Baroque, Rococo as well as French and Oriental styles.

The Monastery

On the way down from Castle Peleş is the Sinaia Monastery. It consists of three parts, the monastery proper (a set of buildings that surround the old chapel), the old chapel or church and the great church.

The original monastery was built in the late 1600s by Mihail Cantacuzino. Construction was due in part by a promise he made to the monks of Saint Anne and Nicholas, which lived at the time in nearby hermitages. He subsequently gave it the name, The Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary, in memory of a pilgrimage he had taken at one time to the Holy Land.

It is quite unique in Romania since it forms a Latin cross, unlike the more traditional Orthodox styles, giving it the origins of the later Walachian and Brancoveanu styles. The churches profiles are very different from other forms in Romania since they replaced the traditional cornices with red brick dents; the facade frames are rectangular and painted with frescos, as well as the absence of the traditional belt.

The old chapel was burned in 1791 during the Russian-Austrian-Turkish war and restored somewhat in 1795 by the same painters who had decorated the chapel. The paintings on the porch are all original and present scenes from the life of Saint Catherine (the protector of the monastery), Saint George (protector of soldiers and Moldavia) and Saint Demetrios (protector of Walachia). Important scenes from both Heaven and Hell frame the entrance to the church.

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The entrance represents Moses and his brother Aaron and are built in carved stone. The nave of the church depicts the Ascension and Transfiguration, related to the secret nature of praying rightly to the divine or also known as hesychasm.

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Buşteni, Romania – Ericka & Gabi’s Wedding – Castle Cantacuzino

On the 18th of September our daughter Ericka Rose wed Gabriel at the Castle Cantacuzino in Buşteni, Romania. Guests from the United States, Germany and Romania traveled for the occasion. We had a great time, the castle and other contractors did a wonderful job. Here are some slide shows to celebrate their wedding.

The Preparation

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The Ceremony

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The Cocktail Hour

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The Reception

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Buşteni, Romania – Carpathian Fresh Air

Buşteni, a small town nestled in the virtual center of Romania, sits below the Bucegi Range on the edge of the Carpathian Mountains and therefore enjoys the cool fresh air of the north, unlike the towns and cities south of it.

On the day we arrived in preparation for our daughter’s wedding, it was a bit cloudy and sprinkled a bit. We totally ignored this in the hope that the weather would improve and she would have a nice wedding day, a hope that would turn out to be very prescient.

The above photograph was taken on the 17th of September, the day of our arrival to the castle.

Buşteni is located in Prahova county, Romania; named after the local industry in which tree logs are harvested for the timber industry. Until recently, this was the only industry in this particular town, until several ski resorts were built and some of the local castles were restored. It is now a very active tourist destination, having many points of interests to warrant travel all year round.

The mountain range is on the southern most tip of the Carpathian Range and the tallest peak, Mount Caraiman, is in excess of seven thousand feet.

Buşteni – The Town

There is actually not much to the town itself, aside from a strip of N60 which runs north to south directly through it. This is the same road which takes you south to Bucharest and Otopeni Airport.

The Prahova River runs alongside the town as well as a line of the Romanian Railroad. Since any traffic is restricted to the N60 running north to south, traffic can be problematic at times, especially during rush hour. This can be exacerbated by construction and the occasional train coming through town.

Castle Cantacuzino

The castle is a fully renovated and a privately run venue that hosts weddings and other large occasions. It is able to provide these functions with a villa, a small lodge (known as the Hunter’s Lodge) and a very good restaurant and bistro.

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The villa is integrated into the castle proper and has immediate access to the grounds, castle and restaurant. Ericka and Gabi chose this as their apartment during the wedding, which made all the arrangements and coordination much easier; more on their wedding in the next edition of this blog.

Restaurants

Casa Magica

A Romanian restaurant hidden on the back streets of Buşteni which has good food is Casa Magica. It is frequented by locals and Romanian tourist who obviously seek it out. Gabi and his brother–in–law were able to pick this establishment out while investigating places to eat in this area. It has a good variety of food at very reasonable prices.

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Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany – Bad Water And All

This is actually a missing post from our travels in Germany while we were visiting our daughter and her fiancée in August. As we were driving back from our visit in Kronberg im Taunus, we stopped here to visit the wonderful park and spa.

Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, or Bad Homburg before the Taunus, was originally settled in 1180. Until recently in the late 1800s it became widely known as Kaiser Wilhelm II’s summer residence. Wilhelm later erected the spa and built the Erlöserkirche, or Church of the Redeemer for which the place is now recognized.

We divided our time between the Schloßpark and the Kurpark, which features numerous fountains where people collect and drink the local water.

Schloßpark And The White Tower

The Schloßpark, or Castle Gardens, contains many fine flower beds and examples of exotic flora. There is also a large lake that can be enjoyed while taking a leisurely walk around the grounds. The main attraction here is the castle with its white tower and overlook of the grounds and lake. At the time of our visit the tower was closed and we were not able to ascend to see any views of the surrounding town.

The Kurpark

The water here is documented to contain a myriad of basic elements, minerals and other health regenerative ingredients that are ostensibly good for your health. I tasted a few, with my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t get sick (which I didn’t), and can say that the overwhelming tastes are of sulfur dioxide and metallic, most likely from manganese. Though drinking it often could cause issues, depending upon the mineral exposures, an occasional drink now and then probably has no negative impact to the body and may even help in some cases.

The Kurpark, or Spa Park or Garden, has many cafes and paths that one may stroll and enjoy during fine weather. There is a Swan Pond and a stream that runs through the park along which one may find numerous benches were one can stop, sit and just enjoy nature.

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Kronberg im Taunus, Germany – An Overlook

A small town in the Taunus Mountains north of Frankfurt mixes old and new in a quaint little package. Its main attraction, the Kronberg Castle, selfishly occupies the only hill in town. This town offers enough for a great day trip or even an afternoon getaway.

Kronberg Im Taunus – A Panorama – August 2021

Though there is not much to see from the high perch of the Kronberg Castle, the town below actually has several points of interest. There are of course several places to eat in the historic part of town, most serving the typical German food for this area, though Chinese and other cuisine can be found. Aside from its overlook of the countryside, here is a real overlook of what you will find inside the town.

The Town

The historic town is strangely laid out, but practical, given that there is a castle and a wall surrounding it. Many of the streets are typical for a hillside town and are paved in the Sampietrini or larger cobble stone. Many of the houses are built in the Fachwerk style and are hundreds of years old. Below are some of the sights to see ambling the streets.

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There is a modern part of the city as well and it actually represent the modern face of Germany. The houses, apartments and stores have a neat modern appeal to them and ample parking. Anyone wishing to visit these areas only walk as near the closest wall opening, where they may descend into another time in the same place.

The town is at the foot of the Taunus Mountains, which occupy this part of Germany. The mountains are just north of Frankfurt and lie in the state of Hesse.

The Hellhof

The Hellhof was a noble seat built by the Kronberg Knights in the fifteenth century. It now stands as part of a gallery, which was at the time of our visit, closed.

The knights were part of the Teutonic Order and belonged to a rather poor family associated with Walter von Cronberg, a Grand Master and resident of the castle and held the title from 1525, until his death in 1543. Since the building is intimately intertwined with the events and family of the castle, it makes sense that it can be found sitting just beneath a rather steep incline to it. There is a substantial Roman style paved road that one can imagine connected the two at one time.

The Castle

Tickets For Two – Kronberg Castle

Built around 1220, the castle sits atop the rocky hill of historic Kronberg im Taunus. It has a large main building, a tower and several chambers scattered around on the ground floor that must have served several purposes.

Kronberg Castle

The castle has a commanding view of the town and the countryside. It can also be seen quite clearly by its higher castle neighbors in the Taunus Mountains and also from the Main Valley below.

Die Aufrechten – Matthias Schmidt – 2018

In the ground floor of the Fünfeckturn, or five cornered tower, stand five wooden steles carved from a storm fallen 150 year old Beech tree called The Uprights. They were carved by Matthais Schmidt in 2018 to symbolize the knights and kings from the history of this old castle. For more on the history of this castle, visit https://www.burgkronberg.de/die-burg/geschichte.

I am ending this blog post with some additional, non-captioned photographs of the castle.

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Bacharach, Germany – Model Medieval Town

On a bend of the Rhine River above Mainz sits the small town of Bacharach. Nestled among the varied and many castles of the west bank, its row of buildings and high walls demonstrate historically how important this part of the Rhine was in the Middle Ages.

Bacharach – Above Burg Stahleck – August 2021

The walls of the Rhine River valley provide an ample perch for the many castles and fortresses that were built to protect the towns along its banks. The Stahleck Castle sits above this small town and extends it length of walls, turrets and towers around the small community like a net from above. The curtain of walls is formidable in both height and width, being its strongest at river level, where perhaps most of the attacks (if any) would probably originate.

The Town

There is no real center of town, since it is more of a stretch of houses and building along the Rhine. Points of interest include the main street called Mainzerstraße, where all of the shops are located, Blücherstraße which starts at Saint Peter’s church and continues up through the Steeger Tor, a smaller street called the Langestraße which parallels the main street and the beautiful park along the banks of the Rhine.

A main attraction here is the beautifully preserved Altes Haus. It is here where Robert Stolz wrote his operetta Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen, or “When the little violets bloom”, which was eventually performed in the Haag in 1932. Aside from that, it is an excellent example of Half-Timber, or Fachwerk framing.

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The hillsides in this area are dominated by vineyards, the area being a major wine producer for Germany. There are many Vintners here and many, if not all, sell directly to the public. Unfortunately after taking so long to eat, we were not predisposed to try and visit any of them.

Restaurants

There are several restaurants in town to choose from, all of which appear to serve a mixture of traditional German fare and some Mediterranean. It is probably preferable to find something on one of the side streets, since traffic is still allowed through the main thoroughfare.

Restaurant Burg Stahleck

We choose this restaurant based on its menu and amount of outside seating. Plus we were just lucky to get the last table with its advantage at being in a very strategic corner, in order to view the goings on in town.

Bacharach is indeed a great place to spend a day or afternoon. The combination of the town, the banks of the Rhine and Castle above it provide more than enough to do for anyone in the area looking for a day trip.

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Dreieichenhain, Germany – Fachwerkhaüser Allesamt

I considered a title in English, however none appeared fitting to me, or at least to my ear. The above essentially translates to Timbered Houses All or all of them. Most, if not all (I didn’t take a census) are built in this style, at least within confines of the ring wall.

Half-Timbered House – Dreieichenhain, Germany

The exemplary example shows all the features of a timbered or half-timbered house in this region of Germany. In fact, Dreieichenhain lays on a three thousand kilometer (appr. 1800 miles) long Deutschen Fachwerkstraße of timbered framed houses in Germany. This virtual road runs through Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Hessen, Thüringen, Bayern and Baden-Württemburg. This town lays on the portion from the Rhine to the Main and Odenwald.

As you walk along the Fahrgasse, the main street in Dreieichenhain, there are several signs explaining the history and method of this type of construction. In typical German fashion, each timber has its own name and in many cases they may have multiple names, depending on their actual purpose.

These include the Rähm or Rähmbalken for the top beams and Schwelle or Grundschwelle for the beams located on the bottom. Echpfosten, Eckstiel and Eckständer may all be used as names for the column posts used for the corners of the buildings.

Here are some additional examples of this construction practice, which many tourist find to represent the idyllic German town. All of them have very restrictive auto and driving rules, many of which require you to park outside the town and walk in. Though we parked outside the town and walked in, the walk was rather short, even though there were two small traffic circles that we had to walk through. While doing so we discovered the town also has its own parking area a few hundred meters from one of the town gates.

The Untertor Gate – Dreieichenhain

Aside from the interesting houses the town is surrounded by the typical Roman wall. This wall has only three gates, through which anyone approaching or leaving the town must pass. The rest of the wall is sparsely populated by lookout towers. The wall is also supplemented and takes advantages of some the buildings in the town to supply part of its construction. For example the church and several stone buildings that were incorporated and included in the wall in order to remain part of the town proper.

The Ruins

Near the Untertur entrance are the ruins of the Burg, or castle, which was rather small, but probably adequate for a town of this size.

The Castle Ruins – Church In The Background – Dreieichenhain

The castle has had a lot of work on it to stabilize its structure and to make it safe for tourists to enter. There is not much to see, but you can enter the ruins and discover the old main hall chimney and other construction items of interest.

Ericka And Patti – Dreieichenhain Castle – Dreieichenhain, Germany – August 2021

Below is another view from outside the ruins and one of the main hall with chimney.

Restaurants

La Table

Though actually a restaurant, it appears as a rather quaint little boutique coffee shop that sells amazing cakes and desserts. We stopped at La Table for some refreshment, after we had completely discovered what this little town had to offer, and what the local weather kind of forced us into sitting under some kind of cover. Our attempt to sit outside under the coffee shop’s awning was dashed, when what started out as a shower turned into a full blown thunderstorm. We persisted in our belief, along with another cute little old lady from town, that we would be able to sit it out under the awning. But soon enough it rained harder and harder and then the wind picked up and drove us all inside.

Gabi And Ericka – La Table – Dreieichenhain, Germany – August 2021

Luckily, most of the other guest had been driven home by the inclement weather so there was plenty of seating for the rest of us inside, including the little old lady who turned out to be quite the chatterbox. So we ordered up some glasses of Martini Rosso, Prosecco, and hot chocolates along with some cake and had a nice little Kaffeepause out of the rain and eventually hail.

The Burgweiher – Dreieichenhain, Germany

Above a parting shot of the castle’s water source from the nice little town of Dreieichenhain on the Deutschen Fachwerkstraße.

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Basel, Switzerland – Trams, Doors & Fountains

Basel – From The Top Of Hotel Märthof

The city that boasts the most museums in Switzerland must also operate and maintain the most streetcars or trams. At least that is my thesis. On closer inspection one will notice they are almost everywhere and if you spend any time in the historic area’s main Marktplatz, where our hotel Märthof was located, they even appear to outnumber the cars.

There are also many interesting doors in Basel. Each appear to be uniquely named and dated, some having historical significance, others more whimsical, all very Basel. All make for an increased desire in discriminating each while you walk around the city.

As one can imagine there are fountains all over Basel, all strategically located. Some obviously served as sources of water for the citizenry during older times, others are more decorative. All betray Basel as the water city that it was and in many aspects, still is today.

Our Hotel

The Basler Märthof hotel sits at the nexus of the grand portion of the historic city. Bordered by the Rhine, the Marktplatz and the hills around it, it sits central to life in this city. Surrounded by shopping and many different types of restaurants, one can find almost anything they want in this cosmopolitan city, where English is spoken as frequently as many other languages, the exception being German.

The Märthof Hotel

At the time of our visit, a newly renovated hotel with the most modern of amenities and very spacious rooms. This included access the terrace on the roof for our sitting pleasure or some very nice photographs.

Marktplatz And Rathaus – In The Evening – August 2021

The Trams

Trams are everywhere and give this city’s residence a freedom of movement that is seldom seen elsewhere. From the city’s historic center the network branches out like an octopus, occupying every denizen’s neighborhood within five kilometers.

Tram On Kohlenberg – Basel – August 2021

They can be somewhat of annoyance, making an inordinate amount of low frequency grinding noises, as well as stacking up when you are trying to cross the street. The latter forces you to wait the required time for them to leave, hopefully before more arrive and interfere with your travels across the street. But for the most part, they are a welcome addition to the city’s smorgasbord selection of commutation.

Tram On Mittlere Brücke Over Rhine – Basel – August 2021

The Doors

Entryways in the city of Basel have their own descriptive appeal, as seen below.

Just wandering through the streets an observer will see many examples of craftsmanship, old wrought iron hinges, locks, doorbells and doorknobs. Some of the doorbells are especially amusing, where the owner has carefully preserved the original design and function. Some are pulled, some are twisted and some pressed but all made from old iron that has been braving the environment for hundreds of years in some cases.

Old Wrought Iron Doorknob

The above example old world iron work was found on Martinsgässlein, on our walk down from the Gothic Cathedral Münster. It appeared to be fine example of blacksmith work on an obviously restored door. Here are a few more…

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The Fountains

A city historically close to and a heavy user of water, there is no doubt that there would be a plethora of fountains throughout. The most useful and convenient ones are in most cases built into the sides of buildings, whether apartment or governmental. Obviously strategically located in the past for the residents before indoor plumbing was available.

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The Rhine Boats

As an adjunct to all of the trams, buses, taxis, ferries and other forms of conveyance, Basel has a system of Rhine boats along the Rhine. When there isn’t a bridge around when you need one, look around, there may be a Rhine boat!

Rhine Boats – Münsterfähre – St. Johanns Ferry – Basel

Each boat has its own name, owner and distinguishing paint job. They are not motorized! By using a cable strung across the Rhine at strategic points, they use the power of the Rhine’s strong current and their rudder to propel them from one bank of the river to the other. The cabling system is not complicated and only requires the pilot to move a pipe on the boat the moors the cable and then direct the boat appropriately using the rudder.

For the modest fare of €1.90 per person you can climb aboard and be on the other side in a matter of a few minutes. We took the Sankt Albans Fähre or Ferry from Basel, Altstadt Kleinbasel on the east bank to the Altstadt Großbasel on the west bank, that was after we walked along the Rhine on the one side and wanted to cross to visit the Paper Mill on the other.

The Basler Papiermühl

One of the high points of our trip was a visit the Paper Mill Museum. One would think it would have not much to offer, but in this case they would be wrong.

Basler Papiermühle – Saint Albans Tal – Basel – August 2021

The city of Basel had done an excellent job of creating a museum from an old paper mill using a mixture traditional museum look and feel along with a hands-on approach for younger, as well as older audiences. The individuals performing the demonstrations are very informative, eager to demonstrate and skilled at explaining during the demonstrations any steps left out. In all cases this is shorten the format of each demonstration so that participants can actually take home what they have made.

I later talked to the man who ran the paper making demonstration and he related to me all of the inconsistencies in his demonstration, explaining that the process took days to complete, from actually pounding the materials to the dried end production. He was most informative.

Basler Papiermühle – Demonstrator Behind Covid Shield

As was alluded to before, participants actually get to create their own examples of paper using the old techniques. In my case, two sheets of rag based paper with the watermark of the mill, dried using a modern appliance, instead of the old method where they were hung on lines for a few days (as shown above).

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Restaurants

While in Basel we did not have to venture far from the hotel, since plenty are in an around the area of the old historic part of the city.

Rosario’s La Sputino

This tiny little Osteria is quaintly tucked into the side of a hillside street coming down from Saint Peters.

Rosario’s La Sputino

A traditional Osteria menu with local favorites, both the type you order and the ones that apparently visit (they seem to get their fair share of the local business crowd). We had the carrot soup and then I had the Gnocchi in sauce and Patti had the Scialatielli Fresoli, which actually are pasta in the shape of green beans.

Fiorentina

Continuing with our Italian cuisine indulgences in Switzerland we visited Fiorentina. An upscale restaurant with terrace seating with grand views of the Rhine. However, if you want the outside seating, reservations are necessary.

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We visited this restaurant just after we arrived in Basel and since we were both hungry, so we took a walk, found it, walked in and got seated. I ordered the traditional lasagna and had the panna cotta for dessert.

Ramazzotti

Our Pizza

Finally we found the Italian restaurant Ramazzotti which specializes in pizza. Since we were dying for a pizza, not having one for more than month, we ate here and ordered the Pizza Margherita. In fact the food and service was so good here, we ended up eating here a second time.

Ramazzotti Italian Restaurant

The second time we tried other fare.

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Dijon, France – City Of Mustard

Dijon’s claim to fame is the invention of its namesake mustard. Created in 1856 by one of its residence when he substituted the acidic juice of unripe grapes to his mustard mixture, instead of the customary vinegar. It has spawned many varieties and has a world renowned reputation for one of the best mustard types.

Maille Mustard – One Of Many Famous Dijon Mustard Types

Dijon was actually a second thought, a chance detour in our travel itinerary. We had thought that aside from mustard, there was actually nothing of interest or note in this city. I have to say, for the record, we were both pleasantly surprised and would recommend this small city of about 160,000 over some of their more populated cousins we have already seen.

A note, perhaps a generalization, about the French people. They were extremely polite, genial and very attentive to us at all times. We never received any negative feedback when trying to get into restaurant or other venues, in fact they all seemed extremely helpful. However, we did find some of their hotel appliances to be most annoying and counter-intuitive. But as for the French themselves, they appear to be first rate, accommodating and very friendly.

Our Hotel

We stayed at the Grand Hotel Le Cloche, located on Avenue de la 1ère Armée Français, which is eminently close to the train station and the entrance to the old historic part of town.

This hotel has plenty of room and large bathrooms, which are uncommon generally in Europe. Our room had a nice view of the courtyard and small park inside the confines of the hotel.

The Historic Center Of Dijon

From our hotel the center of the old historic part of town was directly through the Arch or Porte Guillaume. The Park Darcy, directly across the avenue from our hotel is the starting point for a city sponsored Owl Trail. For three euros you can purchase a booklet that details and explains more than two dozen points of interest throughout the city.

Some points of interest are rather hidden from the casual observer and required either a keen eye or a brochure, like the one aforementioned, we found it a handy guide.

One such site was the House of Maillard, which contains a most unusual collection of stone figures carved into the wall. It also has a very old wooden staircase and a helical one in a very confined space. This place is reached by a very inconspicuous door which leads to a long, dimly lit hallway made of old wooden timber and stone. Definitely worth a visit.

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The owl trail takes you past several noteworthy sights, including many buildings built in what Americans would recognize as Tudor-style or Fachwerk, is typically known as Timber-Framing. The following examples are easily found throughout the city and in some cases demonstrate the age of the buildings and the city itself.

And yet one of the strangest houses seen in Dijon appears below, owing to the flared roofing around several of its dormers.

Odd Building Between Rue Du Temple And Rue Du Chateau

Another characteristic of housing in this area is the roofing. Most of the materials here are reminiscent of the typical ones you would find in France, Germany and Italy. However, some are distinct for this area of Burgundy and are clad in a specific design and pattern specific to this region of France.

Burgundy Roof On The Church Saint Benigne De Dijon

Most of these roofs have a distinctive yellow, green, brown – almost terracotta color and black. The patterns vary a bit, but seem to stick to a central weaved look from below.

Churches

There are again numerous churches in Dijon, all of which have their own interesting history. Obviously one has to have the name of Our Lady, or Notre-Dame, and it is situated on the Place Notre Dame of the main street Rue des Forges.

Notre-Dame de Dijon

Built in the thirteenth century is an excellent example of Burgundian architecture. The facade sports a collection of gargoyles, all of which have a difference appearance and most likely meaning. They must have given the worshipers pause as they entered its archway, especially one can imagine when it was raining and some were spouting water from their mouths.

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The front entrance shows enormous amount of wear and can only be attributed to poor quality stone that must have been used in some of its construction, or a deliberate act of destruction or vandalism.

Not actually a church anymore, the Church of Saint Anne of Dijon now houses a museum of sacred art that includes vestments, chalices and other historical religious artifacts.

Restaurants

We ate at a few very good restaurants in Dijon, one of which was an amazing learning experience, the other noted for its exceptional taste based on years of expectations (that is, french cooking and their meat).

L’Aspérule

A fine dining establishment run by a renowned chef Keigo Kimura and only opened in 2019, this restaurants has all anyone would want to eat. I would consider it a French-Asian Fusion restaurant, where the owner takes Asian liberties with known French classics, the results of which are astounding. We are not food critics, but all we could say when we left this restaurant was, WOW!

L’Aspérule – Chicken Appetizer with a Gevrey-Chambertin 2015

As expected with most fine establishments, seating was limited and inside, so it is necessary to get a reservation. We found ourselves lucky, in that they had one seating left the evening when we visited, so we jumped at the chance.

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The menu promised either a flight off six or seven courses, starting with an appetizer and working our way up to two different ways to cook Guinea Fowl. The highlight of our meal was both the 2015 Gevry-Chambertin Red Wine and the Ground Guinea Fowl with Whipped Potatoes in Foie Gras Butter served in a cup. It gives me Guinea Fowl bumps just thinking about it again.

Chez Léon

Chez Léon offered a more relaxed atmosphere outside, during a rather warm evening. We were lucky to enjoy a breeze now and again and luckily the lack of any smokers nearby.

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The food at this restaurant was traditional Burgundian which we had both wanted to sample before we left the area. Our chef did not disappoint, the menu was full of the expected entrees and some with which we were not yet familiar. I ordered a half-liter of the Givry Red Wine when we placed our orders for the Beef Bourgogne that was one the menu. I upped the ante a bit but ordering an appetizer that used the same sauce as our main entree, but also contained two soft boiled eggs, a specialty they call Oeufs de Poul Bio en Meurette, Recette Traditionnelle.

In Conclusion

Visiting Dijon was a real treat, one we had not expected. Given its many appealing qualities, especially its food, we would recommend it to anyone.

Grand Hotel Le Cloche At Night