"Are you all on honeymoon?" - Dijon Native @ Les BerThoM

The four of us woke up slow on Sunday morning as Saturday went longer than expected. We had to be out of the AirBnB by noon but the maid arrived a bit early and was lucky enough to see Eric in his underwear. We had tickets for a 2:53 train to Dijon which gave us plenty of time to kill. Unfortunately nothing is open on Sunday's so we parked ourselves at a cafe and ate breakfast/ lunch for a few hours. We shared plenty of laughs and shivered in the cold until it was time to roll.

The metro ride to Gare de Lyon was easy... crowded, but easy. We had booked far enough out that we were able to get a good price on first class seats all together with a table. Ashely and Jamie took the time on the train to color and nap while I caught up on some writing. The train ride, as most of our trips in Europe had been, was beautiful.

Rolling hills covered the landscapes with farmland everywhere you looked. What began as fields for produce turned into pastures for grazing with white free range angus dotting the country side. Little towns that haven't seen a rehab since the day the were built broke up the greenery from time to time. The hour and half was over in no time as the window provided all the entertainment I needed.

With only one stop between Paris and Dijon we rolled into the station anxious for what lay in store for us in this small(er) town. We had a quick walk to the new AirBnB and were greeted by Christopher and his wife on the street. 

They were very new to the AirBnB game and provided the most thorough walk through we had to date. The place was newly remolded, but would serve as a comfortable home for the next two days. As with Paris, nothing was open on Sunday in Dijon so Christopher and his family coordinated/ made dinner for us to eat later that evening.

(View from balcony) 

Walk through (compete with dinner instructions) finished, it was time to explore the city. We set out for the main pedestrian area and strolled for a few hours taking in the quaint beauty that was around each corner. I'm not sure if the word cute had been uttered with such frequency since the world came into existence as it was on that walk. The city was charming with buildings straight out of a story book. With nothing open, the quiet streets allowed for a slow meandering pace as we explored further and further. 

The only sounds outside of our conversation came from those watching the France Ireland World Cup Rugby match. While I'm not sure what we all had in mind for the town, the first impression certainly fit the bill. The fading sunlight helped to further exploit the towns charms and we found ourselves in the Place de la Libération in front of the Palais des Ducs et États de Bourgogne. The open space provided some great pictures so we lingered as the sun continued to set.

On the way home we decided to check out the spot where we had a reservation for the following night's dinner. It look promising, but no one was dead set on the menu and we agreed to keep our eyes open as we continued home. Along the way we decided to pop into a pub to grab a drink. It turned out to be a great beer bar, Les BerThoM, with solid options and a relaxed culture. We settled in for a pint or two and reviewed the trip up to that point. Our server ended up being from Ireland and made a great recommendation to replace our dinner spot the next night. It turned out that we had a reservation there as well and it was decided that it would be the place.

After an hour we ventured home to try the homemade meal that Christopher and his family prepared for us. There was homemade fois grois, bread from a local shop, cheese, a salad and very specific wines. Everything was delicious and it made it very special to enjoy a meal at home with friends. We ate for about two and half hours before we realized it was time to call it a night. 

We woke up on the early side the next morning as we had a wine tour to get to. When our guide arrived at the meeting spot, we met the other couple that would be riding along with us. It was a chilly morning and everyone was anxious to get in the van to warm up a bit. We were also a bit tired due to the fact that we couldn't find any cafes open, which me at no doppio espresso for tired soles. We drove out of town and the suburban sprawl quickly turned into hillside vinyards that marked the start of Coté de Nuits. 

The day was gloomy and would prove to stay that way with the sun poking its head out in rare glimpses, but the vibrant colors of fall leaves on the vines everywhere we looked more than made up for the gray sky.

Our first stop was on a hillside to learn about the harvest and what makes the Bourgnone region so special. We were also treated to some delicious croissants (#2 on Jamie's list I believe) as our guide provided the lesson. Nice and chilled, we lined back into the ban and drove off to the next viewpoint, our guide noting points of interest along the way.

The Bourgogne region, like many of the wine regions, has its own grade system and it was interesting to hear the nuances along the drive. I was fascinated by the fact that the plots of land could have the grapes that belong to 80+ winemakers. In fact it is rare that you find a monopoly where one winemaker has ownership of the entire plot. We also drove past a plot of land (a monopoly) that creates bottles of wine that sell for €23,000 pounds at the only store they are available in Paris or if you are lucky enough to make it through a five year waiting list to only pay €1,000. Only 900 bottles are made a year.

We arrived at our first winemaker, Moillard, and got a tour of the faculties and then sampled five of their wines. The mix had two whites, three reds and touched all four classifications (Regional, Village, 1st Cru and Grand Cru). Eric and Jamie picked up a bottle of the Nuits-Staint-Georges Premier Cru, Les Saint Georges 2010 and we both picked up some rad candle stick holders... as rad as candlestick holders can be. After about 30-45 minutes we were off to Coté de Beaune and the town of Beaune.

We arrived in the medieval town and were given two hours to walk around, grab a bite etc. Much like Paris and Dijon on Sunday, Beaune was pretty much dead on Monday. We grabbed some sandwiches, walked around a bit, stopped in to sample some wine and then walked a bit more (It was a small town with the medieval district being the main point of interest).  With nothing open we were ready to get in the to head to the next winemaker.

We arrived at Château Corton André to a bright sun so we quickly jumped out and grabbed some pictures before we took in the incredible view. 

The tasting was great with six wines (three white, three red) on the table. 

By the time we finished you got the feeling that everyone had had enough wine for the day. Perhaps it was how short the stops were, but it didn't seem like anyone was excited to try anything else. We walked around the property to take some more pictures before jumping back in the van for the ride home. Once back in Dijon we strolled through the pedestrian area again to feel the town with traffic of people heading home from their day. A bit busier, but still a small town feel. By the time we made it back to the apartment we had a few hours to relax before dinner.

Our reservation at L'Epicerie et Cie was at 8pm and we arrived right on time. Since the place came recommended by out waitress the night before we excited to eat. We all ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon. It arrived in lunch pales and was accompanied with a small portion of cheesy gnocchi. Everyone was very satisfied with the meal and Jamie finally got her eclair for dessert.

This was our last night together so we stopped in at Les BerThoM for one last drink on the walk home. This is where we were approached by a local asking us if we were all on honeymoon. 

Tired and full we all went to bed on the earlish side in order to make our 9am train back to Paris the next morning.

Off to Dijon - Snaps from October 11th, 2015 from Ashley Habeck on Vimeo.