Pardon Me, Would You Have Any Grey Poupon?

Mustard anyone?  Dijon is famous for mustard and as I strolled through the city, I enjoyed the little shops and bistros that sell wine, crème de cassis, and mustards of many flavors (gingerbread, tarragon, even blackcurrant). 

 

The famous Maille mustard shop.

You can explore the town of Dijon by following the "Owl Walk".  The owl or "chouette"  is the symbol of Dijon, and there is a sculpture of an owl on the far side of the Notre Dame church that you can pet with your left hand for good luck.

Brass owl plaques in the street guide you along.

He doesn't look like much, but this little guy is supposed to bring good luck.

At the Notre Dame de Dijon, the bell tower is quite unique.  Instead of a swinging bell, there is a statue Jacquemart and he mechanically hits the bell with a hammer.  Years ago, the city of Dijon felt that this poor statue of Jaquemart looked lonely.  As a result - they created 3 more statues and gave Jaquemart a wife and 2 kids.  Ahhh…how sweet!

 

Notre Dame gargoyles, nobody mentioned these guys who also keep Jaquemart company.

At one point on our journey, our tour leader said with her beautiful German accent "People from all over the world come here to have a really good crap".  Silence among the crowd.  Did she really just say that?  Hmmm...OH!!  She means crepe!  People from all over the world stop in Dijon to have what France is famous for:  crepes!

The beautiful Judith - not only did she put up with the rain,
 but she also put up with our endless questions!

My tour group decided to forego crepes, surprisingly after that visual.  We opted to sit on a patio at the Place De La Liberte and drink instead.  My new favorite European drink is called a Monaco:  beer with lemonade and grenadine.  Yes ladies, pink beer.  What's next, beer with mustard?

"La Lib" in Dijon.

Mmmmm....Monaco.

Dr. Who?

As I left Switzerland behind with my suitcase filled with chocolate, I entered France for the second time.  In the North East corner of France is the Bourgogne (Burgundy) wine district.  I really enjoyed my stay in Dijon, and the best part was my day-trip to Beaune.

Once in Beaune, my tour group and I rented bicycles.  We set off on a 16 km tour of the vineyards in Beaune which are connected by many villages that thrive on the wine business.  Each village has multiple wine cellars, known as "caves" in French.

Zanner's version of the Tour de France.

The bike trip through Cote de Beaune was amazing.  This was probably my favorite day on my entire solo Europe experience (without Greg).  The feeling of coasting down the hills with the fresh air blowing in my face, while appreciating row upon row of lush green vines, is something I will always cherish.  I felt like I was in a movie - this couldn't possibly be for real, could it?

Beautiful vineyards.

Fay leads the group.

The green vineyards were vibrant against the blue sky and sunshine, and were dotted with stone houses and small work shops.  The bike path was paved and connected village after village in this impressive setting.  It certainly was not a flat ride - some hills had me huffing and puffing and I was thankful for the 27 gears on my rented bike.

Hills of Beaune.

 The bike ride was on a Sunday morning and the villages were tranquil and serene.

Serene side street.

My favorite village was Meursault.  I must have good taste because the wines from Meursault are priced at 5 times that of the neighboring villages.  Meursault is quaint with cobblestone buildings, a church, a water fountain, restaurants and a patisserie.  There were no souvenir shops - I was in heaven!  Our carefree caravan had a picnic lunch in the main square in Meursault before we continued on our journey.

Meursault restaurant.

Quaint little creek with lily pads.

Upon returning exhausted to Beaune, and after returning the bikes (thankfully), we walked to the "La Cave de L'Ange Gardien" for a 'degustation' - a wine tasting.  Let me introduce you to Docteur Pierre, our animated Sommelier.

Docteur Pierre - Sommelier extraordinaire.

Pierre informed us that the wines from the Cote de Beaune will extend our lives and keep us healthy.  He didn't have to tell me twice - I was the first in line for a taste!

The entire group at the wine tasting in Beaune.

We tasted 10 wines (5 white and 5 red), one champagne and a blackcurrant  liqueur called "Crème de Cassis".  Blending the Crème de Cassis with Champagne was a delectable end to our very dynamic wine tasting.

All Burgundy wine is 100% Chardonnay whites, and 100% Pinot Noir reds.  With one exception, I tried a Pinot Beurot which is extremely rare due to weak market demand.  The whites were very crisp and light which is a result of the clay content in the soil.  The pallet of the reds was quite broad - light reds that tasted as if they were whites, all the way to dark, smokey, deep reds at the top of the price scale.

France does not permit the use of irrigation on any vineyard.  Pierre explained that the roots of these Old World vines travel deep into the soil, sometimes up to 20 meters, in search of water.  This creates a hardy, stable vine with a strong, developed root network that can live for up to 70 years.  The New World wines  have roots that are at the surface, waiting for water from rain or irrigation.  As water becomes an increasingly valuable commodity, Dr. Pierre predicts a sad demise for New World vines.

One of the wines we tried was from Pommier, which fittingly was the first village we cycled to on our bike trip.  Pommier is a red wine that is very popular with the ladies, and according to Pierre it is an aphrodisiac (Sorry Greg, I couldn't afford to buy a bottle).  The story passed down within the local community is that in the Bible, when Abraham and Sarah were not able to conceive a child, they finally got pregnant when Sarah was in her nineties because she finally drank some Pommier.  Pierre explained that for 69 Euros, women can enjoy the unique smooth leathery, smoke flavored aphrodisiac.  He then proclaimed:

"Aftairr I zell zee bottle ov Pommier, I must leef zee rhoom.  I doo nhottte vante too know vat happeens aftairr!"

My wine of choice was definitely the thick, sweet Crème de Cassis.  Pierre insisted that this drink can prevent Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and many cancers, and if we did not enjoy it we could call him a "Bool Sheettair"!  It was a big seller, and  our host kept his title of Dr. Pierre.

Dr. Pierre pours the Creme de Cassis.

Out Of The Shadows Into The Sun

In Interlaken, about 2 hours from Lucerne, I hiked to the Trummelbach water falls.  The hike was along the  Lutschine river that was silt grey in color and reminded me of the Athabasca river near Jasper. 

Geared up for a wet hike.

Lutschine river.

There were Swiss chalets and dairy cows along the hike. There is so much mist and fog in the mountains that all Swiss cows wear cowbells so the farmers can hear them as they certainly aren't able to see them.

The Trummelbach falls are a thunderous expression of Mother Nature's power and strength.  You can hear the roar of the water from hundreds of meters away.  There are 10 glaciers that feed 20,000 liters of water a second into a huge gorge carved into the mountain.  How did they even measure that? 

Canyon carved in the mountain.

An elevator takes you deep into the rock where there are lights and caves that allow you to see and hear the waterfalls up close.  I got very wet, both from the rain and the waterfalls.  I guess if one is going to get soaked hiking in the rain, you may as well enjoy getting wet from the waterfalls too.

Cave and corridor inside the mountain.

It gushes and it thunders!

My second day in Interlaken, I hiked from Iseltwald to Bonigen.  This made for a nice afternoon hike up a very steep climb to be rewarded with gorgeous views of Lake Brienz. 

View of Lake Brienz from the start of my hike in Iseltwald.

It was a steep climb!

Again I was blessed with the trail to myself, and a quiet, thought provoking hike.  I found a small waterfall and was able to appreciate it's beauty without sharing it with anyone. My solitude in the presence of the waterfall was a gift from Mother Nature for which I thank her deeply.

Beautifully simple waterfall near Bonigen.

An expression of gratitude for all I am thankful for.

Mother Nature's gifts are plentiful in Switzerland.  After having rain for days on end, the sky cleared on the third day and the sun came out.  I woke at 5:30 am to take the Early Bird train to the "Top of Europe", the Jungfraujoch, on the Jungfrau mountain. 

Eiger peak on the left, Jungfrau peak on the right.

In the middle of summer, we traveled 2.5 hours by train, popped our ears, and stepped out onto a huge glacier.  Just like that, we went from summer to a winter wonderland!

View from the glacier at Jungfraujoch.

Lindsay and Kerry enjoying a seat at the glacier bar.

Gorgeous and glamorous glacier girls:  Lindsay, Kerry, Joan and Zanner.

I ventured onto the Sphinx viewing platform and onto the Plateau.  I had to walk really slow due to the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude.  I saw breathtaking views, literally!   



On the Sphinx viewing platform.



It was a treat to see the Alps in the sun by looking down, instead of always looking up in the rain.

Top of the Alps.



Above the clouds.



Chocolat

The scenery changed dramatically as soon as my train exited the tunnel  connecting Italy with Switzerland.  In Italy the housing is cement villas;  in Switzerland the housing  is chalets surrounded by small farms and gardens. 

Sing it:  "Swiss Chalet...always so good for so little!"

The first thing I did upon arriving in Lucerne was visit a chocolate shop with rows and rows of chocolate of every flavor combination.  I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Chocolate with pistachios, chocolate with lemon & pepper, chocolate with salt, chocolate with ginger and even chocolate with Jack Daniels.  There are many chocolate shops  in Switzerland, and the wonderful aromas inticing you to enter are very hard to resist.

Hmmm...which one to pick?

The city of Lucerne is built around a lake which is crystal clear and postcard perfect with swans and ducks milling about.  The morning was sunny and beautiful and a walk around the lake once again reaffirmed my affinity for such gorgeous landscapes. 

Lake Lucerne.

Sweet Swiss swan swiftly swimming.

For the locals, the lake in Lucerne is the Vierwaldstattersee (say that name three time really fast!).  The lake is fed by the river Reuss.  There are two wooden bridges that cross the river, each decorated with painted panels. 

Wooden Spreuerbrücke bridge over the River Reuss.

Gory painting on a bridge panel.

The main bridge burnt down in 1993 and has been reconstructed, but only 67 of 111 paintings were saved.  One entire bridge is lined with flower baskets which looks lovely in the sunshine, and there is an ancient mill along the rivers edge. 

Kapellbrücke bridge, designed in medieval times.

Bridge entrance and flowers.

In the city center is a carving in honor of 700 Swiss soldiers killed in 1792.  The Lucerne Lion is carved out of a stone wall and is extremely moving.  I could feel the despair and mourning of the artist even though hundreds of years have passed.

The Lion of Lucerne.

I enjoyed walking up the hills of Lucerne to the Helsana Trail that gave me gorgeous views of Mt. Pilatus, the city and the lake.  All this uphill hiking means I can eat more chocolate, right?

View of Lucerne from the top of the Helsana Trail.

Someone needs to lay off the chocolate.

As Good As It Gets

Every once in a while my life seems to make sense.  Somehow, the cosmos come together as I gaze across a view that confirms my existence on this planet cannot be for nothing. 

Lago Maggiore in Northern Italy.

The lake is surrounded by hills and has many islands.

View from my hotel room.

Such an all-encompassing panorama stops all senses, and my body is able to center itself and recharge.  This has only happened for me on a few prior occasions, but each cosmic shift has occurred at a lake. 

Island and Castle Cannero.

Castle Cannero at night.

Lakeside views, especially at sunset, allow me to harness the "Power of Now" and all the themes from self-help books that are jostling around in my head.

Tramonto Italiano - Italian sunset.

It poured rain for most of my stay in Stresa, a lakeside village on Lago Maggiore in Italy.  The sun peaked out in the evenings but the days were rainy.  I travelled on a ferry to see several of the islands collected on Lago Maggiore.  In Verbania Pallanza I was treated to a free outdoor concert, and a cup of rich, elegant hot chocolate.

Lago Maggiore Ferry - The Venezia.

Choir ensemble in Pallanza.

I believe the rain was  a good thing.  Had it been sunny and nice, I would have been forced to  send Greg a plane ticket to join me in this paradise.  We may have never returned home and as a result I would miss my family and friends.  I still enjoyed my time in the rain, but things happen for a reason.