grandmasingallipoli

A stay in Dijon would not be complete without a visit to the Musées de la Vie Bourguignonne (Museum of Burgundian Life). This charming history of daily life in Dijon from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20thcentury, is set in the peaceful cloister of the Bernadine Monastery. The ground floor has displays of rural life which are quite life like and a wonderful representation of how life was. Difficult! On the first floor, the reconstruction of 10 businesses was fascinating. It was most exciting for us when we saw the Pernot Biscuit business … Lyn and Neville’s apartment in Villa Pernot featured. Thursday brings us to our last day in Dijon, enjoying a progressive lunch: first at La Petite Rein Bistro near the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy then on to La ... read more

Friday 22 July 2016 Travelling south, back towards Dijon, we stopped at Colmar for lunch. A very different entry welcomed us…the Statue of Liberty! After finding a carpark (what a marvel Neville is!) we wound our way on foot to a canal side restaurant, passing a variety of housing and shops along the way. Eight centuries of Germanic and French architecture feature in this colourfully eclectic town of the Alsace region. The flowers that line the canal were in abundance, adding charm to the shuttered housing behind. The town was founded in the 9th century and is also known as ‘Little Venice’ due to the number of canals that cross the river Lauch. We tried to find the Hansi Museum but aborted our attempts; the growing humidity was oppressive and rain was threatening. With car parks ... read more

Tuesday 19 July 216 The warmth of the summer air and the brilliant blue sky promised another glorious day. A picnic lunch was packed and our wonderful driver worked out the travelling itinerary. A delightful sojourn through ancient villages, flowers blooming and providing splashes of colour upon entry, adorning window boxes; Charolais cattle grazing, fields of wheat, barley and sunflowers...such rich agriculture. Picture story books come to life. Our picnic destination was Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, about 60 kms from Dijon. It’s the most exquisite village that’s claim to fame is its tantalizing anise sweets (bonbons). The fragrance of anise wafts through the air. This village also provided the setting for the film ‘Chocolat’. The façade of the chocolate shop is there but the actual shop is closed. Wandering through the hilly village was like a step back in ... read more

An early start Saturday morning - 7:30am. Why? We were on our way to a vide-grenier (garage sale) at Gergy before having lunch at Chalon-sur-Saône. Neville drove a scenic route, which was beautiful, sojourning through quaint villages. Look, Madame! A brocante! Where? Stop! What a treat we were in for as Neville pulled to a stop opposite a church (complete with cemetery) at the village of Corberone. A hand written sign at the gate showed us the way in…we shall let the photos tell the story! Madame Smith came away happily with a mustard pot and a bigger pot (useful for something!) Neville found some glasses, while Mabel and Jan just marveled at the collections. But Neville, we still need to go to Gergy. A further drive along narrow roads, through more quaint villages, past wheat ... read more

Tuesday 12 July 2016 Rain poured for most of our northbound journey. Neville welcomed the planned stop at Lyon. This stop was extremely significant for Mabel. Her only brother, Lyon, was named after this city. Her father, Sgt Wesley Charles Rivers Taylor, had travelled by train through France from Marseilles in 1916. After his time in Gallipoli he wrote the following in his diary: Thursday 30th March 1916 Arrived Marseilles 7 oclock. I am in love with France Friday 31st March 1916 Left the Briton at 8.30 & entrained an hour later Saturday 1st April 1916 Stunned by the beauty of France Sunday 2nd April 1916 We have been travelling for 26 hours. It is glorious. Hot tea is waiting for us at every main station. I am writing this on Les Laumes. (Venarey-les-Laumes is in ... read more