Issue No. 15

The unique and free to enter Museum of
Burgundy Life in Dijon has an eclectic and
rather wonderful mix of objects from giant
snail sculptures to a clock in the shape of
the Eiffel Tower. The recreations of shops
and their contents from the 19th and early
20th Centuries are truly superb.
Dine out in Dijon
Rest your feet and people watch at Place
Francois Rude, encircled by cafés and bars
whose tables spill onto the pedestrianised
square. A lively place named after the
Dijon-born sculptor of “La Marseilleise”
which graces the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
The locals call it Place du Bareuzai thanks
to the statue of a naked man treading
grapes; the name means ”red stockings”
(from bas rosé) which the winegrowers had
after crushing grapes with their feet.
There’s a huge choice of places to eat in
Dijon but I really love Les Oenophiles
restaurant for its 15th century pigeonnier,
17th century dining room, 100% home
cooked food and incredible tasting boeuf
bourguignon, the region’s signature dish.
A perfect Day in Dijon
My perfect day would start with a visit to
Dijon market lapping up the atmosphere,
followed by coffee in the square with a
nibble on a nonette, the local gingerbread
cake. Then I'd browse the second hand
book stalls, have lunch in the Place
Francois Rude and wander the shops and
museums in the afternoon. After which I
reckon it would be time for an apero at the
hipster houseboat Peniche Cancale and
then dinner at Les Oenophiles.