On the road (1) – Six countries, nine days COMPLETED About This Page:

[OhToodles!]

Originally Posted by chezp

Just rub it in!

Sorry!! I will say that we do have some of the cheapest gas prices in the country though.

[lazanya]

The Cathedral is gorgeous inside!
Holy Cow! $7.60 per gallon for gas? Certainly not going to complain about our gas prices here.

[Cam22]

That cathedral is gorgeous, and it is so wonderful that it is being restored. Great pictures!

[chezp]

Originally Posted by lazanya

The Cathedral is gorgeous inside!
Holy Cow! $7.60 per gallon for gas? Certainly not going to complain about our gas prices here.

I always love it when someone posts something about the price of gas and "how much is it where you live?" Oddly, I always win that competition....

I filled up the car at home today - it cost me £60.50. At the exchange rate today, that's $91!

[taylan1]

Wonderful pictures! I love the stain glass windows at the Cathedral, so beautiful. Okay 7.60 a gallon , and I thought it was nuts when we hit 4.00 a gallon 2 years ago. I am not going to complain about 2.69 that we are paying now, I am just happy with the prices here and glad we do not live over seas. Sorry.

[piglet925]

Wow, the stain glass windows in the cathedral were just amazing. I do hope to get over the pond one day..... And I'll make sure to tell my husband that we could be paying $7.60 a gallon for gas when he gripes about summer traffic coming thru and we're only paying $2.79. Can't wait to read and see more.

[luvnwdwgal]

Wonderful photos! Looking forward to many more!

[Principessa_di_Fata]

I'm intrigued here now... what kind of gas mileage do cars over there get (as an average)? Because I mean at that cost... holy crow! We get about 28 mpg on highway and maybe 21/22 mpg locally, both of which are pretty decent for a Honda... but I cannot imagine paying $7.60 / gallon for that gas mileage....

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata

I'm intrigued here now... what kind of gas mileage do cars over there get (as an average)? Because I mean at that cost... holy crow! We get about 28 mpg on highway and maybe 21/22 mpg locally, both of which are pretty decent for a Honda... but I cannot imagine paying $7.60 / gallon for that gas mileage....

I know, during the road trip, Mark kept checking on our mileage per gallon and it was working out to around 42 or 43, which he told me was very good. For a tank, which is about 50 litres (I'm thinking about 10 or 12 gallons, but I'm not 100%sure of the conversion for that), I usually get about 450 miles or so from the car.

[chezp]

Friday 19 March – part four: medieval surprises in the heart of France

Soon, we were pulling off the motorway and on to a smaller road, which allowed us to get a bit more of a taste of “real” France, as we passed through some tiny villages.



Our entertainment here was provided by the white Renault car in front of us who got stuck behind a lorry and tried to overtake him at the worst possible moments. Some of his manoeuvres right in front of us had us shaking our heads and pulling as far back from him as we possibly could.

Finally we were in Dijon...



... and after waiting ages to get on to one roundabout, I suddenly saw signs that said La Toison d’Or and I’d seen that name in relation to our hotel, so I knew it was near to here. So it proved to be. We passed a shopping centre, including Carrefour, one of the biggest supermarket chains in France and our hotel was right next door. What a beautiful place it was. As we drew up to it, I was really impressed with it.



When I entered, that feeling continued. After explaining in French that I had a reservation, the receptionist asked me if English would be easier – well and she explained all about the hotel and asked if we’d be having breakfast. Let’s just say not at their prices! : I was suddenly very glad that we’d gone to the supermarket last time to buy some breakfast items....

We were given a room on the sixth – and it turned out – top floor. As we walked there, I hoped that perhaps it might have a view over Dijon and we were in luck, as that’s exactly what we got. From there, we could see that there was a park just across the road from the hotel. This truly was a lovely location.



The room, as you can see, was very contemporary and I really liked the look of it. We were also pleasantly surprised by the size of it. I said to Mark that this was perhaps the hotel that I was least sure of. With most, I had picked the top rated, or amongst the top rated, from Trip Advisor, to give me a bit more security that we’d be staying in a nice place, but this was one that I hadn’t really checked. I needn’t have worried. : Just like the hotel we stayed in at Hiroshima, which again I was unsure of, it had turned out to be a real winner.





I quickly discovered that we had free wi-fi in the room, after reading the French in the hotel information directory. Interestingly, there was no mention of it in the English translation.... I quickly got on the boards, checked my e-mail and updated Facebook and then set about sorting out all the photos I’d taken on the way down, while Mark had a nap. Poor guy, he had done a heck of a lot of driving today.

An hour or so later, he woke up and we had dinner, the salads that we’d picked up from the supermarket the night before, along with some cake, which did for us. Not long after, we headed out to go and see the centre of Dijon. We found it easily enough and enjoyed some wonderful architecture on the way in, all very contemporary, but as we got closer to the centre, the older and more traditional it became:



We thought that we might have a nightmare finding a parking space, but we lucked out and found one right by the Notre Dame church, a wonderful Gothic building that dates from the 13th century, although we did keep an eye on the guy who was parking behind us, until he changed his mind that was and took off, in reverse, for the other side of the road, nearly knocking us over as we crossed the road. Gotta love those French drivers.



We wandered through the narrow medieval streets and literally every corner we turned, we saw more beautiful buildings waiting for us.



This was such a lively place as well. It’s clear that it’s well used and no doubt well used by those who live here. It had a great vibrant feel to it. We walked past many great places, including the Museum of Fine Arts housed in the Palais des Ducs, which was originally used by the Ducs of Burgundy.




Then it was into the Place de la Liberation, which was created in the 17th century. It’s a stunning place and really does take you back in time a good couple of hundred years as you stand there, just taking it all in.



From there, we walked back to the car. Mark did say to me that he hoped I knew where the car was. I had my trusty DK guidebook with me and I had a rough idea, but even I was pleasantly surprised at how easily we found her. I was very glad to get out of there, as the prospect of leaving my beloved car parked at the side of the road, as mad French drivers parked in front of her and behind her didn’t exactly inspire me. :

We headed back to the hotel, but decided to go and have a look in the Tousin d’Or shopping centre. I suggested to Mark that we could just go back to the hotel and park there and walk in from there, as finding a space at the front of the complex was a nightmare. He didn’t think you could walk through, but as soon as we walked in, it became clear that you could.



After a quick browse round C&A, a clothes shop that we used to have at home, we headed back to the car and drove back to the hotel. We dumped anything we didn’t need back in the room, including our cameras, and wandered into the shopping centre and into Carrefour. I spotted a dress that might work for Mark’s sister’s wedding in May, but once I’d checked (in French! ) that I could try it on, it became clear it just wasn’t me.

Instead, we hit the seafood section and got some prawns to eat when we got back to the room and then Mark suggested looking for the French wine that my dad likes. We found it, but it’s obviously exceptionally popular, as there were only two bottles left, so we grabbed those, paid and headed back to the hotel.

Prawns duly eaten, we watched NCIS: Los Angeles dubbed into French, which is quite an experience I can tell you! Then it was off to bed.

Today we drove 355 miles.
The weather today was in the low 60s and sunny, although it was foggy in the UK and then raining at first when we got to France.
The best thing today was seeing the medieval centre of Dijon.
The worst thing today was the weather that greeted us when we arrived in France.
The funniest thing today was Mark with the champagne bottle photo opportunity in Reims.
Today we tried visiting Reims Cathedral
And the result was it’s a stunning building and well worth seeing.
The most magical moment today was walking into Reims Cathedral.

Next: are you sure we’re going the right way?

[ccmom]

I can't believe this is just the first day! It seems like you've done so much. If it had been me doing the napping, I would probably have slept through till morning. Beautiful pictures, as always.

[honeybee723]

The little town looks lovely.

[Colexis Mom]

What great pictures of Dijon! Another great day!

[disney_duke]

Is it just me, or does this look inspire the France pavilion at Epcot??? Well done, Imagineers!!!

What a great reward after such a long drive. Dijon looks like a very fun place! And picturesque too. I'm glad your hotel turned out in your favor, that's !!!!

[Principessa_di_Fata]

I can't get over all you've done in one day! I'm totally impressed!! LOVE all the photos! I just love European architecture.