Who Cut the Cheese?

We cut the cheese! For our second night in Dijon, AJ and I decided to cook dinner for Christophe and Mathilde, broken spaghetti risotto with chicken and fresh zucchini and tomato. It is customary in France to have a glass of wine and a small appetizer before the meal and either cheese or a dessert after the meal. Here we are enjoying a spread of cheeses all made in this area of Burgundy, France that included a goat cheese, a delicious creamy cheese, a harder but parmigian resembling "prince of cheeses" and a really stinky cheese referred to as the king of cheeses! Oh and just so everyone knows how exclusive the king of cheeses is; several people died from eating it a few years ago. The cheese is illegal in AmericaOur first stop of the day was Eglise Notre Dame of Dijon that has a facade with, as you can see, tons of gargoyles. Each and every one is different and has its own frightening grimmace. It is said that if you stand directly underneath them you are able to see every single one.

Inside Notre Dame, which was refreshingly light and bright compared to other Notre Dames we have been in. The clearstory windows were in fact clear and allowed in much more light than traditional stained glass. The clearstory windows were not decorated with any pictures but the church was beautiful nonetheless.

We just could not pass by these without snapping a shot. These mannequins were so strange and eye-catching! They sort of resemble the smile of Jack Nicholas in Batman. Creepy!

Our next stop was the Cathedrale St. Benigne that also housed the Archeological museum. We are finding that since all of the plaques and descriptions are not in english, we have been moving through museums at a much faster rate!

This is the outside of St. Benigne where you can see some of the famously tiled roof located on the left. This region is famous for the colorful tiled roofs which were created to show power and prestige both with citezens and with the church.

Us in front of the impressively huge organ inside the Cathedrale St. Benigne. Most of the churches we have visted have been relatively empty, a couple of times we have walked into a church and have been the only ones there! After having to shuffle through Notre Dame in Paris among hundreds of whispering tourists, I think we really enjoy the times when it is quiet and peaceful.

The light coming through the clearstory windows onto this crucifix was so beautiful.

Another interesting view of St. Begnine. We have really enjoyed staying in Dijon not just because of the amazing history, but also because everything is within walking distance. We can walk all around the town in 30-45 min. which provides us with a huge relief from public transportation.

On our way back to the apartment for lunch, we took a detour so that we could see this statue, Foyer du Renouveau.

Tonight Mathilde and Christophe are cooking a ratatouille for us! We are so excited to try it! They have been excellent couch surfing hosts and have been treating us to wonderful foods from this area, mustard, wine, cheese!