Dijon, France, 15th June 2013

Troyes - still in Champagne but gradually working our way south. This morning the Troyes Tourist office set us up with a walking tour of the city. It bills itself as the city of ten churches, but we only poked our noses into one - St Madeline - to see the 16thC stained glass. I was particularly taken with Isaiah's tree. 

 The Troyes tourist office caters for doggy visitors and there are plenty of them. They cost 3 euros a night in our hotel.

 Detail of the 1508 Isaiah's tree window in the church of St Madeline, Troyes.

 

There are streets of half timbered buildings. Unlike England where they are all have black painted timber with white or cream plaster in between, the French favour unpainted timber with pastel coloured plaster. A piece of trivia - the troy ounce still used today for weighing precious metals originated in Troyes in Medieval times.

 Half timbered houses in Troyes.

 Detail of the timbering.

 Coffee in the main square in Troyes, but it is not exactly crawling with tourists.

 

Troyes was an important textile centre from the 12thC but these days I think all the clothes are imported.

No not a bar in Cork - this one is in Troyes and has good coffee!

 It was quite a city under the Romans, and for a change from churches we drove out to inspect a Roman bridge. I think it has little of the original fabric remaining, but as usual the Romans were on the money when they chose the site. 

Although we have not driven over a large area of the region, the building materials have changed from dressed limestone blocks around Epernay through brick to half timbered to smallish stones set in mortar. 

On Friday we went to Vezelay. The basilica of Mary Magdalene was built on the site of a Roman villa and dates from 1120. An enterprising monk brought the relics of Mary Magdalene (who had died in Provence!!!) to Vezelay and pilgrims flocked there and the abbey made a fortune. Later it was one of the assembly points for pilgrimages to Santiago del Compostela in Spain - although today most pilgrims start in the Pyrenees. As you might guess, the basilica is at the top of a hill, but the street leading up to it is interesting. We were lucky to arrive as the choir of nuns and monks were singing unaccompanied (Gregorian chant?). The acoustics are excellent and the singing  sounded superb. 

 Looking along an alley in Vezelay.

 The main drag up to the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene, Vezelay.

 The Romanesque nave of the Basilica.

 A solitary nun prays in the choir of the basilica. Three Catholic and one Orthodox community are associated with the basilica.

The choir singing in the Basilica.

 

Later we drove to Dijon and managed to get caught in the rush hour. 

Today, Saturday we made an excursion to Beaune and then Autun both in Burgundy and top wine country. It was market day in Beaune and it was a good market although I did not see anyone selling snails! 

 The market in Beaune

A Brocante stall in the market.

 

Beaune is where Nicolas Rolin and his third wife Guigone de Sallins established a charity hospital for the poor in 1443. It functioned until the 1950s when the estate was able to build a new hospital. Of course it suffered during the French revolution, but some treasures were hidden. 

 The main courtyard of Hotel-Dieu des Hospices Civil de Beaune. The glazed tile roofs are typical of Burgundy.

 General view of the Great Hall with ~ 25 beds along both sides and a Chapel at the far end.

 The kitchen of the hospital.

 One of the treasures hidden during the French Revolution - the Polyptych of the Last Judgement. Gabriel is weighing the naked souls of the dead. The good go off to heaven on the left and the damned off to the right and Hell (cut off in this photo)

 

Our second stop for the day was in Autun to see the remnants of the Roman theatre and one of the Roman gates to the city.

Remains of the Roman theatre in Autun. Its use as a soccer field seems quite appropriate.