Digne to Dijon, France

Thursday September 22, 2011

Bon Jour!
Ty n I had a sword fight with our bagels over breakfast with me the undefeated champion after I broke the tip off of his and struck him a death blow in the heart.  We packed up the car and walked the streets for a while, smelling perfumes and touching silks.

Statue at Digne les Bains

We drove out of Digne-les-Bains after a quick pastry and continued our journey north through tiny french villages high in the winding passes. This is a very scenic drive and there are viewpoints, picnic spots and campgrounds all along the way.  For our third breakfast of the day (life is tough!), we stopped in the small town of Gap for Crepes and coffee and walked the shops and boutiques.  We have had a very difficult time getting our kind of coffee here... In the U.K. they call drip coffee "a filter" even at Starbucks and they will reluctantly pour you some cream out of a jug if you ask and insist on it. But in Italy and France, we have only had expressos.  They are quite adamant that you speak in French here too.. telling us several times, that this is France... speak in French! (which we do our best with though its tough! Its even harder driving down freeways and not understanding the signs to get into and out of towns and find parking!)

We walked through several towns (parking and toll roads are expensive here!) and the "Ville Centre" in Grenoble.  We stopped for a history lesson at Prairie de la Recontre where Napolean made his first stand and after lunch we drove for several hours arriving in Lyon where we walked the Rue de Victor Hugo and ordered sushi.  It was an interesting chore ordering dinner from a Japanese person who only spoke French! 

I picked this "pear" along the way and tried to eat it. My first bite numbed my whole mouth and tongue and it went out the window!

Fields of Sunflower plants

Me and Napolean's monument at Prairie de la Recontre

We are staying the night in a hotel just south of Dijon and will defitely shop for some mustard in the morning! We will be in Paris by noon tomorrow where we will leave our car and go to the Royal Aboukir where we are booked in for a couple nights, right in front of the Louvre. Too cool!