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Wednesday.
We decided to have an early breakfast at the hotel in Dijon this morning as it was more to our taste – fruit, cereal, yoghurt etc. as well as croissants, baguettes pastries etc. Once we had finished packing our bags we all walked down to the station which was all of 5 minutes away and eventually parted company. Jan was very nervous about the driving ahead of them through France and Italy, and I must say I was very pleased to be getting on a train. The trains in France (that we have experienced anyway) are very good. Extremely comfortable, plenty of leg room and spaces for the luggage. We have travelled on both the fast trains and the inter-city trains and they have all been excellent and run exactly to time to the second.
We arrived in Troyes the capital of the Champagne region, at precisely 12.07 and found our way easily to our hotel. Once again, the street in front of our hotel is being done up and turned into more of a pedestrian walkway with limited vehicle access. It is nearly finished fortunately. The hotel is extremely old – will find out later how old, but I would say at least somewhere in the 16th century. Our room is very quaint with a fireplace (non functional) and lots of beams, sloping floors and original flag stones. The ensuite is perfectly adequate if a little small, but it must be a nightmare converting these old buildings to cater for modern facilities. Our shower has two roses, one about 300mm diameter, the other a smaller hand held rose. A bit of an over kill in a 700mm square shower, but it is very nice, having tried it already.
We have walked our socks off since we arrived as this place is absolutely amazing. Every corner you turn presents a dozen photo opportunities. I don’t think I have every been in a town or city with so many really old buildings - there are 10 churches, more like cathedrals really all dating back from the 13th – 16th Century. We only managed to go inside one St Madeline church (mid 12th and 16th Century which is famous for the hand chiselled lace stone jube. (photo on photo album). There are also hundreds of half timbered buildings from the 16th century. Many have been restored and there are a lot that are undergoing restoration. There are lots of old wells around the city too. Must find out more about the history tomorrow.
Of course we had to stop for lunch and found a table in the sun, the obligatory beer and then I had a salad and Paul a crepe l’Indienne (curried chicken etc.) he said it was really good. We did have to fight off the wasps which we have found to be a real pest throughout France. As soon as anything sweet comes out they make a complete nuisance of themselves. One of the waitresses brought out a coke bottle filled with a sweet liquid and put it on a window sill nearby in the hope that this would lure them away. Sort of worked!!
It has been a beautiful day – hot and sunny with no wind to speak of. We got a little tired around 3 pm and came back and had a wee rest then out to tackle the walking tour map again. We keep getting it wrong though and have trouble deciding which way is up on the map.
Doing the blog now and having a glass of Chardonnay – the first in France. We have been drinking mostly bubbly or reds.
More later once we have been out for dinner. That could be a challenge as there are a thousand restaurants here (slight exaggeration)
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