It took us 6.5 hrs (by train) to head back north to Dijon (Burgundy region). My first impression of Dijon wasn’t good as I exited the train station. Construction left, right and centre. However as I got to the city centre (10 minutes walking distance from the train station), I soon changed my mind. It’s my kind of town ..small, historical & friendly with a village atmosphere. If I am to study French in France for a few months, it will be a toss up between ‘Tours’ and Dijon. Both are university towns, close to Paris (1.5hrs by train) and are picturesque. Dijon may just win out… with its beef bourguignon, escargot and vineyards…I can also ‘study’ about wines! We did manage to do a wine tour of this region…which was fascinating and informative (Euro 55/person). Burgundy wine region is relatively small (10-15% of France’s wine regions) but it produces 25-30% of the top French wines (whereas the Bordeaux wine regions are the opposite…30% of the region but produces only 15% of the top French wines). The French wine rankings are: the Region (Euro 3-6/bottle), the Village (Euro 7-20 /bottle), 1st Premier (Euro 20 & up) and the big daddy of them all is ranked as the ‘Grand Crus’ (Euro 100+/bottle). Dijon is our last French town, we will soon be heading to Venice Italy (7 hrs by train). As it turned out, it’s a great time to leave France as the rail/energy rolling strikes will soon recommence.
