On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Dextrous
Of the places we have visited in the last five years when we began travelling, France keeps pulling us back. In August 2022, we journeyed around France by train using Eurail passes. Our stops were restricted to places we could get to by train, and we focused on the east central region. Our first base was Dijon, from which we took day trips to Beaune, Vienne and Alesia.
The entrance to the old part of Dijon is through a triumphal arch. This is an 18th century arch and while not historically meaningful to me, gave the perfect entry into one of the most charming well-preserved old quarters I have seen. Although the paved plaza is continuous before and after the arch, the mental transition is remarkable. The view is a vision of the old quarter as seen from the outside.
The streets were lined with stone buildings from many eras. They were not claustrophobically narrow, and allowed generous views of the summer sky overhead. Although midsummer, the air was dry and we did not feel the heat.
Dijon has many shops and street markets to buy local specialties. This facade is of the Maison Milliere, est. 1483. I am always taken by the attention given to the surface in old architecture. It is especially thrilling when it is a byproduct of the underlying structure, format following function. If the glass panes have to be held together, why not regularize the canes into a pattern. If there be pilasters, why not terminate them in heads.
In a charming walkable interesting city, this building stood out for the tapestry of plants hanging down the wall. I know the amount of work it takes to keep up with this many annuals in planters. There is a devoted gardener behind this effort and I tipped my hat every time I passed this corner.
There are plenty of stock images of this market but this one is mine. We did not know this is one of the best covered markets in France, or that it was famous, or that Gustave Eiffel designed it. Famous it may be, but it was the real thing and not a show put on for tourists. We just wandered through and grazed. I could easily imagine a life lived here, choosing what looked good, and dining on your finds. We watched snails being stuffed and cakes being baked. The next two images are of fish and fowl for sale, if you prefer to skip them.
Translates as seabass or sea dace in English.
Wild turkey I believe.
The Notre Dame cathedral was begun in the 13th century and restored in the 19th. There are dozens of gargoyles on one side, also restored in the 19th century. On another side there is an owl carved into a buttress that everyone rubs for good luck. The owl is now a symbol of the city and has a tourist walk named for it, Parcours de la Chouette or Owl Walk.
The mid summer sky at twilight glowed an unearthly blue as the yellow lights in the plazas lit up. It was a combination of latitude, season, dry air, and magic. If I could, I would live here.
JPL
Your pctures are fascinating, and that market is so enticing.
Kristine
Grazing my way through a market like that is one of my life’s goals. Thanks for the photos.
AM in NC
Love these, and your descriptions too! Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Outside of Paris, I’ve only been to Strasbourg in France, and it was magical. Now I want my own Eurail pass!
Benw
France is cool. Thanks for sharing
Dorothy A. Winsor
Love the pics. France keeps drawing us back too.
Betty
The French do love the aesthetically pleasing. It makes visiting there such a great experience.
eclare
Beautiful photos. Merci.
Lapassionara
Thanks for these lovely photos. And for noticing the details.
HeartlandLiberal
Great pictures, well composed. Thanks for publishing them.
bjacques
Lovely! Bordeaux and s like that too. There’s an old city gate right by the old town. It’s a lot bigger and busier though.
Cowgirl in the Sandi
We also just got back from France and Dijon was one of my favorite places. Such an approachable city. Thanks for the pictures.
Yutsano
It makes me wonder though: who released wild turkeys in France?
Dijon looks so wonderfully peaceful. I wonder if they were better off than most towns in WWII.
skerry
Thanks for the lovely photos. I visited Dijon in 1983 and I think I need to return.
Madeleine
Thank you for these lovely photos and their captions. Now I can imagine visiting Dijon.
BigJimSlade
Lovely photos :-)
Paul Begala's Pink Tie
J’adore Dijon. I lived there for a semester in college and studied at the Universite de Bourgogne. These photos made me so happy!
Elizabelle
Bien, Dijon is on the list. Love the cathedral at early dark; love that shade of blue. And the Eiffel market, and all of your pics.
Dan B
Wonderful photos of a wonderful place.
The wall of plants is called a living wall. The one in your pictures is primarily annuals but the original concept was vines, perennials, and evergreen groundcovers. I’ve got a coffee table book on them. The purpose of these is to get plants into locations where there is little room and paving predominates. They’re good at moderating heat and keeping the building cool. Plus they look wonderful.