Ibis Dijon Centre Clemenceau - Open 10 Apr 07

... is that everything closes for lunch from 12 to 2. They are serious on their lunchtime here, and when its raining and there's not much sightseeing to do in the small towns, well, lets just say we were lucky to have enough wine to get us through it. We also tried a proper french dinner in the town of Beaune, a 4 course meal for 12 Euros. Caity got Rabbit and Tom got Veal, or so we thought. We still aren't sure ...

After Angela spent the weekend with my mom, Linda, and I in London her mom was nice enough to extend an invitation to me to go to wine country with them for a weekend trip. Beaune was our destination, located in the burgundy wine region of France. In France will not see wine labeled by the type of grapes used (i.e. Merlot, Cabernet, etc.) instead they are labeled by region (i.e. Bordeaux, Bourgogne, etc.). Angela's mom and her cousin Tracy had already been in and around ...

... however those ticket bays looked angrier and more modern, and as I knew it would, wouldn't let me OUT of the metro so I had to wait until someone entered and while the doors were still open get out.<br> I had about five hours to spend in Paris but I wasn't feeling too well so I went and put my head down in the nearby park, yet it was too cold and windy so I spent the rest of the time in the train station. The bad thing about the French trains is that they won't announce ...

... bottle. Walking back to the van clutching our precious bottle - we're not used to paying £8.60 for a bottle of wine - we were stopped by a Begian couple who had pulled up in their camper. Being Belgian, their English was very good, and we described our tasting experience, mentioning that a single bottle of the second cheapest was a full 10eu!. Ten minutes or so later, they were on their way back to their van towing a trolley laden with three cases ...

... to say the least, but the next thing I knew... <br><br>...it was quarter-to-nine, Friday morning! We had blithely planned an early monring kick-off - but so much for bold plans! Still, by 10.15 we had hit a Carrefour supermarket for munchies, filled up with diesel (still seeming delightfully cheap!) and been amused by a regrettably named German coach in the supermarket car park. Soon we were heading south once more. <br>

... courses of small food on big plates. The food was good and i finally got some proper meat. Laugh it up Rob. I really prefer a good steak. I am going to eat falafel and chummous (which I rarely eat in Israel) like there is not tomorrow when I get back The organizer and his wife were lovely and a pleasure to speak with during dinner. Best part about them is that they paid for it. Because once again I had slightly too much alcohol, we ...

... so we traveled to the town of Trier. We walked to the hostel located in the center of town and were able to get a last minute room. Since it was sunday everyone was out on the streets. There was a large event going on in the main market place that included fresh fruit stands, wine tasting bar, food, and little carnival rides for kids. It was so fun to walk around the main market place with the sunday event going on. We tasted wine of the ...

... and a lot slower so it was worthwhile keeping a jump on her. Also she's full of Americans and one already has his eyes on Jenny. So BB has been strutting about marking his territory. The days are mostly taken up with bike rides along the canal and through the many villages we pass. At each loch it is possible to hop back on board to have a drink and/or toilette stop then hop off again if you want. Simply the most enjoyable day you could ...

... by scammers and pickpockets but avoided any trouble. Be on guard if anyone comes up to you and asks if you speak English. Even the Hotel Concierge warned us. To say the French were well groomed was an understatement, around inner-city Paris both Men & Women look like they're on their way to a fashion shoot. There was no risk of us being mistaken for Parisians. After 2 days in Paris we headed off by train to Strasbourg (where I discovered ...

... without an air. The French king, Jean II simply handed the duchy to one of his younger sons and thus started a new line of illustrious Dukes. Many of the buildings of interest date from this period and I went to see 'The Dukes palace', where court was held. My visit coincided with a the 'Festival of the Dukes', where all things medieval were on display such as music, art, craftsmanship, costume, agriculture, food, talks and banquets (by ...