Kilometres Walked : Saturday 8.9, Sunday 6.2, Monday 10.5.

Monday June 26th, 2023.

Saturday was spent wandering around the Botanical Gardens in Bern, then a lovely walk along the Aare River, with some much needed rest in the afternoon. (Had to give the legs a rest!) We did pop out for a little late afternoon stroll to watch the famous clock with it’s dancing bears but ended up being a little disappointed at the performance. Possibly the best show is only at 12pm? We never did find out. So with that in mind we went for a last walk to see the real live bear’s across the river. Perfect timing for us as all three of them were in the bear pit lolling about in their little pool trying to cool off.

With a nice quiet early night we packed up and headed off to a new country on Sunday morning. Viva la France. Our first destination for this leg of France is Dijon. The first thing that hit us once we arrived was the heat. Wow it felt like we were back in Brisbane in the middle of Summer. With a perfect blue sky it certainly made it just that little bit warmer with all the heat just radiating off all the old stone buildings. What made it worse is that we were both wearing jeans and hiking boots with backpacks on. (First world problem I know) After a lovely lunch next door to our apartment we stripped off even more layers and headed out for a little walk. We didn’t last long at that time of the afternoon when it is definitely hottest. After finally finding a supermarket that sells alcohol on a Sunday Afternoon (yes you read that correctly, the large supermarket didn’t) we locked ourselves in the apartment with a cold beer and the aircon cranked.

Today we headed out early to explore the streets and all the beautiful old buildings. Famous for Mustard and Gingerbread, Dijon is the gateway to the country’s principal wine making area, Burgandy. The city is filled with beautiful, historic buildings, cobbled streets, half timbered houses and narrow alleyways which make it the perfect place for a flaner. (The French term for wandering and just soaking it all in) We spent the morning wandering around and then visited the The Musee Des Beaux Arts De Dijon after lunch. The Museum of fine arts is situated in the Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgandy and is one of the oldest and richest museums in France. Being that it is also right in the heart of the city it meant we didn’t have to walk to many kilometres today which gave our legs and feet a nice reprieve. Our bodies are definitely starting to feel all the walking and hiking. We are struggling to do even 10 kilometres at the moment, so I think this week there will be a few afternoon siestas. (We may have to lay off the cheese now🤪)

We have yet to purchase any mustard but I did cave and buy some gingerbread today which was very yummy with our afternoon coffee. Bonne nuit!