Day 9: Thursday: Driving to Dijon

We continued our travels with the help of our TomTom GPS unit, which I programmed to avoid major highways and tollways. We wanted to enjoy the flavor of the countryside, and that we did. Although we hadn't planned it that way, our route took us along the Seine, toward its headwaters near Dijon, which was our destination. We stopped at Pont sur Seine, at a pretty bend in a much smaller river than the one we saw in Paris. (The Seine is 486 miles long, by the way, running from Dijon through Paris to empty into the English Channel at port of Le Havre.)

This quaint road marker was near our stop.

The river curves here, flowing under the bridge and then riffling over some mossy rocks as it heads toward Paris. The round tower-like wall was interesting, but we don't know if it is a remnant of a large building or simply a wall.

Our route took us along well-kept roads, past fields and villages and a few small towns, with wide open vistas.

This was our first clue that we were driving through the Champagne region.

Yet, strangely, we did not see many vineyards --- mostly grain fields.

One symbol of contemporary life loomed over the bucolic landscape.

We passed many interesting houses. This one has a thatched roof. I believe it was the only thatched roof that we saw. Most of the houses and smaller buildings in the villages had red tile roofs. Slate seemed to be the roofing material of choice for the larger buildings.

The miniaturist in me particularly like this large, old building, which appeared to be undergoing renovation. I love that its bones are displayed for all to see. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

We saw some interesting commercial sights, like an unexpected Aldi market, a nursery with lots of yard art, and service stations. Look at the traffic light by the Aldi's sign and note the small lights at driver's eye level; very handy when you're stopped right by the signal post.

The ubiquitous McDonald's were advertised near many towns. You know we had to stop, if only to taste test the fare.

Lloyd ordered his usual double cheeseburger and Coke, and I had my usual chicken snack-wrap and diet Coke (known here as Coke Light). I was delighted with the snack wrap. It had more chicken than the US version, fresh, curly green lettuce, a slice of ripe red tomato, and even a crisp slice of cucumber to dress it up. And none of the plastic cheese bits that one gets in the US. It came in a cardboard container that zipped in half, making a nice holder.

After a very pleasant drive, we arrived at the Hotel Wilson in Dijon.