I stepped into the inner courtyard of the Hotel Dieu in Beaune, France, and stopped in my tracks. Across the brick-paved courtyard, half-timbered butter yellow walls soared to gable roofs covered in multi-color polychrome tiles. This was like no hospital I’d ever seen. Hotel Dieu, which translates literally to hospital in English, is one of … Read more
The Musee des Beaux Arts Dijon occupies the historic Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, parts of which date back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Once the seat of power of the Duchy of Burgundy, today the palace houses an impressive art collection that ranges from Egyptian to 20th century artworks. Of all the … Read more
Place de la Liberation, literally the “place of the liberation” in English, sits at the historic center of Dijon France. It is designed in a semicircle and anchored on one side by the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy. Down through the centuries, the square has had many names. Upon completion in 1686, it was … Read more
Comte cheese may not be a household word in the United States, but every Frenchman and woman is intimately familiar with this semi-hard cheese from the Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Comté holds the coveted PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status in the European Union, which means that only farms, dairies, and aging cellars located … Read more
View along the old Tanners Canal in Dole, France, with Hotel Dieu at right. The canal is so named because its water was used to produce leather goods in the numerous tanneries that lined its banks during the middle ages. The canal was fed by a natural spring that rose up within the walls of … Read more
