Today was our chance to explore Djon while the weather is still good (the forecast for the next few days is looking otherwise!). The tourist information office made this easy, providing a walking tour brochure that let us follow a path that led us on a walking tour to some of the more noteworthy sites in the city.
Our first stop was at the Jardin Darcy, the city's first public garden, created in 1880.
Nearby is our own hotel, the Sofitel, which was on the tour as it was built in 1882, and apparently has a "golden" registry with signaures that include Grace kelly, Maurice Chevalier, Napoleon III, the composer Saint-Saens and the sculptor Rodin. That was kind of neat to know, however, my main concern was whether that shaky elevator would continue to work!
The triumphal arch that marks the beginning of the Rue de la Liberte, and the most important shopping area of the city, was designed in the 1700's, and is named Porte Guillaume, after an 11th century reformer.
Along the tour, we passed through Les Halles, a huge covered market, built on the site of an old convent, that is open four days a week.
The variety and freshness of the food was wonderful!
Along the way, we passed by some beautiful and remarkably preserved hotels and homes built in the 14th - 16th centuries for various officials of Djon.
The route here included the Notre-Dame, a cathedral built in the 13th century, with three rows of gargoyles overlooking the entrance. Apparently, at one time, there were many more, unil, centuries ago, one fell off and killed a pedrestrian. The ones that are seen today were constructed in 1880-1882.
At the top of the cathedral is a 'family', overlooking a clock that chimes every hour. Apparently, in 1383, only the 'father' was there, created by the duke of Djon and given to the townspeople in recognigion of thier help in the Flanders war. However, the 'bachelor' status of the solitary male figure on the clock became a running joke in the 17th century, so in 1651, a companion was added to the clock, "Jacqueline". In 1714, people made fun of their infertility, so a little "Jacquelinet" was made for them, who was joined in 1884 by a little "Jacquelinette", to mark the every quarter of the hour with him.
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| Hilary touchig the 'Owl', a good luck symbol on the cathedral |
That afternoon, Hilary disappeared to do some serious "SHOPPING". This requires such a concentrated effort, husbands are not invited. I stayed at the hotel to do some correspondance writing (hence, this journal!!!). By the time Hilary returned, the weather started to change. The forecast for the evening was thunderstorms, with rain in the afternoon continuing through tomorrow. It's not looking very good for our planned bike ride up the Canal, but we can always hope for the best.
Thankfully, the weather held long enough to enjoy Dinner in an outdoor cafe. Try as we might, it was hard to get used to constant smoking outdoors, though. Hilary and I escaped to look for another place for dessert. By that time, it was really looking like rain, so we went inside for crepes at a lovely little restaurant near the main plaza. We were glad we were inside - the waiter and guests were dashing outside with umbrellas. It was there we made an amazing discovery. France has no smoking indoors. Why didn't we think of this two weeks ago ago??? Oh well, we're used to 'the French' style now....
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