August 14, 2023
Dijon
We were again surprised by rain overnight and this morning. We should probably stop being surprised when it rains this summer. Luckily today was a rest day so we could spend the morning talking to our families and messing about inside waiting for it to clear.
In the morning we walked down to the station to check out the situation for tomorrow. On the SCNF app some trains are marked with bikes (indicating they can take bikes) and others (including the ones we want to take) are not. But the lady at the ticket office was surprised when I asked if it was possible to take bikes so I guess we will just wing it and see what happens. I always feel a bit anxious about train days. There is so much out of our control - if we will be able to get our bikes to the platform, if there will be space for our bikes and the trailer on board, how much lifting and cramming we will have to do...
On the way back we went shopping for an outfit for Tobias to wear to the wedding. Because he was a covid baby in the Netherlands there were no shops open most of the time I was pregnant, and then after he was born I mostly bought second hand clothes or made them so this was actually a new experience. He seemed to enjoy it too, though I hope we don't have to do it too much. He wants to inspect all the clothes on the racks.
When James went in to wake Tobias from his nap he found him wide awake standing in the cot with a big grin and a "heeeey". He was in such a good mood and walked a lot of the way around Dijon himself. We vaguely followed the little plaques on the ground which marked a walking route, with a few detours. Outside the Place de la Liberation was a big fountain that kids could play in and Tobias was straight into it. Luckily James was headed back to the house for his sunnies so I could message him to bring some new clothes too. Last time we came across one of these he was really cautious but he really just walked straight over them today.
We also visited the Cathedral Saint-Bénigne. There was a service on so we got to hear the organ being played but we didn't hang out too long because Tobias was loudly asking to look at baby Jesus. On the walk back there was a busker playing the violin and Tobias watched mesmerized for at least 15 minutes. He stands very close and looks very serious but he doesn't look around for us at all so I guess he is enjoying it.
We decided to eat out since we didn't feel like cooking or being in our dingy flat, and Tobias was in such an easy mood. The food was okay, but we had a great time. They had a set menu for kids that included a desert so Tobias had a nutella crepe and was pretty impressed by it. He also managed to get sticky nutella from head to toe so was straight in the shower when we got home.
Today was our last full day in France. We were both a bit surprised at how much we've enjoyed cycle touring here. The scenery has been beautiful, the roads have been great, the camp grounds have been plentiful and much more affordable than earlier in our trip. If we'd known we would stay so long we would have made an effort to learn more than our very rudimentary French, but we expected we would be taking more trains to cover ground and get North faster. Even after about 2 months we feel like we've barely scratched the surface, even of the regions we've been in. I look forward to coming back and exploring further.
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8 months ago