Photo Scrapbook: Dijon and Beaune

Those of us continuing on for the second segment of our Uniworld river cruise through Burgundy and Provence, boarded buses mid-morning on Sept. 27 for a drive to the River Royale docked in Chalon-sur-Saone.

We stopped for a few hours' break in Dijon; Doug and I visited the Jardin Darcy to admire a polar bear by Francois Pompon (1855-1933), who studied with Rodin in Paris from 1890-1893. Years before when we stayed in Paris, we'd seen the original marble sculpture of Polar Bear in Stride in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Pompon, who became famous for his stylized animals, began his artistic career as an apprentice marble carver in a Dijon funerary monument company. He later moved to Paris in 1876 to continue his study of art.

While Doug explored Dijon, I decided to spend some quiet time in Jardin Darcy.


The River Royale was docked at Chalon-sur-Saone Sept. 28, and from there we took a bus to tour Beaune, the seat of the Dukes of Burgundy until the 16th century. A major tourist attraction there is the world-famous Hospices, with its beautiful multi-tiled roof. The charitable institution-hospital was founded by the chancellor of Beaune in 1443 and was called "a palace for the poor."

This is the Great Hall of the Poor; it's 50 metres long, 14 metres wide and 16 metres high.


Until 1985, the kitchen continued to function with modern equipment, feeding the residents of the retirement home. However, it's now been restored to its appearance in the early 20th century; the huge dual-hearth Gothic fireplace features original accessories. The large hinged bracket is for moving the cauldrons to and from the fire.

(blog entries by Heidi Hutson)