Dijon and Auxerre: on the way to Paris

On August 11, 2024, we arrived in Dijon and checked in. In the evening we went out for a walk. The city turned out to be cozy, clean, and calm. The center, as in Italian towns, resembles corridors, only here they are much wider and more spacious, and there are fewer people.

An evening street between light stone buildings, with a sunlit church facade with a tall spire at the end — Dijon in the evening: a corridor-like street

A spacious square with a carousel and a half-timbered house, people strolling around — The square with the carousel

Heat and IKEA

The next day we hid from the heat in shopping malls: the place where we were staying didn't even have air conditioning.

Leia sits behind the wheel of a red toy car in a shopping mall — Leia behind the wheel of a toy car in a shopping mall

Leia managed to splash around in a fountain.

Leia in a white T-shirt and pink shorts leans toward a jet of a fountain shooting up from the pavement — Leia splashing in the fountain

Of course, we also stopped by our beloved IKEA to walk around, play, and eat. And then it dawned on us. On the road we always have the same problem: what food to pick at a store and how to heat it up. But we could eat at IKEA stores: they have play areas, good internet, and the food is tasty and inexpensive.

Paris or Luxembourg

Next we had to choose the next city, Paris or Luxembourg: visiting both didn't fit our route well. Luxembourg won on beauty and sights, but it turned out to be prohibitively expensive: in 2024 parking was paid only, from 35 euros, and accommodation from 150. So Paris won.

Carousels and a steering wheel

In the evening, after Leia had napped, we went out again to walk around the city and ride the carousels. Dad showed Leia how a steering wheel works.

Dad shows how the steering wheel works

Of course, there were playgrounds too. And to wrap up the topic of Dijon, here is a Dijon mustard shop.

A corner shop with a wooden storefront and a MOUTARDE MAILLE sign, people walking past with a stroller — A Dijon mustard shop

Auxerre

On the morning of August 13 we went to IKEA again, to eat and, of course, to play. Our first purchase there was finger puppets. Then we set off toward Paris. Getting there in one go would have taken too long, so we stopped in Auxerre, a small town along the way.

We checked into a hotel, and I tried to put Leia to sleep on the comfortable soft bed, but she wouldn't have it. But when we went out for a walk around the town, she fell asleep.

An empty street with narrow half-timbered houses and bollards along the sidewalk — The medieval houses of Auxerre

I love these medieval houses: they seem so cozy.

A cobblestone street between half-timbered houses leads up to a clock tower with an arch — The street to the clock tower

We also went into an old Gothic church.

The Gothic facade of a church with red doors, with Pavel and Leia in a stroller in front of it — A Gothic church in Auxerre, outside and inside

A tall, light nave with rows of chairs and stained glass windows at the far end — A Gothic church in Auxerre, outside and inside

By then Leia had just woken up and was trying to figure out what was going on. And, of course, we found a playground. It looks like our trip is turning into a tour of Europe's playgrounds.

Leia rocks on a red spring horse at a playground with gravel — And, of course, a playground

And the next day we were already in Paris.

Dijon and Auxerre: on the way to Paris

Heat and IKEA

Paris or Luxembourg

Carousels and a steering wheel

Auxerre

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