I’m bàck!

by AnjaDD

Hi everyone! Wherever you are, I hope you are having a wonderful time and maybe enjoying some time off. I have been away for a week, to a gorgeous little village in France, with limited access to my e-mails and it was really healing to get away from technology. No Facebook, no Instagram, no Pinterest… I did check my e-mails on my phone, but only twice because the wifi in the house that we rented was very weak.

I have to admit, I’m still adjusting to normal life and it’s not so easy to get back to designing. But I’ve been scrapping, editing my pictures, and I’ve done some necessary administrative work. I do have a large collection coming up later this week, here’s the sneak peek I shared about two weeks ago:

This collection is my contribution to The Studio’s new Coordinated Collection and it’s all about travelling, exploring the world… Well I’m still in travel mode, let me show you some pictures from the very beautiful Burgundy region in France that we visited last week:

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

This is one of France’s most beautiful villages. Flavigny is the sole producer of the anise-flavored candy Anise de Flavigny, which was first manufactured by the monks. We visited the lovely museum.

Lots and lots of different anis-flavored candies, in so many different combinations… all for us to taste.

I’m loving these vintage ads on the wall!

Too funny (my daughter and my husband making fun)

I love the messages on the window of this very charming house.

We hardly see any blue cornflowers in Belgium anymore. But in Burgundy (and in Flavigny) there are so many!

My daughter – watch the gorgeous scenery behind her.

L’Abbaye de Fontenay

The Abbey of Fontenay was founded by Saint Bernard in 1118. It is one of the oldest Cistercian abbeys which branched out from the original monastery of the order, Citeaux, itself founded in 1098. Today the Abbey of Fontenay, which still belongs to the Aynard family, is classed as a world heritage site by Unesco.

The abbey church – looking towards the door.

The cloisters are the very heart of the monestary. This is where the monks would have read and carried out their practical tasks. The four galleries which enclose the interior courtyard make up a rectangle of 36 by 38 metres.

This large building (53 by 13,5 metres) was built by the monks towards the end of the 12th century. The ironmonger monks of Fontenay developed industrial plants, which produced tools, that were very well-known and were served at the table of the Dukes of Burgundy.

Driving back to the gîte, we just had to stop and take some pictures in this field with blue cornflowers.

Following the Owl’s Trail in Dijon

In Dijon we followed the Owl’s Trail, a 22-stage trail, designed not only to give you a taste of Dijon’s charm, but also to take you back in time and show you the history of the town. This walk through the city was accompanied by a very helpful booklet – almost as good as having our personal guide!

Over the centuries this owl has become a good luck charm for passers-by. You have to rub it with the left hand (the hand close to the heart) and make a wish (yes, I made a wish!).

This place was used as decor for ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’, a movie with Gérard Depardieu.

Gorgeous mosaic tiling on the roofs – witnesses of Dijon’s wealthy history.

‘Place de la Libération’ – a semicircular square designed in 1685 – in front of the palace of the dukes of Burgundy (that is now the Fine Arts Museum of Dijon). One of the most beautiful royal squares in France

Beaune and pizza’s

Beaune is one of the most beautiful towns in France. Unfortunately we left too late to really walk through it, but we managed to visit the Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy, as a hospital for the poor. The original hospital building, the Hôtel-Dieu, one of the finest examples of French fifteenth-century architecture, is now a museum. After our visit, we are having pizza!

In front of the museum, ready to start our visit.

The museum owns a remarkable artwork: The Last Judgement Polyptych . It was painted by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden in the 15th century.

Dinner! This pizzeria was advised to us by our hostess and yes, the pizza’s are soooooooooooo yummy. It does look weird, doesn’t it? It’s a tiny take-away pizzeria but you can eat there, either in a room where the ceiling is so low that even I could touch it, or in the picnic area outside. We preferred the picnic area 😀

Marché Nocturne in Semur-en-Auxois

It’s our last day in France. We are packing and relaxing the rest of the day and in the evening we drive to Semur-en-Auxois, a painterly village, with a gorgeous medieval core, built on a pink granite rock. There is a ‘Marché Nocturne’, a nocturnal market with music, entertainment, and lots of local dealers offering their merchandise.

Driving back to the gîte – Burgundy in the light of the evening sun…