Day 73, Thursday, November 9, 2023
Our bnb host kindly sent me information for a nearby doctor and I was able to make an online appointment for this afternoon. Bob goes out exploring and visits the Museum of the Sacred Heart in the morning, and I stay home. Here is his post……
The Musée D’Art Sacre (Sacred Art) is installed in a Monastery Church and contains Catholic religious sculptures, paintings and gold works from the 12th to 20th century. There are many varied representations of the Virgin Mary. This wooden sculpture is from the 15th Century.
A 16th Century depiction of Saint Sebastien who lived in the 3rd Century and is called upon to fight plagues and epidemics.A 15th Century painting of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, the swords are symbols of the sorrow she endured while witnessing her son’s crucifixion.
A 15th Century wood sculpture of Saint George the dragon slayer. I find it interesting that Saint George was a legend, yet was worshipped by the Church.
A 16th Century depiction of John the Baptist. Notice how the young girl is not the same proportional size as the others.
Trudy here now…We walk to the doctor’s for my appointment. It is only three blocks away and surprise, no waiting. I sit down and within minutes I was called into the doctor’s office. All I really wanted was a prescription for Otrivin, but I was very surprised to find out that it is against the law for any doctor in France to prescribe decongestants for anyone who has Covid! Go figure…apparently it can cause permanent loss of smell, which is interesting because on the internet in North America, decongestants are recommended for nasal congestion caused by Covid. So instead of a little bottle of nasal spray I walk out of the doctor’s office with four prescriptions! Methylprednisone pills for the Covid, some other pills to protect the stomach from the Methylprednisone as it is hard on the stomach, a nasal spray that has cortisone in it and Paracétamol for aches and pains and headache! The good news is that all only cost less than 20€. I am already starting to feel a bit better than I did the last two days , so I wonder about taking all this?
On the walk home we pass this mural…
and very old buildings still in use.
These half timbered houses are from the 15th century…and they are still in use today! The Notre Dame church of Dijon is just around the corner from our apartment. The interior has beautiful stained glass…
but it is the front of the church with its 51gargoyles, or grotesques, that catches my attention.
I love gargoyles and this church is loaded with them, although the ones on this side of the church are decorative rather than water spouts.
The owl is very important in Dijon, there are even owl cookies. More on this later.I go home to rest and Bob goes out to explore a bit more. Dijon is a very pretty city, very walkable and our apartment is only a block away from the old town. I hope I feel well enough to be able to see more of it.
Back to Bob…In the afternoon I visit a heritage museum (Musée de la Bourguignonne) which displays the community and culture of Dijon from 1880 to 1930. Objects of daily life reflect the agricultural and urban history and traditions of the times. Surprisingly there is little mention of Dijon Mustard.
A typical home with a 4 poster bed to help trap the heat.
A 19th Century clock that is about a metre tall.
Marionettes for the children’s theatre in the 1890’s. They are about 10 inches tall.
The Charite Hospital had a wing for the Daughters of Sainte-Anne. They are girls who, “having an infirmity (not explained) cannot be placed in the countryside”. The charter states “we will carefully try to raise these girls to fatigue, and in a way that makes them fit for the functions of the household and families”. Not sure what this means, and there were no pictures of these girls displayed, so I am not sure how successful their rehabilitation program was.
These ornate walking sticks were related to the La Mere Folle festival where 20 foot versions of this larger character were paraded through town.
A 1920’s beauty salon that sold wigs tied to the status and age of the wearer.
I don’t understand why such a small clock face has such a big wind mechanism. It must have run for days without needing winding.