- Bonjour, today we are visiting two Burgundian cities that are known for their Dukes, their wine, their mustard, their incredible medieval architecture, and a couple of creepy gargoyles.

(host speaking in French) (uptempo cheery music) (uptempo cheery music continues) "Curious Traveler" is made possible by the following.

(train whooshing) (slow relaxing music) (upbeat music) (upbeat French jazz music) (water trickling) (host speaking in French) I am standing in the original political capital of the Duchy of Burgundy where many of those grand Dukes were born.

The city's original name was Castrum Divio, and it is known for so much more than it's mustard, (host speaking in French) Dijon and Beaune, lie within France's Burgundy region, a region legendary for its fine wines and fine cuisine.

We will sprinkle in that tasty history in between tantalizing tales of Dukes, owls, twisty architecture, a palace for the poor, and even a secret tunnel used by the French Resistance.

(French jazz music) So here's what I'm curious about in Dijon and Beaune.

Who hid a little message about their boss in a Renaissance tower?

What does this allegory have to do with Louis XIV?

Where can you find a hidden courtyard, a twisty staircase, and this dude with a permanent neck ache?

Why are there owls lining the streets of Dijon?

When was this magnificent palace for the poor built and why?

And how do you make authentic Dijon mustard?

Seriously, can someone help me out here, you're not even close.

You're not even close.

We begin our curious exploration in the city of Dijon.

Dijon's long and colorful history dates back to at least the ancient Romans who established a settlement here and its fortress or castle was named Castrum (indistinct) which is where we get the name Dijon.

(upbeat jazz music) And Dijon was really put on the map in the 11th century, when the Dukes of Burgundy made Dijon their capital and built this enormous and beautiful palace.

These dukes were so powerful that they almost dethroned the King of France to make Dijon the capital of the kingdom.

While that didn't happen, this testament to their power certainly did.

The palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy, joining us to tell us more about the fascinating history of all these Dukes of Burgundy, is local guide Simon Langeron.

- We had in total 19 Dukes but the four most famous Dukes were the Valois Dukes from 1361 to 1477.

And inside these Dukes we had, of course, Philip the Good.

And Philip the Good, built here the tower but also the palace we have here.

- Perfect all right, let's start with Philip the Good.

Philip le Bon, not as in nice guys, but maybe great in their power things that they did.

Is that the case with Philip le Bon, Philip the Good?

- Yes, this is the case.

He was just a good politician because thanks to him, Philip the Good he just raised not kingdom but is Duchy.

At the beginning, it was just the Burgundy of today, then he added the Franche-Comté, then the Flanders, and then later the Holland, the Luxembourg.

And that's how the Duchy raised, and became bigger and bigger.

- And that Duchy of Burgundy grew and grew, until it was finally defeated in the late 15th century and then divided between France and the Habsburg Empire.

Then in the 17th century, everyone's favorite flamboyant Sun King Louis XIV, puts his stamp on Dijon and the palace and the square that we're standing on, just in case anyone was wondering who was in charge around here.

Let's fast forward in time a couple of centuries, when Louis XIV was in power, we had his statue here.

- The form of that square, it's really to show the power of someone.

You have some squares like this all over France for example, in Nice, Leon, in Reian, in Paris also, and the aim of what we call a royal square is to put on light the power of a man.

Could be a Duke, could be a king, but he was with the 14.

So you are right, the form of that square is to show the power of him.

So that's why he was in the middle and the statue, really proud with a sword like this.

- But where is that statue today?

Well, the French Revolution took care of that.

But while his statue may no longer stand, the Sun King did leave his mark in other areas of the palace, you just have to know where to look.

We still have some beautiful symbols of that power, we have over on this side and on this side, tell us a little bit about the sculptures and the allegories that we see.

- Louis XIV thought that by doing war, he was writing history.

- Of course.

- So that's how we have here, the allegory of history and the allegory of war to show the power of the men.

- Here are those two panels with the allegories, with goddess like ladies leaning on a globe and writing down all that history.

(beautiful classical piano music) And in between those lovely ladies is the most prominent feature of the palace that Philip le Bon Tower.

Remember, this tower was built in the 15th century, which is why it doesn't seem to match the elegant style of the rest of the palace, but it's a good thing this Philip the Good Tower, has been preserved because it is a soaring reminder of the prestigious past of those great Dukes of Burgundy.

And if you're in the mood for a great workout, just take the 316 steps to the top for a stunning panoramic view of the city below.

(cheery jazz music) And then on your way back down, be sure to keep an eye out for a curious little not so hidden joke about the architect of this piece of history.

One of my favorite curiosities in the entire city can be found if you are brave enough to climb the more than 300 steps here to the top of the Philip le Bon Tower.

And along the way you will find these wonderful little sculpture groupings.

This one is my favorite because it is about the architect, Jean Poncelet, and you can tell that he's the architect because he's holding his compass right there.

But the thing that makes this sculpture grouping really funny is we highly doubt he was the one who ordered it.

That's because he was known for not wanting to pay his workers.

That's why in this depiction here, he has his money bag close by but he's turning his back on his workers.

Don't you love it?

A permanent complaint card chiseled into history.

Next, we go from one historic Dijon landmark to another because just a few steps away from that tower is another treasure of the city.

This is one of the oldest churches not just in Dijon but in all of France, built more than 800 years ago, the Notre-Dame de Dijon built in 1220 is one of the few still left standing in that distinct Burgundian style.

Now, the very first thing you will notice as you look up, there's not one two, not four gargoyles looking down on you, but 51 and of course, because we're in France, there's a wonderful legend to go along with that.

So back when this was built in the 13th century, according to legend, there was a wedding held right about here and unfortunately, one of those giant gargoyles came crashing to the ground and killed the groom.

So as you might imagine that was seen as a very bad omen, not just for the poor wedding party but for the entire city, so all of those gargoyles were wiped off.

So for many, many centuries there was absolutely nothing there.

Until we get to the 19th century, everything was being rebuilt and restored.

So there was a decision that all of those creepy characters would be put back.

So up there, we have animals, we have humans, we have things that you can only describe as monsters, and 51 in total.

And here's my favorite part of the whole story, all those 51 creepy characters are meant to represent different vices and virtues.

That's a lot of vices.

(orchestral plucking music) Just around the side of the church, there's something a little bit more pleasant, pretty cute in fact, just follow these gold triangles along the street named Rue de la Chouette or Owl Street for a very curious reason.

As you mosey through the beautiful streets of Dijon, make sure you look down to see these beautiful little golden triangles embedded into the streets and the sidewalks with an even cuter little owl inside.

They take you to all the different historic spots throughout the city, and one of the spots will take you to the main guy himself, the owl that set the stage for the beautiful path.

Now, why this owl was chiseled here into the side of the Notre-Dame de Dijon is a bit of a mystery but what we do know is that the owl, since ancient times was the symbol of wisdom.

But then in the Middle Ages, he had a little bit of a different reputation.

People believed he was not only evil, but in fact the symbol of death.

And some people thought that he actually liked to go around drinking the blood of children.

I know, disgusting.

Other less violent theories go like this, there is a type of owl called a Grand Duke so of course that could be an allusion to the Grand Dukes of Burgundy.

Now, the next part of the story goes back to the creepy side of the owls.

So it was believed in the 17th century that there was a ghost who was wandering the streets here of Dijon so everybody went to the owl for protection.

And what they started to do is they took their left hand and it has to be the left hand to rub the owl, and then they would take their right hand to do the sign of the cross.

Now to this day, people still come to the owl to get good luck or to make a wish so this is how it works.

You come here, you rub the owl, you close your eyes and you make a wish.

But I gotta tell you a little tip, after you've made your wish, make sure you exit this way because if you go this way, there's still a little evil in store for you because this bad guy, this salamander, according to legend, will take your wish away.

(cheery orchestral strings music) Well, that's just not nice at all, is it?

So we will make sure to take a right not a left, onto our next stop, which is hidden off the main street.

But if you know where to look, you can find a pretty little courtyard and an even prettier little staircase that just happens to be one of the finest examples of civil architecture from the end of the flamboyant, gothic period.

(cheery orchestral music).

Bon jour, if you know where to look, you can find one of these secret hidden courtyards just off one of the main streets here in Dijon.

And then you will see these beautiful courtyards with all of this exquisite 15th century architecture, including this gorgeous mansion right here, which used to belong to the former Mayor of Dijon, (indistinct) Jean Belanc.

So he had his gorgeous mansion built and then this staircase, which a spiral staircase like this, was actually pretty typical for a noble family or a wealthy family, and it was always on the outside of the building not on the inside.

Next, you'll see a different form of architecture from the time, that beautiful half timber wood construction that is for the pathway that goes from this building to the staircase onto another building.

Why did the mayor have this built?

Well, he lived here and happened to work here, or I should say owned the factory that was here.

And the joke is that he had this pathway built so that his wife didn't have to get her hair wet when she went from home over to work.

But here's the best part.

There is another, and I shouldn't say little, big architectural surprise a little further up on the staircase, so come on up and take a look.

All right, we're almost there, are you ready?

All right, look straight up.

This is the best part, at the top of the staircase, the column becomes a farmer and in that basket on his shoulder, it is believed that these are the grapes, which then sprout out to become the vines for the vineyards that go on to make the wine that made Dijon so wealthy.

(mystical music) What a beautiful, albeit hidden, symbol of the city.

Although six centuries of holding a basket like that has got to be one serious pain in the neck.

(upbeat jazz music) Speaking of wine and harvests, our final stop in Dijon takes us to a mini city within a city where the landmarks are the French wines, French cheeses, and oodles of French coffees, French pastries, French chocolates, and other French made delicacies, even a cooking school.

I think I've died and gone to foodie heaven.

Good thing there's a church here, except this church is now a museum.

(French jazz music) This is Cité de la Gastronomie et du Vin, a celebration of the things that makes Dijon and Burgundy great, its food and its wine.

Set on the site of a former medieval hospital, every different building has a different purpose.

We have shops, we have restaurants, we have cafes, we have wine tasting rooms, even a cinema, and museums.

This particular area, as you can probably tell if you look way to the back, is a former chapel, as you can see a bit of the altar back there.

Today, it is a gorgeous exhibition hall where we can learn all about wine and food production here in the region.

So of course, at its center we have this beautiful modern monument called the Spirit of Wine.

It is meant to invoke infinity as it swirls and swirls around, and also according to the artist, it is meant to look like a wine glass as you swirl it.

Swirling, sipping and nibbling your way through Dijon's tasty history.

What better way to wrap up our visit to Dijon?

Fantastic.

(French jazz music) Now that we've had our French foodie break, we go from Dijon, south to Beaune, another beautiful medieval town full of its own curiosities.

(French jazz music) This provincial town dates back to at least the third and fourth centuries.

It is forever linked to a certain magical fruit, some fancy dukes and a medieval order.

And the best part there is wine flowing underneath your feet.

(Host speaking in French) That's right, Beaune is known as the wine capital of Burgundy.

It all started more than 2,000 years ago when the Romans started cultivating vineyards here.

And yes, it is said that there are so many wine cellars underneath the old buildings and streets of the town that no matter where you go, wine is flowing under your feet.

Beaune like Dijon thrived in the Middle Ages, thanks to its Burgundian Dukes.

And out of the wealth from those Burgundian Dukes and Burgundian wines comes its most prominent landmark, this stunning building, which wasn't for the government, and it wasn't for a noble family or even a royal family.

In fact, its purpose may surprise you.

In the mid 15th century after the Hundred Years' War, Burgundy was suffering greatly.

So the concept for a new Hôtel-Dieu was born.

A Hôtel-Dieu is part charitable organization, part hospital, so that somebody who was poor could have something to eat, maybe have a bed if he or she needed it.

And then if someone was ill, they would have both their body and of course, their soul treated here.

But this Hôtel-Dieu is like no other because the concept here was to build a palace for the poor and as you can tell, all these centuries later, mission accomplished, all decked out in that beautiful gothic style.

And of course, with its signature architectural feature, just look at those rooftops and all those beautiful polychromatic tiles.

The Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu was founded in 1443 by a Chancellor named Nicolas Rolin, specifically for the poor and disadvantaged, complete with hospital rooms, a huge kitchen, a medieval apothecary, and this giant courtyard with its own running water, sort of.

The founders of the hospital knew that they would need a source of water.

So instead of building near the river, they built right on top of it.

And to this day, the river flows right under the hospital.

And then they would use this well for all of their water needs.

But of course, true to Hôtel-Dieu style, it had to be just as pretty as the rest of the building.

(peaceful music) Over the five centuries since it was founded, thousands of people have been given medical and spiritual help here.

Today, it's a museum complete with more than 5,000 works of art, furniture, and tapestries, including the Beaune altarpiece depicting the last judgment.

And perhaps the largest work of all, that amazing rooftop.

From here on this level, you can get an even better view of those signature multicolored roof tiles.

Now, why the original designers chose this color scheme or chose this geometric crisscross diamond pattern is a bit of a mystery.

There's all kinds of theories that it came from Eastern Europe, possibly even Russia.

But we do know that somewhat similar rooftop tiles can be found throughout Burgundy and throughout Flanders.

But also from up here, you can see how that interesting geometric pattern is mixed in with more traditional gothic elements.

If you look over kind of those little dormer windows there, you can see those beautiful little gothic spires reaching towards the heavens and at the top you can see little flags.

and you have to look really closely but on those flags, you will see the coats of arms of the founders.

And if you look really, really closely, kind of peeking right underneath some of those little windows, you will see a cherub or two holding a shield.

And on that also more coats of arms.

(cheery French jazz music) With the Hôtel-Dieu is just one part of Beaune's fascinating history, just steps outside the hospital is Beaune's Old Town, full of wonderful little corners, churches, and curiosities.

To share some of the old town secrets is local guide Alexia Pepin.

People come from around the world.

- Yeah.

- Here to Beaune for the wine.

- Yeah, of course.

- But also for the history but the history is intertwined with the wine.

- You can't speak about wine without speaking history because we make wine for so many years, 2,000 years of history of wine making with the Romans, with the monks later in the middle age.

So every buildings that you have here, there is a story with the wine.

- All of them.

- Yeah, all of them.

You walk on cellar, there is underground cellars everywhere.

So you walk on galleries of cellars, don't worry that never break.

- You won't fall through and end up being surrounded by wine.

- Oh, there's no earthquake normally so... - In fact, this church behind us, the 12th century, Notre-Dame de Beaune was built partly from the wealth of the wine in the vineyards, which the church owned.

But it's a story of another vineyard owner, a family named Drouhin, that sounds like the plot of a spy thriller.

- Drouhin Estates, they founded their wine estate here in the 19th century and is the second generation Maurice was going to buy the first vineyards.

And Maurice is extremely important because he participate to the First and the Second World War.

- Ah, okay.

- And there is a story here in the district, is that he was part of the French Resistance.

He was continuing to sell wine with England, and the Gestapo tried to catch him a few times.

And one day he was close to be arrested, and so he ran away through the underground cellar.

And the story said that he get off of the cellar through the streets here.

- Through here?

- Yeah, that you have here.

And he was the President of the Hospices de Beaune at that time so he went there and he was hiding by the sisters during the last three months of the war in the attic of the Hospices de Beaune.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- And so that's how far underground the cellars and the labyrinth goes.

- Yeah and after he escape in the street there, very close few kilometers... One kilometer, we can say from here.

To thanks Hospices de Beaune after the war of having so kind with him, he decided to offer one hectare of Beaune premier (indistinct) to the Hospices de Beaune that you find today in the wine auction of the Hospices de Beaune.

- Oh, what a... Yeah, what better gift?

What better gift, what better gift.

(lovely French jazz music) Those underground wine cellars come in really handy when you need them.

Our final stop is the one you've been waiting for, ever since we started our journey in Dijon.

Where is the Dijon mustard you're asking?

Well, it's right here in Beaune.

This is the Fallot Mustard Mill, a Burgundian family owned business since 1840.

Today's owner is the grandson of Edmond Fallot, who bought the company in the 1920s and named it after himself.

And this yellow truck, the symbol of the factory, belonged to the grandfather.

He used it to deliver his mustard across the region.

And the Dijon and Burgundy mustard tradition dates back to at least the year 1390, when its production began to be governed.

And then in the year 1634, a corporation of vinegar and mustard makers was established.

And in the 18th century, the edition of something called verjus, similar to white wine vinegar, was added to the mustard seeds and that's where we get the unique flavor of Dijon mustard.

So yeah, they really take their mustard seriously around here.

Everything still comes from this region and it's very specific, and is it the same recipe?

- Yes.

- From over the years?

- It's the same recipe.

- Yeah.

- Than during the period of my grandfather.

We keep the same tradition.

We crush the seeds with select mill stone and that the best process to have a very good quality Dijon mustard and a very strong Dijon mustard also.

- So I decided to give it a go, how hard can it be?

Step one, add the special mustard seeds, lots and lots of mustard seeds, then the verjus or vinegar, and then mash it with some muscle.

- So you need to be very strong.

- I'm very strong, I can do this, I can do this.

These are heavy.

- You need some help?

- No, I would...

If I did, I wouldn't admit it.

Oh my gosh, I've been doing this and I don't think I've made... Oh wait, I start to see, okay.

- Nothing happening.

- You're like, "Nothing..." You're like, "You're not even close.

You're not even close."

- Have a look on mine.

- Ah, that's not fair, yours looks like mustard.

- We can taste if you wish.

- I would love...

I'll taste yours and not mine.

- It's fresh, bon appetite.

- That's wonderful.

You can just taste the history of Beaune, Dijon, and Burgundy.

Where's a giant pretzel when you need it?

(lively French jazz music) So from a couple of powerful dukes and a flamboyant king, whose statue didn't last that long to a pretty palace that certainly did last with a medieval tall tower at its center, with lots of steps, and some hidden little gossip about the boss.

To some curry warnings about temptation forever hovering from above, which are securely fastened these days, we hope.

To a comparatively cute little owl whose golden footsteps you can follow, but just make sure you exit in the right direction to a hidden little courtyard that's a pain in the neck, to a city dedicated to all things French and tasty, to another city with a river of wine flowing underfoot and a big giant palace for the poor in the middle of it.

Just perfect for a maze to escape into, if you're a part of the French Resistance.

To that spicy, wonderful, world famous Dijon mustard, even if it's made in Beaune, Dijon and Beaune have so much to be curious about.

Thank you for joining us on our educational journey, and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when, and how's of curious Dijon and Beaune.

As they say here... (Host speaking in French) (lively French jazz music) Curious Traveler is made possible by the following... (train passing) (pensive music) (uplifting inspirational music) Still curious?

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