Today I thought I’d take you along with me on a virtual trip. Since we can’t travel right now, virtual is about all we’ve got. And the destination that I chose? Dijon, France (bien sur!). Why Dijon? Well as I was thinking about the trips that I went on with my camera, Dijon came to mind for a couple of reasons...

I mean this isn’t JUST a virtual come-along-with-me, it’s also got to have some lessons about making photos, right?? Kind of like those old shows that always had to teach us a lesson at the end. They couldn't just be a show.

So back to Dijon. When Neal and I lived in Toulouse, some friends of ours from New York, Beth and Jerry, mentioned that they would be visiting Paris. “Why don’t we meet up?” they ask. Most people thought that since we were in France, we could just swing by Paris.

Toulouse is actually a 5-hour train ride from Paris. So not a day-trip for sure. I just had Neal out on another little adventure (about 10 days worth) so he was a bit travel fatigued. But how could we say no to our friends coming all the way from New York??

So I crafted a journey that would take us to a couple of places we hadn’t yet seen, Dijon and Annecy.

Dijon is close enough to Paris that Beth and Jerry could meet us there for the day. We stayed the night before and met them at the train station.

When I look back at my photos from this day in Dijon, there are definitely missing pieces. And that’s one reason I wanted to share this story with you. Sometimes we can learn so much from what others do right, and other times just their hindsight.

I think part of the reason I don't have as many photos from Dijon as I would like, is that we were traveling with Beth and Jerry. Not that it was their fault in any way. They didn’t scream at me every time I lifted my camera to my eye. But we were catching up since we hadn't seen each other for a while, and we were filling them in our lives in France. So I think I was distracted from photo making.

But that’s ok sometimes too. I don’t ever want my camera and photo creation to supersede the experience. Years ago I used to get stressed about making photos...trying to capture every detail and make sure that I had all the “right” photos. And sometimes I would leave my camera at home because I needed “a break” from worrying about getting all those “right photos”.

Well THAT is certainly defeating the purpose of capturing your story! So I did move on past those thoughts. And I’m not upset with myself for not getting as many photos as I would have ideally liked, because ultimately I had a really lovely day, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Back to the train station (geez I’m getting distracted today!). Jerry and Beth came out of the train station and we met them with hugs - and a plan. We had done a little research and decided to take the Parcours de la Chouette, a tour of the historic sites marked by little owl placards. And we were off.

Now here’s one extremely irritating fact about Beth. She studied abroad in college, in Paris to be exact. And in that year of studying in Paris, she became fluent. Yep fluent in one year. Neal and I? Oh hell no, not even close. And even though Beth is far past her college years (no judgment there, so am I), that the French language has stuck in there. So she was able to converse, ask questions, and even get a wonderful referral for a restaurant for lunch. WHAT?? We’ve been studying French for what seems like decades (but more like a couple of years) and have yet to crack the code.

I actually love Beth and am more impressed than irritated with her French language skills. I’m impressed with anybody who can master another language, much less those of you who’ve conquered multiple.

OK, got distracted again. We wandered around the historical sites of Dijon including the Palais des Ducs Bourgogne, Musée des Beaux-Arts, and likely a cathedral or 3 (I get a little cathedral fatigued when traveling - I think they give me flashbacks from growing up Catholic).

Beth found a lovely lunch restaurant where we oohed and aahed over the simple yet delectable smoked fish, roasted leeks, and pureed squash. I’m continuously amazed at how few ingredients can be so incredibly divine!

We also ducked into a few of the markets, which is one of my favorite attractions in every French city I visit. Of course, we purchased some Dijon mustard and a few other treasures for the road.

The famous owl in Dijon that people rub for luck…which you can tell by its well-worn status

During our visit, I did create some photos that I was quite happy with, primarily the one I call “The Gargoyles”. I freaking love those guys! They’re creepy yet funny. Intricate and ornamental, and yet serve a purpose.

Did you know that they’re actually made as a waterspout to divert rainwater? I did not. Probably the two architects in the crowd (Neal & Beth) set me straight on that. I thought they were supposed to ward off evil spirits (which is actually another function - no I’m not making that up).

I also captured the medieval half-timbered buildings which fascinate me. We just don’t have stuff that old in the U.S. These buildings look fatigued from all the work they’ve done since the fifteenth century.

Yep that’s right. They’ve been around that long. Some of them lean a little to one side, as if they just can’t quite muster the strength to stand up straight any more. And who could blame them?

The medieval half-timbered buildings that I am oh so fascinated with

And what was missing from my photos? Well when I think back to that day, I remember the restaurant where we had lunch, the train station where we met them, the market where we wandered around finding little French treasures. But no photos to give my brain more details for those memories.

So if I were to travel back in time would I make more photos of the day? Yes I would. Do I regret not doing it the first time and beat myself up over it? Uh no. There are a lot more serious offenses that I’ve committed over the years that call for self-beating up, and this isn’t one of them.

Like I said before, my primary objective is to enjoy and experience. If I end up with LOTS of fabulous photos? GREAT! And if I end up with a few? Still good. I continue to have fond memories and I enjoyed myself. Mission accomplished.

The ancient architecture coupled with the shadows on the steps drew me right in to make this photo

In another post at some point, I’ll share with you our trip to Annecy, which is where we went after Dijon. Annecy is truly one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever visited. So I was incredibly inspired, and it was just Neal and me. So there I created many more photos and really came away with a complete story.

But for now, back to Dijon. After our little owl tour and lunch and reminiscing, we walked Beth and Jerry back to the train station, where they purchased tickets for a 6 pm return to Paris. Or so they thought…

In France, the time system is on the 24-hour clock. So what they actually purchased were tickets for 6 am the following morning. Oops. But Beth was able to sort it all out with her pretty darn good French, and off they went to Paris later that evening.

Church of Notre-Dame of Dijon. Home of “The Gargoyles”

Isn’t it funny the little things you remember from your trips? Not just the iconic structures and the tours that you take. But the little mishaps and delicious lunches. Ahhh travel, I miss you.

What I would love for you to do is take a trip back through some of your photos. Pick a trip that you remember and take a look at your photos. Are there some missing? Some memories that don’t have any photos to go with them? Or do you have some photos that spur a memory of something you’ve forgotten? I love those!!

By doing a little inventory of past trips and photos, you can get a good idea of what types of photos you don’t have that might be nice. Take me for example. I love the details. I get all up in there with the details, and then sometimes forget the wide shots to give context. So now that I'm aware of that, I make a point of getting wide, medium, AND close-up.

So tell me...what’s missing from your photos?

Time Travel & Dijon

Ready to create photos you LOVE?