Auxerre

Auxerre is one of those places that I've passed through a few times and each time I wonder why I don't linger a little. It's a small city that feels very lively, friendly, accessible, and comfortable. There are always a lot of people in the streets and its situation on the Yonne river is wonderful.

There's a good football team based in Auxerre ; at least they have been good enough for someone like me, who doesn't really follow football, to have heard of. And they have a fan base of nearly 40,000 Auxerrois.

The cathedral of Saint Etienne on the Yonne river in Auxerre.

On this trip we only drove through Auxerre on our way to Dijon for the night. It was my first time there, and this photo is proof. From Auxerre, we headed to Vézelay, a hill town with a famous abbey that my friend Andy told me we had to see.

And we were right to leave Paris early. The weather was much more tolerable outside the city. Don't fret - we'll get to Provence soon enough.