Tours and Saumur

Yesterday Gene and I drove to Tours to pick up Anna at the train station.  She had journeyed from Milano via Paris and arrived early evening.  While waiting for Anna to arrive Gene and I walked over to the cathedral and took a few photos. A beautiful church. We had planned on stopping for dinner on the way home but the restaurant was closed.  We made it to the supermarket five minutes before closing and were able to get a little dinner. We drove to Saumur today to show the city to Anna and also went to the chateau located on a hill above the city.  The sun is out and the air is very clear, but it is quite windy and chilly.

Cathedral in Tours

Chateau at Saumur

Eat, drink and have a lot more

Today is September 29, leaving us with 12 days to go before our four week stay in the Loire Valley ends.  Here are a few words about the food here.   Needless to say we have avoided starvation in this Land of Plenty.  This is our first really elongated stay in France as compared to Italy so we were wondering what the difference was going to be diet wise.  Did I say" diet"?  I certainly do not mean like in losing weight, that's for sure.

The overall view is that the food, as in Italy, is fantastic, however a bit different.  Instead of pasta, pizzas, etc. we are having fish, various meats including lamb, many cheeses, salads, croissants, bread,various cold meats and, of course lots and lots of pate.  We have had three scrumptious meals so far prepared by our hosts, Steve and Bruce.  They are perfectionists when it comes to serving dinners, starting with salads, the main course and desserts.  Their choice of wines for us complement the foods and the little things like the bread and butter only enhance the experience.  I'm not sure what they are doing with the butter or where they get it but it is the best I have tasted in my life.  This leads to having bread with your butter rather than having butter with your bread.  The actual presentation of all this along with an eloquent description completes the feast.  

When not using Steve and Bruce's culinary skills we have cut back at dinner a bit but still enjoy the many treats of France.  We even found a small pizza parlor close by that served a pizza very close to the quality of Italy.  The lunch menu has consisted of wonderful baguettes slathered with butter and pate and topped with salami and tangy cheese.  No need for potato chips, although a not so small piece of chocolate always satisfies our sweet tooth.

A breakfast of coffee and cereal is quite satisfying but a chaser of a croissant or two only adds to the meal. Of course a little jam and butter is a necessity.

Although we are in wine country I still enjoy the local beers.  I see brands here that are imported to the US.  It is very enjoyable to have these beers at one third the price. A real favorite is called simply "1664". Great flavor.  You can find Budweiser on the shelf also. Lousy beer at a premium price. A joke. Not the selection available in Italy but still quite acceptable.

Now one thing we have been able to stay away from this trip is gelato.  This has been a little disappointing but by practicing this self control we feel we will not gain even an once in these four weeks.  It's nice to know we have personal self control and perseverance.