Burgundy: Chagny and Santenay

A few missing days here, but I'll catch up!

Saturday, August 14

A quiet, relaxing day. The morning was bright but cool, 22 degrees so obviously too cold to have breakfast outside on the patio. But what difference does it make when you get to eat warm, freshly baked croissants with your cafe au lait. We are definitely being spoiled. After breakfast I spent some time in the lovely, walled garden and, as I am not used to just sitting, I deadheaded all the roses. As we were outside my cousin's husband told us that there was a house for sale just across the river from them. It is a huge place with an enormous garden and its own strand of trees. It also has its own little door in the surrounding wall that leads to you to the river if you wanted to take your canoe or rowboat along the river. It also has its own waterwheel as it used to be a mill many years ago. We were told that the roof was done not so long ago and that the elderly woman who owns it lived in it up to a year ago so it will be in good shape. The asking price? $280,000 Euros, not bad at all for such a interesting and large property.

It was a beautiful morning and perfect to go and visit the vineyards. First we went out to Santenay, about 5 kilometers away, up through the town and up the hill behind the town. We stopped the car and got out to the warm sunshine and complete silence. On either side as far as we could see were grape vines also enjoying the sun. The vineyards look as if they belong to all one owner but they are not. They are divided up and each owner knows which belong to him. Some have been owned by the same family for generations. When a piece comes up for sale you are very fortunate if you can buy it especially if it is on a certain slope. This part was bought by my cousins last year and this will be the first harvest for them from this particular area. A littler further on is another area they own that they just planted new vines in the spring, the wait will be a little longer for a harvest from there.

The silence was beautiful and we enjoyed a little walk amongst the grapes, peeking out dark and full from behind the green, green leaves. There were also lots of little snails around the edge of the vineyard in the small bit of grass dividing it from the road. There were so many of them, no wonder it is a popular dish around here and the symbol of Burgundy. The church bells were ringing noon and so it was time to go back to Chagny for lunch.

The table was set outside under the covered patio and all that was needed was a bottle of wine to go with lunch. Roast loin of pork, tiny new potatoes roasted and it was all perfumed with rosemary from the bush at the edge of the garden. Also tender green beans that had been picked earlier in the morning and I had helped to prepare. After that there was of course a cheese platter with five different varieties and a tomato salad sprinkled with basil that had been growing on the plant just a short while ago. The red wine and the fresh bread, although they weren't mentioned, were delicous too.

We ended this leisurely lunch with an apricot tart and espresso. I had to get up right away and do something or else all I really wanted to do was stretch out like a cat on one of the loungers and sleep.

About an hour later we went over to the Domaine to use the swimming pool and enjoy a little sun before the clouds moved in. The air was cool but the pool felt comfortable after a minute. The water was 25 degrees. I could get used to this lifestyle but I really do miss cooking. My cousin is an excellent cook but I miss the creativity of coming up with meals each day and the food here is so fresh and wonderful that I crave cooking.

We had decided to go to Mass in the next town, Santenay, which happens to be the town where we lived before moving to Canada. I had never been in the church as on other trips to the area it was always closed. I was excited to finally go into the church that I was baptized in after so many years. It is the Eglise de St. Jean and a wonderful example of the Gothic style. Inside the columns and ceiling look elegant and there are high windows letting in sunshine. There was a small choir of five people but they sounded as if there were about twenty as the acoustics were amazing. Ross nudged me and whispered I think that the couple two rows ahead of us are the Jessiaumes, the people who owned the vineyards your dad worked on. He was right. We have gone by to see them on other visits to France and I had sent them a letter that we would be in the area but hadn't called them yet. At the end of Mass we met them outside the church and they asked us to give them a call and stop by their place for a drink. First thing M. Jessiaume asked me about news from Toronto. What he was asking me politely was if my uncle Vito, or Victor as they called him, was still alive. He knew that my dad had passed away and hoped that Victor was still with us. M. Jessiaume reminded me of a couple of stories that he remembered about my dad and my uncle Vito. It was so nice to see that someone who hadn't seen them in fifty years still remembered them with fondness. As we said good bye, he looked up and said rain is coming. It didn't look as if it would rain to me but someone involved with the land for so long knows better than I. I look forward to visiting them in the next couple of days.

Back to Celeste's and of course dinner was almost ready. We had left Santenay in sunshine and half way back to Chagny there was a huge downpour. Ross said, of course M. Jessiaume would be right after watching the weather and nursing the vines for so many years, he would know what was coming. We raced in from the car to a warm, rich minestrone filled with zucchini, beans, tomato, potato and swiss chard from the garden. It had been cooked in a pressure cooker and all the flavours melted together creating a rich broth. Unbelievable that it was only made with vegetables and herbs. Since we had our main meal of the day at lunch time we just enjoyed cheese and bread and then another slice of the apricot tart all washed down with a cool, smooth white wine.

Time for bed. Tomorrow is market day in Chagny.

Rain and Picnics....

Wednesday, August 11

A gray and rainy day.We headed for breakfast in a small room off to the side of the circular staircase and sat under the wood beamed ceiling. While we had our continental breakfast at the hotel; a basket of baked on the premises croissants, bread and petit pains au chocolat, it was only a light mist, but when we were ready to go out and have another look at the old town center it began to rain. Too much rain to enjoy sightseeing. We packed up the car and said au revoir to the tiny, charming medieval hotel.

We drove by the huge chateau of Amboise where kings and queens of France over the ages lived and died and where Leonardo da Vinci spent many hours. Not far down the road is the Clos Luce which the King, Francois I, gave to Leonardo to live in. This is where he spent his last years and died. You can visit his bedroom and study. Also Leonardo's chapel which has frescoes, painted by his pupils under his direction. In the basement and gardens are quite a few of his inventions that have been brought to life and it is a great hands on place for kids.

We headed off, taking country roads through Touraine, which have forests and fallow fields on either side. We continued on through the Sologne, considered one of France's most remote areas but coming from Canada and our vast stretches of plains and forests this didn't look so remote to us. Every 5 to 10 kilometers you are sure to come up to a small village. We checked our watch and made a quick stop for lunch provisions in Aubigny sur Mer. Even large chain supermarkets will close to let employees go home for lunch at noon. We weren't hungry yet but better be prepared. The drizzle continued on and we could see sun in the distance and finally about 2 p.m. we hit a sunny spot at Chatillon sur Loire and stopped at a picnic area next to a canal for our lunch.

Then on the road again. St. Fargeau was a quick half hour stop. You can't just drive straight past a medieval town, castle with cobbled streets and timbered houses. You have to give it a little nod. Sooo cute! Then on to our stop for the evening, Auxerre in Bourgogne. This is another wine stop, a name from the days of Ross buying a good bottle and telling me about it and then I would plan a perfect meal to accompany it. But that was ages ago. Auxerre has an amazing gothic cathedral, St. Etienne, with fabulous stained glass windows. We enjoyed more than usual as it was a welcome break from the drizzle and then we braved the wet and walked around the narrow cobbled streets and enjoyed more medieval timbered buildings. I think I'm obsessed with them. Even if they are run down I wish I could live in them. If one is for sale with a store front below I think I could have a cafe downstairs and live upstairs. The reality of medieval plumbing stops my dreaming.

It is still pouring rain so we will just have dinner at the hotel restaurant. We went for the smaller of the set menus as neither of us was too hungry. I guess not as much walking outdoors to stimulate the appetite. We started with the appetizer , jambon persillé, which is a local Burgundian specialty. It is a sort of coarse ham paté with gelatin and lots of parsley. It is served over a bed of tender lettuce with a light dijon mustard dressing. Then, to match the grey, rainy mood, we had burgundian beef stew with boiled baby potatoes. For dessert we both went with the chocolate mousse. We had a small pichet, a small earthenware jug, of red wine. Now off to bed as we have an early start tomorrow. So ends our first day in Burgundy, well half day. A demain mes amis.

The Road to Burgundy...

Tuesday, August 10th

Wow what a day! I am sitting in our hotel which was built in 1490 in Place Richelieu in the center of Amboise in the Loire region. I read out to Ross that it was originally built as a boarding school for young girls and he said that means they were young girls from well to do families who got pregnant and had to be sent away. My husband, ever the romantic. Then it became a laundry and there is still a small stream running under the hotel. After that it became the home of a blacksmith. It was left abandoned for forty years and restored in 1992 as a family run hotel. We have the cutest room with a huge wood beam running across. Ross needs to look out if he gets too close to the wall, so that he doesn’t bump his head, but he is charmed by it just as I am. It is odd to be using their WiFi with wood beams and stuccoed walls all around --the building has aged/been restored well.

The day was spent mostly on country roads heading to St. Nicholas de Bourgeuil to check out the little town of a wine we were taken with back in the day when we drank wine with dinner. Outside the church was a plaque we stopped to read. From the town two families left in 1636 to begin a new life in New France --wonder if their descendants are still in Canada and if they have ever been here.

Then we headed to Bourgeuil where it was market day. Lively with people and traffic being diverted so we parked away from the town center and walked as we wanted to get picnic supplies and what a great place to get them. Live young chickens, guinea hens, the knife seller, baskets, a man recaning the traditional chairs and of course delicious smelling food. There were all the stalls lining the cobbled, twisty streets and then the covered market. We headed in there to have a look and of course stopped at the sausage man. Ah the choice! We chose our lunch and off to Chinon. Chinon is the home of Rabelais, one of Ross's favourite writers and a well known gourmet of the middle ages. Sitting on the banks of the Cher River, we parked the car and took our picture with the statue of, you guessed it, Francois Rabelais. Usually statues look very serious but Francois was smiling --very apropos. Down one of the narrow streets was a well with a plaque. On the well was where Joan of Arc stepped down from her horse as she was too tiny to step onto the road. She had come to Chinon to recognize Charles II as the true king of France and pledging herself to him and telling him of her purpose. Also in Chinon, but we couldn't locate it, was the house where Richard the Lionhearted died. Off again, to Azay le Rideau.

Lunch was a picnic in a little public garden before our visit to the Chateau. Spread out the tablecloth and dig in --saucisse de sanglier, yes that is boar and it is delicious, fresh baguette,fromage de chèvre cendré that just melted in the mouth, cavaillon melon, petit pot de crème au caffé. A couple of French people walked by and wished us bon appétit. So very French.

The chateau and its park sits on a tiny island in the middle of the Indre River. It is a lovely Renaissance chateau with the first straight staircase ever built in France. The whole structure was built in the Italian style of the Renaissance. From here on to the next castle and what a castle --Chenonceaux.

This is definitely fairy tale castle material and has been photographed countless times. It straddles the Cher River and was the home of Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers and Louise de Lorraine, among others. The views are spectacular from all the windows of the gardens below and the river. The rooms are elegantly Renaissance with a Florentine style gallery on the first floor. Loved the rooms but the gardens took my breath away, can't wait to share the pictures with you. Didn't want to leave this gorgeous spot but we had to hit the road for our evening stop, Amboise.

Dinner in Amboise was in the old part of town under the walls of the castle. We thought we might not get any dinner as the whole town seemed asleep. I joked that we might have to cut into the boar sausage that we had bought to take back to Marc. We walked to the center of the old town --that is where everyone was hiding. The area is closed to cars and there are restaurants and cafes and stalls selling food and artisans offering their products along the walls of the Chateau d'Amboise. This is where Leonardo da Vinci lived and died. What looked like a small restaurant, Le Parvis, down a side street, was in fact two patios and three rooms in an old medieval building with exposed beams and a open fire place where they were cooking some of the dishes. Both outdoor areas were full and if we wanted to eat it would have to be inside. No hardship to eat in a room so full of ambiance. We chose the pre-set menu where you get to choose one of three different appetizers, one of three mains and one of three possible desserts. Ross and I both decided on the same thing. To start, a lovely salad with warm goat cheese on baguette slices, rillettes, which is a thick cut bacon, cucumbers and tomatoes on a bed of baby romaine lettuce. Next came a marmite, not the spread, but a slow cooked meat and vegetable combination. It had rabbit cooked with chunks of the local jambon to help keep it moist, two kinds of mushrooms with leeks, and on the side a roasted potato that was heavenly with a homemade mayonnaise on it, sort of the way we use sour cream, as well as half a tomato grilled with herbed bread crumbs on top. Boy am I ever full of run on sentences, but once I get started it is just like a stream of conciousness, so please disregard my grammar. I am not going back to edit. Dessert was chocolate mousse for Ross and because I knew I would be too full for pastry or chocolate I had a home-made lemon sorbet and cassis sorbet. Of course both desserts had a huge dollop of whipped cream on them. With all this we sipped a half bottle of St. Nicholas de Bourgeuil. It is as nice a red as we remembered.

Dinan to Saumur

Monday, August 9

Good morning Dinan! Before we head off we had to have one more walk around this charming medieval town. Everywhere you look down the cobbled streets -- or lanes, they are too small to be called streets, is another half timbered stone house with leaded windows and baskets of geraniums falling over the sills. We walked by the market but it wasn't open yet and the streets were being washed down and all around shop owners were setting up and washing their windows and getting ready for the day. We stopped in an interesting building selling "Produit Regionaux" a lovely shop that seemed to go on forever. It was two floors but we only made it through the first floor. It was filled with neatly displayed locally made goods at great prices. I've seen these before in France and they are sponsored by the local government and are a great place to pick up souvenirs and get to know what the area is famous for. It is neat to see so many products with labels 'founded in 1792', 'artisanal production since 1643'. History in your hand.

After giving the town a last look we bought supplies for a picnic and packed up the car for the next leg of our trip. Leaving Brittany and heading to the Loire valley to see a few castles, the first of which was Fougeres. This huge medieval castle and ramparts is touted by the tourist bureau as the largest medieval castle in Europe. I am not sure about that , this is where I need Marc or Elijah to verify the facts. Whether it is or not it is pretty spectacular. We walked all around and up and down the towers, despite my intense fear of heights (pictures to prove it will follow). Another cute, cute town overflowing with flowers and cobblestone but we didn't tour it, just the castle, how can these people live with all this charm? Back on the road we stopped about 1:30 at a picnic table along the side of the road. There are many of these in France, usually in a spot where you have a nice view of the countryside. I spread out my tablecloth, took out my knife and sliced the fresh whole wheat baguette. Opened the package of cold cuts---what a great smell. Today we just bought cold cuts from the local small market in downtown Dinan before we left. Even though they are pre packaged the quality is excellent and they offer so many types, even if it was a small store. We had proscuitto, capicollo and genoa salami plus a new type of cheese from the area as well as some fresh plums. As we munched the silence of the corn fields across the way and birds was only intermittently broken by a passing car. As we packed up and left, another car pulled up to use the picnic table just over from us. Guess we are not the only nuts.

Back to the road and our next destination: Saumur, another castle but this one in the Loire and from the early Renaissance period. It is on a stunning spot overlooking the Loire River and looks as if it is the setting for a fairytale. We walked all around its walls and its courtyard and enjoyed the view of the valley and off to dinner as I am losing track of time since the sun seems to never set here until late (yes I know it’s because of our latitude). Since we had spent a lot of time travelling we just had dinner at the hotel. You could choose to order a la carte or one of their combinations so Ross had the "plat du jour" which was paella, a dish much loved by the French and it appears on the menu more, and more the further south you go and then the cheese platter featuring a variety of the area's cheeses. I chose the appetizer buffet followed by the dessert buffet. Why oh why do I do this, I always end up overeating as I have to try everything. Need to go and sleep off the food as tomorrow Ross promised a very interesting itinerary of chateaux.

Mont St. Michel

Sunday, August 8

Cool morning but sunny --great weather for sightseeing and I know I will be doing lots of walking today. After a quick breakfast at the hotel with the usual two cups of cafe au lait, petit pains au chocolat and croissants, which never get boring since they taste so good, we are off. Our first stop is the fabulous Mont St. Michel. For a number of years Ross had a huge poster of Mont St. Michel in his classroom and always wanted to go there but each time we came to France it was not on our itinerary, we finally made it. From quite a distance you can see it and the closer you get the more spectacular it is. We parked the car in one of the many parking lots, which were already quite full even though it was only 9:15 in the morning. We had a look at one of a number of boards advising of the time of the tides. We noticed that since it was low tide there were a lot of people walking on the flood plain. We continued across the causeway and into the fortified town of Mont St. Michel. Cobblestone streets, stone walls, the enormus cathedral with statue of St. Micheal the Archangel high above. Although there are many tourist shops selling souvenirs and local products they have a massive presence of the stone dwarfs in the shops and the many tourists. We climbed and climbed stopping to look out at the magnificient views of the sea and inland, and also to catch our breaths. Many of the shops had pirate shirts and flags and pirate related names and I thought of my young friend Nathan whose imagination would certainly be captured by this place.

Although the smell of crepes and galettes was certainly tempting we continued on as our plan was to have lunch in our next stop, St. Malo. Besides the crowds in the little cobbled lanes were certainly getting thick.

Pulled open the sun roof on the car as the sun continued to shine and on the road again heading to St. Malo. This is where Jacques Cartier left to discover new lands and of course landed in our own Canada. There was a plaque in one of the upper streets of Mont St. Michel commemorating the place where the introduction of Cartier by the Bishop of St. Michel to King Francois happened. The town of St. Malo was so busy, filled with tourists and although they had many parking lots they were full. Of course, it is Sunday and everyone is out and around. But we were determined to find and spot and finally did even though it meant walking a way into the old city. The views of the sea are great, the old town ramparts and interior town is in fabulous shape with stone everywhere and cobbled streets. More pirate stuff! We wandered around the streets snapping pictures around every corner. How can you get tired of cobblestones? Time for lunch and we chose a restaurant on Rue Jacques Cartier, by this time we were quite hungry from the sea air and all the walking.

The restaurant was called La Taverne Breton and like most of the others in the town, offered the local foods. It is so interesting in Europe to see menus. They are very regional relying on the local foods --healthy and tasty. Not that you can't find a touristy place that offers their interpretation of hamburgers and of course there are always Italian pizzerias and pasta, but when in Rome. So, what is the local food in St. Malo - moules of course and galettes and crepes of every imaginable flavour. Both of us chose to start with the moules and they came in a huge bowl, steaming hot and delicious with butter and wine and parsely. I felt full by the time I finished the large portion but there was more. A galette, which is a crepe made of buckwheat flour, which for sure I am going to try to make on my return, and ours was stuffed with sliced pototatoes, bleu d'Auvergne cheese and finely minced walnuts. I was so full but I had to finish it it was too tasty to leave any. The cheese had melted and created a sauce which I just had to mop up with the edges of the galette. We ate every bit of it and we had also ordered dessert --crazy. Dessert was a thin crepe with just butter and sugar, my son's favourite way to eat them. A good thing we had a long walk back to the car --I need to work off some of these calories or I will be sleeping on the drive.

Off to Dinan just 40 kilometres away is a town I had read about years ago and it captured my attention as it was described as a beautifully preserved medieval town which held a great medieval festival each year -- they got me hooked. It has taken a few years to finally get here but better late than never! ....Checked in to the hotel and rested and then out again to explore this medieval jewel, silly me I should have worn my running shoes out. Cobblestones everywhere and steep lanes all heading down to the riverbanks. The walk down in sandals is not a good idea but too late to go back and change. The steep road down is at least a kilometre and I kept saying this better be good and also worrying about the climb back up. No worries the whole way was filled with charming shops, restaurants and ancient timbered houses. The homes that had fallen into ruin have been meticulously restored and the whole effect is one of going back in time.

Chose a restaurant half way up the cobbled slope on our return called La Fontaine du Jerzual. I was still hungry from my filling lunch and chose a Salade Paysanne. The word salade is often a misnomer in France as it was a full meal -- on a bed of tender bibb lettuce were hard cooked egg, lardons (yummy thick hand cut bacon) boiled potatoes and tomatoes all with a light delicious vinaigrette. Ross had andouillette sausage with frites, (how can you say no to frites in France?) and he even ate the green salad on the side. We washed it all down with a pichet of the local cider which was cold and quite good, just the right balance of sugar and a whiff of apple. Ross couldn't resist and had a crepe for dessert with creme chantilly. Good thing the rest of the walk back to the hotel is uphill

More from Normandy...

Woke up bright and early this morning to cool, fresh air coming through the open window but feeling warm and cozy under the duvet. I had a great sleep and feel completely refreshed with my bad feet and legs ready to go again. I realized that since it wasn't food related I forgot to mention it yesterday but it definitely was a stop worth mentioning on the road. So I'm washed and dressed in long pants and a sweater and am sitting at my keyboard at 7:30 a.m.

Half way through our drive into Normandy yesterday afternoon we headed off the highway onto a departmental road and then a small country road which was hardly paved and twisted through pastures till we spotted the sign we were looking for. Flapping in the breeze against the greyish sky was our own red and white maple leaf flag marking the entrance to a Canadian War cemetery. We were in Beny sur Mer, a tiny town just north of Caen and south of Couseulles on the sea. We got out of the car and were surrounded by silence except for the sound of the flag in the wind. We entered the meticulously kept cemetery where in the distance you can see the see. There are two small towers you can climb and below you are buried about 335 Canadian soldiers from all parts of Canada that died in the Normandy invasion on the shores of the sea we could see in the distance. There is a visitors register and a list of all the names as well as two wreaths. I had meant to bring a little flag and a poppy to place at the memorial but forgot. As I looked down at the wreath I noticed that visitors had been placing Canadian coins inside the poppies so I did the same. As we strolled about in the silence reading the names we were struck by how young they all were --21 years old, 23 years old, 27 and on and on and I wondered were any of these young men from my neighbourhood? When I worked at Malvern Collegiate there were the names of the students who had gone and never came back. When I walk down the hall at my current school, Williamson Road, it's the same story. Was I walking past their resting place? Quite a few graves had small Canadian flags and one was extremely touching with a letter written by a relative who came to see where their great uncle was buried. Let us never forget their sacrifice to ensure our freedoms.

Back on the road to the beach where we were directed by Marc --if you go to one of the Normandy beach you have to make it Juno beach --well we did. The sound of the seagulls the smell of the salt sea air and visible still just off shore were barges and ships from the landing day that never made it to shore due to storms. We walked to the end of the pier and again, the Canadian flag flying and signs in shop windows welcoming today's Canadians. We sat in a cafe on the beach and took in the wide sandy beach and were amazed at the marks that show how high the tide comes in. This is a charming town with many French people who come for a seaside holiday but if today's weather is any indicator you won't get much of a tan. After the cemetary it was a good spot to just stop for a bit before we went back to the road. Along our way to Bayeux there are many spots on the road with other memorials, American, from the Normandy landing and a lovely view of the sea in the distance.

On the Road to Normandy...

Saturday, August 7

On the road to Normandy through the farms and fields with cows on either side and beautiful old stone and brick homes and geraniums falling over every window. On the cool side and a bit grey with on and off light rain. Lunch was just a quick bite near Rouen, at one of the AutoGrill stations every 20 km or so. Not like our highway stops where your choice is limited, these have picnic areas to eat what you have packed or you can buy a variety of fresh products or prepared foods (that taste like real food) or you can eat in at a cafeteria style spot. But wait a minute it didn't look like cafeteria food --there was roast chicken, roast pommes parisiennes, green vegetables to choose from and all sorts of croissants and pastries if you just wanted a coffee and a snack. Not to worry they also had Lays potato chips, Magnum ice cream bars and lots of other junk food. The neat thing about highway stops in Europe is that they also sell the regional products of whatever area you are in, food and souvenirs. We shared a picnic table with two young guys and quickly ate as it started spitting rain. It was just a chicken sandwich for me on lovely thinly sliced whole wheat bread and for my other half, Rosette salami with cornichon, all washed down with a bottle of San Pellegrino. Let's hit the road and save ourselves for some local Normandy cuisine for dinner.

We stopped in the magnificent little medieval town of Bayeux where the whole of the old town center is a pedestrian area only -- charming. We headed over to see the famous Bayeux tapestry which I have sooo longed to see for many years but Ross was so so about. We were both utterly captivated by the enormous work which was brought to life so vividly by the exhibit. Would have loved to spend more time here but off to our next little town where we will spend the night.

After checking in we drove up to Avrances where you can get the most marvelous view of Mont St. Michel, which is our destination for tomorrow. We climbed uphill to the top where there is a magnificent gothic church (closed as it was late) and into the Jardin des Plantes. The public gardens were magnificent but were not our purpose even though I snapped a few pictures. We walked to the edge of the gardens and there it was in the distance just as the sun was beginning to set --- Mont St. Michel. Now to find some dinner. We wondered if we would succeed as all the streets seemed deserted but we decided on a restaurant in the main square but as soon as we sat down the owner came over and asked us if we knew what we wanted as the kitchen was about to close. We had been so taken by the view above and fooled by the amount of light in the sky forgetting that we were much farther north that it was 9;15 when walked into the restaurant. Hmmmm maybe we didn't choose well, but of course we did this is Normandy and they won't let us go away hungry. As appetizers I had melon and the local prosciutto while Ross had a local dish of camembert with thin apple slices baked in pastry sitting in an amazing Camembert sauce. As an entree Ross chose something that we won't ever find on a menu back home, Rognon Persillé that is kidneys in a parsley sauce while I had a delicious entre cote in a wine reduction sauce with shallots. Pictures will follow as I furtively took a couple cause you know Ross doesn't want us to look like tourists. Since it was the end of the night there wasn't much to choose from for dessert so they brought us a sampler plate with chocolate mousse, a coconut pound cake with crème anglaise and fromage frais with raspberry coulis. I'm full!

Off to Mont St. Michel in the morning.