The hotel itself was completely satisfactory for our three-night stay, especially after we prevailed on them to turn down the temperature slightly in our room.
It was too early in the season to sign up for a tour - palaces and wineries are featured destinations - but we managed nicely on our own.
The history of Tours is long and rich. Tours has been the capital of France once or twice and Joan of Arc supposedly had a suit of armor made here around 1500. As for us, we enjoyed just wandering around the old city and gawking at the half-timbered buildings.
A part of Place Plumereau, the large square where every evening people by the hundreds flock to outdoor restaurants to socialize…
One afternoon we crossed the street from our hotel and spent a pleasant hour strolling along the Loire River in the beautiful weather we encountered throughout our stay.
As to dining, we did fine. We enjoyed a first night’s dinner of tapas and wine at Chez Madie. The employees here and in every other restaurant were friendly and helpful, with a command of English fortunately superior to Brian’s French.
Their whimsical version of a Croque-Monsieur…
The bread in France is always marvelous.
Our second dinner was at La Deuvaliere, considered worth a mention, if not a star, in the Guide Michelin. The meal was terrific, starting with an amuse-bouche and a glass of sparkling Vouvray, the well-regarded Crémant or Bulles of the Loire Valley that some French prefer to Champagne.
We shared a large portion of foie gras.
At work in the kitchen…
Chicken for Kathy and cod for Brian…
We’d ordered a three-course meal and managed to find room for desserts, Kathy’s featuring mango and Brian’s Ganache…
Look what’s hidden under the chocolate wafer.
Yesterday we skipped the mediocre hotel breakfast (after all, breakfast here is le petit dejeuner or “little lunch”) and enjoyed dejeuner at The Old Mulberry Tree, a pub sort of place.
A lovely view of Place Plumereau from our table…
Kathy started with a mushroom velouté.
Brian’s choice was a salmon terrine.
Kathy’s “hamburger” consisted of chicken breast filet, goat cheese, and blueberry jam, a combination new to us.
Brian’s Chicken Cordon Bleu was equally unique.
Fun to try and plenty of food but not particularly memorable.
We unashamedly napped after lunch and enjoyed a light and late dinner at La Triptique, a tiny eatery with friendly employees, lovely Loire Cabernet Franc, and a shared platter of locally sourced rillettes, terrines, pork belly, and cheeses - delicious!
Their menu features QR codes with links to four different languages, including English, saving paper and confusion.
We never tire of the baguettes.
Or the wine…
Today, alas, we pack our rollaboards and wend our way by train to CDG, where we’re saying at the Courtyard by Marriott.
We’ll be holding our shoulder bags on our laps or squeezing them under our feet.
If you wonder why, you haven’t read our previous blog post.
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