Visiting Tours

There are two very special reasons we enjoyed our visit to Tours and the Loire.

The first, and foremost was an opportunity to travel with our good friends Richard and Pauline. It's always a fun time no matter we are at the moment and sharing such incredible experiences as we have had, including the visit to the Loire, is priceless.

The second reason was getting a chance to experience a place we had only heard about or read about, a part of France that had so much to offer in the way of attractions (fantastic chateaux) and really good wine.

Contrary to what the American travel writer Rick Steves says, Tours is worth sleeping in. It's a perfect location for traveling to many if not most of the famous châteaux, most of which are accessible by train from the city. 

The city itself has much to recommend it: an old quarter, a very nice indoor market, and a user-friendly public transportation system centered on a sleek tram that runs north to south. Our apartment, in the medieval part of town, was just a few meters away from rue Colbert, which had many restaurants out of the tourist maze, with food options including Lebanese, Ethiopian, Asian, one dedicated to just cheese dishes, pubs, pizzas and, of course, several traditional French cuisine eateries.

Naturally there are plenty of neighborhood boulangeries and pâtisseries that produce incredible breads and pastries. 

It was also nice that we planned our stay during a less crowded time of the year. And speaking of time, it was further confirmation how important it is to not rush during these trips, but relax, to act as if one is back at home, to treat wherever one is staying as if it is home. Of course, it helps if someone is a bit under the weather, as it was in my case, forcing one to go slow and enjoy where you are.

Off to Lyon

[9 April]

Originally we had planned to leave the apartment and walk down to the main train station where we could catch a city bus to the St. Pierre des Corps station and our train to Lyon. Instead, we opted to Uber to the St. Pierre, which is probably what we should've done when we arrived on 29 March!

Anyway, we arrived at the station in plenty of time and cooled our heels waiting for the train. 

When our train popped up on the departures board along with the platform number, we made our way out of the station and up to the voie. It was a bit chilly and windy on the platform, but the the train folks saw fit to include an enclosed warm waiting area right next to the tracks. Quite civilized.

Our train arrived just a few minutes late. We got aboard, found a pair of seats and settled in for the next six hours or so.

The train looked tired with well-worn seats but they were by-and-large comfortable. The upside is, aside from the service dog (and its owner), we were the only ones in our car for much of the trip. Even then, people would come and go since this was what my dad would've called a "milk run," with some 20 stops between Tours and Lyon.

It was a gorgeous day and we got to see so much of the French countryside without having to drive (me) or navigate (Susan). We had seen fit to bring water and a sandwich on board since the train had no cafe car. In fact, it was only 4 cars long!

After cruising for many miles along the Cher and Loire rivers, crossing the latter a number of times, we arrived in Lyon just about on time. Aside from a couple of stop-and-starts getting into the station proper we were soon off the train and in search of transportation to our apartment. 

It seemed to us as if everyone in Lyon was either getting off or on a train. It was chaos with a capital C. We had hoped to use Uber but were at a loss to find the pickup point so we went with a taxi, a long queue of which were readily available just outside the station. 

After maneuvering through a maze of street construction, weaving bicyclists and folks on electric scooters we were dropped off close to our apartment,

In a matter of minutes we were inside the building, found our keys in the lockbox and, using the handy elevator, got to our floor and inside the apartment.

See the apartment listing right here.

view from our window, the Rhone River in the background

Susan and I both commented on how our last apartment was just a block or so from the Loire and this one almost the same distance from the Rhône. Wonderful!

After settling in we popped across the street to U Express for some basic groceries. Dropping our groceries off at home we walked a block or so down our street in search of a place to grab dinner. We stopped at Kaïa, which bills itself as a "festive restaurant on the Lyon peninsula." It was not only festive but the food was wonderful and the staff pleasant, genial and accommodating.  All-in-all a lovely experience.

smashed potatoes

tenders de poulet

Susan had the veggie focaccia

All washed down with a couple of glasses of St. Veran white.

After a leisurely meal  it was back "home" and eventually to bed.

Day 11 in the Loire Valley

 [8 April]

Our last day in Tours was a quiet one. I'm still in recovery mode but success seems to be closer each day. Susan and I spent the day relaxing and tackling household chores as we get ready to move our "home" to Lyon tomorrow.

Yesterday I picked up some pastries from our neighborhood boulangerie, along with a loaf of bread -- all terribly good, and we continued to enjoy them today. We hope to stop there Wednesday morning on our walk to the bus stop downtown and buy a couple of sandwiches for the train. Our trip from Tours to Lyon will take us about 6 hours and there is no cafe service -- it is a regional train -- and so we want to be prepared before boarding.

l-r: chausson aux pommes, pain au chocolat, 2 Cannele, and the scrumptious bread

We did manage to take a short walk back to the river for one last look of the Loire before we leave. The river or rather rivers we see will see next the Rhone and the Saone.

Anyway, a few doors down from our apartment was this tiny yet lovely little garden. What a world this is and can be!

Tomorrow it's off to Lyon!

Days 9-10 in the Loire Valley

 [6-7 April]

We had originally planned to meet up with Richard and Pauline at 11:00 am Sunday and head east to Amboise and Chenonceau châteaux. But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men. . .

Apparently sometime late Sunday evening I developed a virulent episode of GI distress and slept very little that night. I awoke feeling completely wiped out in the morning. So we connected up with Richard and Pauline begging off for the day. Being intrepid travelers for so many years they understood perfectly. 

We did get together for takeout pizza at our place that evening and planned to head off to the châteaux on Monday, their final day in Tours.  But my body kept pointing out to me that going anywhere was probably not a great idea. I urged Susan to join Richard and Pauline but she did want to leave me alone.

So, on another gorgeous day in the Loire we just relaxed in our neighborhood letting my body dictate our next move. 

Monday Richard and Pauline were off to explore the châteaux at Amboise and Chenonceau, time permitting. Susan and I once again hung around home, still in rest and recovery mode for me. Susan was able to enjoy a lovely walk along the Loire, sighting water birds like egret and heron.

That evening our friends joined us in our apartment for an aperitif of delicious Chinon rosé from the Couly-Dutheil vineyard (one of our two tastings in Chinon). 

After sharing their day's adventures with us -- it turns out they only made it to Amboise, since there was so much to see there -- the four of us walked the 100 feet or so to L'etable for dinner.

Richard's starter: vitello tonnato

besides bread they brought little jars of paté with toast points

Susan, Richard and Pauline all had the Bar, also known as European Sea Bass

I had the cod with roasted cauliflower in a cauliflower purée

each of us got a small jar of warmed vegetables

Susan had the trio of crème brulées: vanilla, chocolate and pistachio

Richard had the Tiramisu

Pauline had the tarte tatin with ice cream

And I had Pastis. A wonderful meal, great service and outstanding company.

Our conversation, as it usually does, turned this way and that and eventually turned to our next meetup. The destination decided upon, and one Susan and I had already talked about at some length for next winter, is Portugal, specifically Lisbon. Richard and Pauline, always game for travel, although they were familiar with Lisbon, conceded they had very little experience with Porto. So Porto it is.  Barring a global economic collapse or another pandemic, both of which are far too likely these days.

The evening was getting late. Richard and Pauline planned to get an early start for Calais and their timed channel crossing tomorrow evening. We paid our bill and walked the three steps or so to the junction of rue Colbert and rue des Amandiers. After hugs and handshakes all round we said good-night and good-bye, wishing each other safe travels and with hopes to see each other next winter in Portugal!

Tomorrow we (OK Susan) prepare for travel to Lyon on Wednesday.

Day 8 in the Loire Valley

 [5 April]

After breakfast we left the apartment and walked down to the TI office to meet Richard and Pauline at our usual time of 10:00 am. After a brief discussion of what today would bring we opted to shift away from châteaux visiting and focus on local wines. There are of course plenty of options for exploring the wines of the Loire Valley but after we settled on those of Chinon, off we went.

Located along the banks of the Vienne River which eventually empties into the Loire, Chinon is a lovely village nestled at the base of a cliff which is itself dominated by an ancient fortress.

Richard drove us right into the heart of the village and found a handy parking spot placing us in the center of everything.

There was a very, very small farmer's market underway in the town center as we scouted out a place for a cup of coffee.

coffee outside at the Café des Arts

Once we finished our coffee we walked down the block to the TI office where a lovely young woman was instrumental in directing us to several tasting rooms in the village.

The first tasting was at Clos de l'Echo vineyard located on the cliff next to the fortress, which potentially meant a steep climb up the cliff face. Fortunately, those who manage Chinon saw fit to build a serious elevator to whisk would-be purchasers of wines straight up! We landed near the top and were provided with a lovely view of the village below.

It was a short walk up a bit further to the tasting room of Couly-Dutheil.

wine room next to Clos de Echo vineyard owned by Couly-Dutheil

our sommelière for the morning

We all ended up tasting their two roses, a white and a couple of reds, all quite pleasant.  In addition to selling wines by the bottle they also sell bags-in-a-bottle in both 5- and 10-liter sizes. Since we didn't have room in our bags for 10-liter box of wine, Susan and I bought a bottle of their 2018 red Les Chanteaux while Richard and Pauline purchased a bottle of each of their rosés plus a red.

From the tasting room we made it back to the lift and down to the center of town where we started our quest for a luncheon venue. We settled on the Café de la Paix located right across from the river and facing a wonderful statue of hometown boy François Rabelais.

We ordered salads all round: Susan, Pauline and I opted for the chèvre chaud and Richard went for the Cesar which came with pieces of fried chicken. We all agreed they were quite good and the chèvre carried just the right amount of warmth.

looking up into the center of town

Rabelais keeping an eye on the town

The four of us then strolled along the river in search of M. Plouzeau our next tasting room.

looking downstream

and upstream

We soon found the entrance to the Plouzeau cave and which is indeed in a cave! The interior wended its way for some short distance before we reached the tasting area proper. Less of a tasting room than a place for folks to enjoy appetizers with their wine and stand around and chit-chat, we stayed just long enough to taste one of their reds, which we thought quite good.  

A fun time was had by all in lovely Chinon!

It was a short drive to Saumur our second stop for the day. Upon arriving we found this to be a much larger and more lively community than Chinon. We crossed over from the "new part" to the center of town where the action was. 

view of the centre ville across the Loire River

Richard found us a place to park overlooking the river and we made our way to the main thoroughfare, rue Franklin Roosevelt, which also happened to be pedestrianized. Along the way we passed the TI office and also the small tourist train that would haul visitors around town for 40 minutes as well as up to the château. 

We spent the next half to three-quarters of an hour strolling around the center of town and were treated to an open-air market in the bargain.

Leaving the rue Roosevelt we meandered along one of the small side streets dotted with shops and the occasional eatery, typical of so many towns in France.

place Saint Pierre

and of course Saint Pierre church

Although we had considered walking up to the château we opted to return to the car and drive up -- a smart move indeed. The view of the town and river as well as the surrounding countryside was quite spectacular.

While we didn't go into the château, we strolled the grounds and appreciated several lovely views. We did sit at the one and only cafe nearby but after waiting far too long for service -- we just wanted something to drink and maybe an ice cream -- we got up and left.

looking upstream

Unlike so many historical structures in France, this building survived the revolution and general neglect, possibly because of its fortified defenses which allowed it to serve a number of military as well as administrative purposes (such as a prison).

looking downstream

 We were all a bit tired and it was a quiet 40-minute drive back to Tours.

Back in Tours Richard and Pauline dropped us off by the TI office and our street. We planned to meet up for dinner at 8:00 pm in front of the train station.

The first place we tried was an Italian restaurant located near the station but although their website claimed they were open, in fact they were shut up tight. We wandered a bit aimlessly toward the place Hotel de Ville where we came across a dozen or so restaurants most of which looked oddly alike and hosting hundreds of diners. We chose one, the Conti, for no particular reason, and opted to sit inside.

The service was quirky and hit-and-miss. Richard and I each had the lasagne. Pauline had linguine with Salmon which she declared rather good and Susan had beef brochette with potatoes, which she thought so-so; the accompanying Bernaise sauce looked nothing like Bernaise and Susan claimed it had quite an off-putting flavor.

After a round of desserts we at last paid our bill and headed back to Boulevard Heurteloup, passing the nicely lit up Hotel de Ville. 

A few minutes later we were back at the station where we said bon nuit to Richard and Pauline, planning to reconnect at 11:00 am on Sunday.