Post by geordy on Sept 21, 2011 19:34:20 GMT -5
My plan for Tours was NOT not to leave no stone unturned..there are small museums, of course the chateau and vineyard tours.....my plan was for a relaxing prelude to Paris.... the Cathedral, the Musee des Beaux Arts, and strolling the olde town. And of course eating local and well! 
;D
We started our second day with a quiet cafe and croissants at a patisserie, outdoors, with a view of the cathedral and a pleasant square. Walked thru the Square to the gardens next to the Musee. There we saw the old, huge Cedar of Lebonon, Fritz the stuffed elephant(he was on a PT Barnum tour of Europe and died in Tours, there he remains in a stall where you can visit him ..for free..whenever the gardens are open!)
Beautiful flower beds which when viewed from above, once inside the musee, you see are planted to form one big flower!
The Musee is in a beautiful building and houses some very good art including a lovely Monet and a dark "Flight ffrom Egypt" by Rembrandt.
Around the garden are parts of an old Roman wall.
To the Cathedral...wonderful with a lovely cloister..part of which unfortunately for us..but not for you!..was under construction and unavailable.
We then strolled along the Seine and halfway across a pedestrian bridge connecting the old and new Tours
Lunchtime! It was another lovely, sunny day but I really wanted to try a place I had read about in France Today. Located on a small street near Pl Plum, Comme AutreFouee. A small medieval building with a wood burning oven where they specialize in Fouaces..and the "produits du Terroir Tourangeau".
A fouaces is a small freshly baked puffy pita bread..served throughout the entire meal. We went with the least expensive menu ..19.50 with aperitif and vin!
WE started with goat cheese and golden raisin "dumplings"..made with the same dough as the fouaces. Then we were served hot fouaces to be filled with butter, rilletttes de parc, cornichons and pickled onions.I thought we were done with the fouaces when we were served the main course which was a casserole of white beans, beef and pork(as the menu says..made with Love) and a salade. But no, brought more and told by the server , and fouace maker, that we were to fill them with the stew and salad!
Next two types of goat cheese..one with an ash rind...yes also served with the fouaces!
Considered the fromage blanc for dessert but at this point had had so much cheese 
that we just went for vanilla and chocolate glace!
All this accompanied by a local aperitif wine and 50 cl each local vin rouge! And all this done by two young men..one forming and baking all the appetizers and fouaces and doing most of the serving and the other in the kitchen!
Quite a delicious, different and filling!!! lunch! And a charming. cozy. OLD building! And quite a show watching the fouaces being made and the young men handling it all!
More walking required after that so we roamed the old pedestrian streets, then picked up some sparkling Vouvray and headed back to the hotel.
Well...diner had to be had so back to stroll Rue Colbert Before choosing a place for diner we walked to a building on Rue Colbert which has a plaque saying that there was for many years an armourer there and they supplied Joan of Arc's armour in 1429! It now houses a dry cleaner on the street level!
..We had a place listed as a local fav in mind but too crowded again so right next door to Rest d'Ice et d' Ailleurs featuring 2 menus from which you could pick and choose, one French, one Island. A lovely couple running the place.
Trying to keep this lite..
..I stARTED WITH KIND OF A TIMBALE OF BEEF CHEEKS, CARROTS, RADISHES. then mulot with wild rice and roasted tomatoes, and finished with 3 cheeses served with a compote of fig, some greens and most happily ..local honey I had never had goat cheese with honey and it was a delightful taste sensation! All washed down with a rose.
Walked back down to the olde town to see it at night...lovely and hopping on Saturday nite!
The next morning it was raining so we breakfasted at the hotel then headed to the Gare. Last local sauvignon touraine @ Buffet @ Gare to say adieu to Tours then TGV to Paris!
;DWe started our second day with a quiet cafe and croissants at a patisserie, outdoors, with a view of the cathedral and a pleasant square. Walked thru the Square to the gardens next to the Musee. There we saw the old, huge Cedar of Lebonon, Fritz the stuffed elephant(he was on a PT Barnum tour of Europe and died in Tours, there he remains in a stall where you can visit him ..for free..whenever the gardens are open!)
Beautiful flower beds which when viewed from above, once inside the musee, you see are planted to form one big flower!
The Musee is in a beautiful building and houses some very good art including a lovely Monet and a dark "Flight ffrom Egypt" by Rembrandt.
Around the garden are parts of an old Roman wall.
To the Cathedral...wonderful with a lovely cloister..part of which unfortunately for us..but not for you!..was under construction and unavailable.
We then strolled along the Seine and halfway across a pedestrian bridge connecting the old and new Tours
Lunchtime! It was another lovely, sunny day but I really wanted to try a place I had read about in France Today. Located on a small street near Pl Plum, Comme AutreFouee. A small medieval building with a wood burning oven where they specialize in Fouaces..and the "produits du Terroir Tourangeau".
A fouaces is a small freshly baked puffy pita bread..served throughout the entire meal. We went with the least expensive menu ..19.50 with aperitif and vin!
WE started with goat cheese and golden raisin "dumplings"..made with the same dough as the fouaces. Then we were served hot fouaces to be filled with butter, rilletttes de parc, cornichons and pickled onions.I thought we were done with the fouaces when we were served the main course which was a casserole of white beans, beef and pork(as the menu says..made with Love) and a salade. But no, brought more and told by the server , and fouace maker, that we were to fill them with the stew and salad!
Next two types of goat cheese..one with an ash rind...yes also served with the fouaces!
Considered the fromage blanc for dessert but at this point had had so much cheese
that we just went for vanilla and chocolate glace!All this accompanied by a local aperitif wine and 50 cl each local vin rouge! And all this done by two young men..one forming and baking all the appetizers and fouaces and doing most of the serving and the other in the kitchen!
Quite a delicious, different and filling!!! lunch! And a charming. cozy. OLD building! And quite a show watching the fouaces being made and the young men handling it all!
More walking required after that so we roamed the old pedestrian streets, then picked up some sparkling Vouvray and headed back to the hotel.
Well...diner had to be had so back to stroll Rue Colbert Before choosing a place for diner we walked to a building on Rue Colbert which has a plaque saying that there was for many years an armourer there and they supplied Joan of Arc's armour in 1429! It now houses a dry cleaner on the street level!
..We had a place listed as a local fav in mind but too crowded again so right next door to Rest d'Ice et d' Ailleurs featuring 2 menus from which you could pick and choose, one French, one Island. A lovely couple running the place.
Trying to keep this lite..
..I stARTED WITH KIND OF A TIMBALE OF BEEF CHEEKS, CARROTS, RADISHES. then mulot with wild rice and roasted tomatoes, and finished with 3 cheeses served with a compote of fig, some greens and most happily ..local honey I had never had goat cheese with honey and it was a delightful taste sensation! All washed down with a rose.Walked back down to the olde town to see it at night...lovely and hopping on Saturday nite!
The next morning it was raining so we breakfasted at the hotel then headed to the Gare. Last local sauvignon touraine @ Buffet @ Gare to say adieu to Tours then TGV to Paris!
hahahha