14 April 2010

Amboise




Got a little behind with the blogs...This post should be 09 April 2010. The 9am train to Amboise left about 1pm instead and we were off to the Loire Valley! A beautiful 2 hour train ride through the countryside was a welcome chance to chill and talk and snack with each other. I was disappointed to have missed the morning farmers market in Amboise, but oh well. Our friend Sandra graciously helped us get all of our train and hotel reservations for Amboise and we are excited!

We could see the Chateaux from the train, and began walking across the river! It was a beautiful day and Amboise is like a little fairytale city with it's winding cobblestone streets and old, slate roof homes! Absolutely charming!

Le Blason was an interesting place to stay (I'll put up a seperate post about it!) and we were in the heart of the old city with lots to do!

After a stop for coffee, we visited a wine seller cut into the Chateaux that represented 9 local wine makers and a goat cheese producer about 3km away! The wines of this region tend to be Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay. Absolutely fantastic and we took a few bottles with us! Some were a fresher style and others aged in oak for a bit heartier body!

The cheese was phenomonal! The large one was fresh goat with ash and Roquefort cultures added, yet not allowed to age blue. Sweet, creamy with a bit of saltiness and fresh, fresh taste! The small "crottin" was also covered in ash, and more dense because of a longer aging, yet that sweet milk flavor just poured through. So nice!

Tonight; pizza and desserts!

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