Markets and chateaux and 13,000 steps, oh my!

It was a busy/un-busy day here in good ol' Tours. We slept in - B until 10:15, then he went to go get me a croissant and he woke me up at 11:00. It was magnificent - it was the first time I've slept through the night since we've been here, and oh, it felt so good.

We then managed to make it to the market. Shopping at the markets is THE thing I was most excited about when I thought about moving to France. Today's market run did not disappoint. See, I had picked up a free magazine at Carrefour City (a grocery store) to try to practice my French. I mean, my French is terrible, but I figured even I could manage to semi-read a supermarket circular. What we found was a recipe for spring salmon with vegetables, so we went shopping for those ingredients.

We went to at least three grocers, the fishmonger, the fromagerie, and the epicerie (spice store) for salt and soy sauce. My husband is the only reason I did not buy ALL THE THINGS at the market, especially the cheeses and bread. He is also the reason I did not steal this lady's French bulldog in the market as well - yes, dogs are allowed in the market. And I wanted them all, especially that little Frenchie. I miss my Luna-bug.

Anyway, here is our market haul. I'll show you a pic of the finished recipe later, but I do enjoy doing things in chronological order :)

P.S. - That round thing is a circle of chevre (goat cheese) from a nearby chateau; it is not a moldy doughnut. But yes, we did eat the rind, mold and all.

After a lunch of salad with homemade dressing, a baguette, and cheese, we decided to take the car out and see what we could find. We were trying to find the Vouvray region, home of my favorite sparkling wine, but the GPS was a little off. So when we found ourselves only 13 kilometers from Amboise, home of my favorite chateau, it was an easy choice.

Again, I had been to this chateau before, but B had not. I love playing tour guide, so it's been fun to take him to these places I went by myself the last time. Here are some pictures of the chateau and surrounding town. It was absolutely breathtaking. This one is much different than Chenonceaux, but just as amazing!

The Gothic lodge, the actual "chateau" on the premises

The River Loire is to the left.

Stained glass and carving in the chapel on the premises, where Da Vinci is buried.

The landscaped gardens.

The Jardin d'Orient, which honors the memory of Emir Abd al-Kader's companions who died at Amboise.

It really is just stunning.

B is just stunning, also. How I love this silly man.

The town of Amboise below the chateau.

Oh, Amboise...how I love you.

After our journey to Amboise and back (including a stop at a local wine cave to pick up some white to go with dinner - more on those wine caves later!), we came back to cook. Our market purchases came together perfectly, and dinner was delicious. Our lemon tart with meringue on top for dessert was even better. And the wine was best.

The good news is that B has started using his phone as a "health tracker." We're not sure how accurate it is, but according to it, we've taken more than 13,000 steps today. And today was a pretty light day. I would love to know how many steps we took in the past few days as we were moving, exploring, etc. The French life is incredibly decadent but also healthy, and so far we're loving it. Thanks for keeping up with our adventures!

xoxo,
E & B

Our finished dinner. Not bad, huh?