Day 2 Villandry

Day 2 Friday May 22

SLEEP! GLORIOUS GLORIOUS SLEEP!  So, we went to bed at about 1 at the latest (1 in France, so about 6 O clock PM  Eastern Standard Time) after some e-mails and facebooking to let people know that we arrived, and we woke at about 11. By “we” I meant Mom and Dad…and I woke up…grumbled…turned over and slept until 12. Our good ‘Ole Buddies, “The Michelin Man” and Garmin guided us to a charming little place known as “Auberge de Port Vallière.” Which is a nice little restaurant.  Was a tad expensive, due to the fact that it was pretty much on the “carte” menu system (an entry plate, a main dish, and dessert) and the individual items were only about 3 Euros less… one feels inclined to order and eat more. BUT! There was a menu of the day. When I asked (I being the only who could ask and semi understand what was being said) understood about 3 things : Smoked Salmon, Veal, and then Caramelized apples. And I was like…Oh! I understand those things! (Hopefully this was not going to be some sort of pate of smoked salmon and then veal sausage and crème brulée with caramelized apples…) I took my chances and in a split second decided: Smoked salmon= WIN WIN WIN!, Veal=Win (especially for Dad), and Caramelized apples = Win (well, basically anything caramelized = WIN!).  All of them seemed like a good dish, but they had me at “smoked salmon.”

They gave us free samples of a homemade sausage (not a sausage person, but didn’t want to be rude…and it as only a little) and then some chilled mussels in cream, and some Quinoi (a grain) salad. This was much appreciated because I was starving! Then the smoked salmon came. It was to DIE FOR! It was so fresh, not too salty, and not “fishy” or oily in the least bit. It was perfect in every way. The portions were generous, as well. The only bad thing was that it did end. Anyhow, it was served with a selection of fresh crusty wheat rolls and mini baguettes, which were soft and light. Accompanying the salmon was an herbed cheese of some sort, either crème fraiche or Fromage blanc, although it could have been mascarpone. This was to be the favorite dish of the Loire Valley. Next, the veal. We had no idea what to expect, for it said “carré” de vaux. Which means a cut of veal. It turned out to be a veal shank (we think) braised in brown gravy with parsnips. The meat was so tender and flavorful! And then dessert. Crepes with caramelized apples, caramel sauce drizzled on top and then a caramel ice cream. This was fantastic! I was too satisfied from the first two dishes to finish the dessert, but somehow found room for the complimentary hand made truffle, fruit Pate (gelatinized fruit preserve coated in sugar) and tiny almond brittle/Florentine cookie. This was most likely the best meal that we would encounter in the Loire region!

Despite the fact that the ten day forecast had predicted 65 degrees and raining, the weather was about 85 and sunny! We went to the gardens and the Chateau of Villandry, which was highly recommended to us by  our neighbor.  I must say that it greatly exceeded our expectations! The chateau, built on the ground on which a 12^th Century dungeon was located, was built in 1536 and underwent two major restoration processes. The first process got rid of many of the Gothic aspects of the grunds, transforming the dungeon into a studio.  There were other many attempts to transform the Gothic structure to more of a romantic renaissance piece. However, the second period of restoration was done by the Spanish Carvallo family, after being purchased in 1906.  It was during this second period of restoration that the Gardens, renaissance in their style, was revived.  There are several gardens:

1)                   Ornamental kitchen Garden, consisting of broad bean, red Japanese Cabbage (I’ve never seen cabbage look so beautiful), some sort of lettuce and then some sort of lettuce 

2)                   Herb Garden

3)                   Garden of Love, which has flowers arranged to symbolize four different types of love: tragic, passionate, adulterous and tender

4)                   Formal gardens, which are full of roses and poppies and such

5)                   Maze

*Please note that my father beat me to the a-MAZE-ing pun! And then my mother proceeded to tell me that we are two of a kind

*Please note that my lame puns are a product of my genetic makeup

 

After the wonderful tour of Villandry, we were super thirsty and grabbed some water, and watched a convoy of motor cycl-ists. I say that we watched (as opposed to glared) them because they weren’t on Harleys, therfor their  motor cycles were super super quiet…like quiter than an American car! Then we saw the CUTEST little car! It was teal and purple! Next, to the grocery store. 1^st one was closed, and the second was closing in 15. We got some water (since 20 oz of water at the hotel was 5 Euros!!!!) and then some diet soda! Diet Pepsi Max: Mint Mojito (so-so) and then Diet Coke with Orange (not to shabby!).  Also facewash, yogurt (which turned out to be fromage blanc, a bitter yogurt-like product, and then Chevre from the region (YUMMMMMMM!) For dinner we went to a place by our hotel, known has Pontifino. This was an experience. The waitstaff was super nice! They gave us an English translation of the Menu! And then they let me have a French one as well to see if I could work on some translations.  My eyes automatically went to seafood, after the waitress said that the seafood was really good and fresh.  I happened to notice a seafood platter consisting of Langosteens (kinda a cross between lobster and prawns in appearance, prawns, shrimp, whelks, winkles, and oysters. Someone behind me had ordered th platter, and my mom said that it looks amazing and that I should get it! It was not unreasonable in price, either! I asked her what Whelks and Winkles were, for they were not translated in the English version, and so we both assumed it was like a sardine or a small fish. Afterall the person who had ordered the plate seemed to have a nice veriety of prawns, and langosteens, oysters, and then a few little ciramic dishes containing some aoli and then something that looked like sardine or anchovie fillets so it can’t be bad! I love anchovies!

The deciding factor

“When will you have  whelks and Winkles again?” Asks Mom

So I get it.

Lessons Learned of the day:

            -Whelks and Winkles = snails…one kind is super big, the other super small.

            -Snails are super strong and fishy and well, not good. Maybe it is when they are served chilled.

            -Snails remain curly when cooked

                        Sublesson learned= remove suction cup from snails BEFORE eating

            -Langosteens are half head and half tail

            -Oysters are good, but best enjoyed in moderation. 6 is a rather excessive amount. At  least for a first time. Maybe it is just because they were raw.

            - Those little things that looked like anchovies were in fact, shrimp. Salad shrip. About an inch long…with head and antanea and legs included. So, again…another issue. Do I eat them whole? Do I  peel them?  I peel. They became too much trouble to eat.

*Cheese plate of 2 cheeses saves me yet again

Return to hotel and then Facebook, upload pics and such!