A Sampling of Loire Valley Wines at the Musee des Beaux Art, Tours, France.

Welcome to the Conference!


The Wineries displaying their wares in the white tents.


Enjoying the evening!


The Gardens


The Museum and Tours Cathedral in the background.

First thing this morning we made our way to a local market that is held every Tuesday morning close by. It is a local market that sells fruit, veggies, cheese, fish, olives and breads - all the essentials! It was great to see the locals choosing their produce and chatting with the farmers. Neil still had a few minutes before he had to attend the conference so we stopped for a "grande coffee" and a croissant. Both were excellent. Neil was off to the conference center and I headed back to the river for a run on the path along the Loire River. Today is was a bit cooler which made the temperature just perfect. I'm not sure if it was the coffee I had just consumed but wow I felt like I could run forever. It's nice when the run feels so pleasant and effortless - I know I should kick it up a notch at times like this but I really enjoyed the peacefulness of it all.
Neil and I met for lunch and had a nice salad that was full of fresh veggies. I did some more exploring in the afternoon and found a chocolate shop that reminded me of the movie "Chocolate". Here I purchased bags of foil wrapped mini pieces of chocolate to take back to our offices - 72% Cocoa! Hey - research shows it's good for us! Tonight we had a great evening with the conference at the Musee des Beaux Art in Tours. In the gardens many local wineries had their wines on display for tasting. It was very nicely done with Foie Gras pate served at every booth - we declined! The wineries were interesting - some do reds, whites and sparkling, some just whites, some just reds - all depending on their location and their climate in the Loire River Valley. We learned that where the soil is sandy and stony, the resulting wine is "gravelly", whereas the limestone clay of the hillsides produce the so called "tuffeau" wines (whatever that means!).
I picked up a few recipe cards with some nice looking appetizers (all in French) but with a little help I think we can figure them out. It was a great evening! Cycling trip tomorrow!