Day 2 – Buying supplies and starting to explore.

To start our second day in Chablis, we all slept in. Yesterday’s travels and a little jet lag had taken its toll on all of us. It felt good to just be able to ease into the day without having to rush to get somewhere.

The weatherman’s forecast of a warm, sunny day and the clear, blue skies had us believing him.

We all cleaned up for the day and then Sue and Nancy took a walk to the boulangerie to grab some goodies. They returned a short time later with some sandwiches and desserts and we ate our lunch in the front patio area.

After lunch we took a little walk. We started with a stroll along the river heading towards the old wash house. The river is not very wide or deep as it meanders through town, and the gentleness just adds to the tranquility. There is an art exposition in the area and prints are displayed throughout town. It’s enjoyable to turn a corner and see a new one hanging.

After walking along the river, we headed into town. Our first stop was at the Tourist Office. We had read about a concert being held at the Saint Martin Collegiale and wanted to inquire about tickets. As it turns out, the concert is September 20th and is free. It’s a classical music concert and the acoustics in the old churches make the music sound even better – we can’t wait.

Continuing our walk, we peeked into a few shops before deciding to stop for glass of wine. There was a bar appropriately named “Chablis Bar” with windows wide open and four chairs beckoning us to come and sit down – so we did.

Feeling hydrated and refreshed, we headed back towards the house. Though the town is busy with the harvest and crush going on, the streets are not overly crowded with tourists. In fact, most of the people that we are interacting with are French.

We made a quick stop at the small store to pick up a few things. Just a few essentials were needed like soap, some paper cups, paper towels and wine. Not the best selection of wine, but we found something to keep us going until we hit a proper wine store.

Continuing on, just before we pass through the city gate, there is a street called Rue des Juifs. There is an old Synagogue located there that dates back to the 16th century. The Synagogue was restored by winemaker William Fevre and there is now a museum there, along with a small park in his honor.

Next we rounded the corner and exited through the old city towers before returning home. Across the street from us, the Louis Michel Winery is abuzz with activity as they continue to receive tractor loads of grapes from the harvesters.

Once we returned to the house, we had some time to relax before dinner. Sitting in the front patio area, we can hear the constant passing of tractors transporting grapes to the surrounding wineries. They are pushing hard to finish the harvest, as there is rain in the forecast for the beginning of the week.

We are looking forward to dinner tonight. We are going to “Bistrot Des Grands Crus” and it comes highly recommended.

To all those who recommended the restaurant, thanks!

It was a wonderful dinner. We started with an aperitif out in the terrace area. It was a beautiful evening to sit outside for a drink. While enjoying our drinks, our server took our dinner order and then came back to usher us inside when our starters were ready.

The restaurant is situated inside of the Hotel and we were seated in a nice dining room area, I think there were three separate areas, and were almost immediately served our wine. After tasting the poured wine, our starters were brought to the table.

Sue and Michael had a delicious gazpacho, while Nancy and I had fresh, ripe tomatoes with a homemade burrata cheese and a dribble of balsamic vinegar. We all enjoyed them very much.

Without being rushed, our main plates were presented. Nancy and Sue had the salmon, served with a beurre blanc sauce, Michael had grilled duck breast with a red wine sauce and I had a pork filet mignon served with linguini in a mustard cream sauce. There was also fresh, crusty bread to mop up those tasty sauces. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals and the bread was all gone- having served its purpose.

Only Michael and I were up for dessert; Michael chose the triple chocolate dome; I had the Peach cake. Both vanished from our plates.

We enjoyed dinner so much that we made a reservation to return on Tuesday evening.

We took a slow walk back to the house. The streets were empty and the air was cool, but we were happily sated from a delicious meal. We relaxed in the salon for a while before calling it a night. We need to be up earlier tomorrow as it is Market Day.