Day 27 and 28 – Wrapping up our time in Chablis.

How in the world has October arrived already? They say that time flies when you’re having fun and September was just a blur…form your own assumptions!

We followed our regular morning routine – showers, dress and then a run to the boulangerie. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our favorite boulangerie woman. The shop was crowded with a line behind us, so we only had time to order our items and then thank her for her kindness and say goodbye.

We went back home to eat and then spent some time researching our potential vacation for next year. Since it appears that timing is important in booking, we thought it was best to at least talk a little bit about our thoughts and options.

Our sandwiches were tasty, as was the fresh, crunchy baguette. We had purchased some butter from the Brittany region and it has been a delicious addition to our breakfast/brunch meals. It sure is a couple of steps up from good old Land-O-Lakes.

I took care of some final confirmations for Paris, then looked through the news for information regarding the scheduled Air Traffic Controllers strike next week. We couldn’t find any updates, so we’re still crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.

We were actually able to open the windows for a little while to get some fresh air in the house. It has been a little chilly that past few days, but today’s sunshine warmed things up a little bit.

We laid out our plans for tomorrow. We have to drop off some bottles at the recycling bin and then fill up the car with gas before turning it in on Friday. There is a gas station and recycling bin right by the large intermarché (supermarket) in town, so we’ll take care of that after lunch.

We have a reservation at Chablis Wine Not for our last meal in Chablis. We felt bad after having to cancel our reservation the other night when my tummy was upset, so this will be our goodbye.

All that left us with just over an hour before dinner. We cleaned up and changed clothes before heading over to the restaurant. Tonight we will be dining at Les Trois Bourgeons.

The restaurant has been closed for the past two weeks, so we were glad to be able to make a reservation before we leave. It’s a perfect restaurant in our opinion: it is simple, has delicious food and a charming hostess/server. Really…what more could you ask for ?

Our meal began with an aperitif and an amuse bouche: rice crisps and gougères with a glass of William Fevre Montmains 2020.

I ordered the escargot as my entrée (yes, I snatched one before taking the photo) and then we both ordered the boeuf bourguignon. The pretense of needing a knife is amusing. However, the beef is so tender that you just need your fork. To eat it properly, you also need fresh bread to soak up that wonderful sauce.

We paired the meal with a bottle of red burgundy. We chose a 2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Premier Cru ‘Blanchards’ from Domaine Michel Magnien. It needed a little time and a little swirling to open up, but it was delicious and paired nicely.

After a little breather, we had dessert. I had the shredded pear with a white cheese meringue, while Sue chose the cheese plate. It was another wonderful meal, and a perfect ending to our dinner adventures in Chablis.

We took a slow walk home. It was a chilly night, but the moon was bright and lit our way.

Tomorrow is going to be a little busy, but we do have our lunch to see our friends at Chablis Wine Not.

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We woke up to another chilly morning. It was 41 degrees and the windows were steamed. Neither of us wanted to climb out from under the covers.

Luckily, the sun was shining through the back windows, so the bathroom was warmer than the front of the house. Had it not been for that sunshine, neither of us would have wanted to take our shower this morning. We both did and then dressed quickly, with just an occasional shiver.

I was able to take care of a couple of emails before being brave enough to check to see if the Yankees won last night – they did!

Today was our decision day and we made it. We would not be sending home cases of wine like we have in the past. The increased shipping costs and the uncertainty on the tariffs were a big part of that decision. Honestly though, all things considered, we have a lot of wine at home and we have a great source of wine back home. Sigh…I think I’m becoming responsible.

Our last meal in Chablis was lunch. We bypassed our usual sandwich and pastry for a real hearty meal. Today’s lunch special at Chablis Wine Not was a bowl of mushroom veloute with jambon and then a delectable veal rillette with haricot vert and roasted onion.

And we needed a nice bottle of wine for our send off meal, so we went with a bottle of 2017 Vincent Dauvissat Premier Cru Séchet Chablis. It drank well and was a wonderful send-off bottle.

We were able to say goodbye to our friends before we left. As William Shatner or William Shakespeare once said: “Parting really is such sweet sorrow”. We walked back home and relaxed for a bit to shed any affects of the wine before heading back out.

When we were ready, it was car time. It was a short and easy drive, hampered only by the car parked directly across from our gate. Team Herkey was able to maneuver the car out and we headed off to drop off our bottles at the recycling bins and to fill up the gas tank.

I’ve never driven a Hybrid before, but for the entire time we’ve had the car, we only needed about 20 liters of gas. I know we were driving without the gas engine often, but that seems like pretty good overall fuel economy.

Sue did some pre-packing, so tomorrow morning should be quick to finish up and then head out. We drop the car off in Auxerre and then head over to the train station.

For the rest of the evening, we were watching some Youtube videos and finishing up the last bottle of wine we had in the house. It was a nice way to finish up here in Chablis.

We went to bed early hoping for a good night’s sleep and a smooth day tomorrow.