Day 24: Un marché et faire du velo/A market and cycling

Part of the Market

Dans la Place de Saint Pierre il y avait un marché qui se passe chaque samedi.  Place de Saint Pierre est a propos 30m de notre appartement.  Il y a un mélange des vendeurs,  quelque sont les fermiers et pour le plupart ils sont les détaillant. 

J’ai eu un fois merveilleux regardant des légumes, des viandes, des fromages et charcuterie.  J’ai acheté des légumes de printemps pour le diner que j’etais aller cuisiner.  Il y avait une recette végétarien que j’ai trouvée dans Le Guardian dont je voulais essayer. 

A selection of mushrooms

Après le marché nous sommes allé au location du vélo où nous avons loué 2 vélos.  Depuis que le jour a fait beau nous avons fait du velo à cote de La Loire. 

Plus tard j’ai cuisiné notre diner.  C’était très bon !!

The sun began to peak through the clouds when we got up, promising a better day than the previous day.  However an early foray to the boulangerie told me that it was rather cool. 

Strawberries anyone?

In the Place de Saint Pierre there was a market.  It is held every Saturday and there is a  large array of vendors with their wares.  Some are producers but most are retailers who go from market to market.  There are fruit and vegetable stalls, mushroom stalls, a person selling live chickens and eggs, charcuterie, cheese sellers, fishmongers and so on.  The quality of the food is really good and they treat the produce with care.  Not like the supermarkets where it is just another commodity. 

Ducks and chickens ready for sale

I was like a pig in mud for a couple of hours while I wandered around the stalls checking the produce and prices. I had a recipe that I had kept from The Guardian for a warm salad using spring vegetables, and I was able to find them all at the market.  We also got some Agen prunes as well some other goodies.

Later in the afternoon we went to find the cycle hire shop we had used the last time we stayed in Saumur.  Unfortunately it was closed until later in the afternoon, so we went back to the apartment for a short time until it opened.  I managed to conduct the hire process in French so I was quite pleased with myself.  An improvement on this last time last year I think! 

As the day had warmed a bit we went for a short ride of about 17 kilometres.  It was nice to be on the bikes again. Riding alongside the Loire is very nice and most of what we rode was off road. 

Apero time - Place Saint Pierre

By the time we got back to our apartment it was apero time so we found a table in the sun in Place de St Pierre and enjoyed having a drink and watching the people around us. 

Later I cooked a superb vegetarian meal (the exception being a paté to start with), with my sous chef doing a splendid job helping me. We enjoyed a chenin blanc to start with and then we had a Chateau Lanessan  2002. The latter is a red Bordeaux wine.  It was still quite tannic and had a bit of time to go in the bottle I think although based on a memory of this wine that I had a few years ago it was not quite as good.  Perhaps it was slightly corked?  I am not sure but it did feel flat for a wine of its age.