SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 – DAY 5                     TOURNON

Tournon lies between the river and wine-covered granite hillsides. A settlement has perched on the hill since Celtic times. The name of its neighboring wine region is Tain-l’Hermitage, named for a hermit who planted vines here after returning from the Crusades and invited travelers to drink with him. His vines today produce a port-like wine and some stellar whites. It is an untouched region inaccessible by road. Our beautiful ride on the Steam Train followed along the Doux River into valleys lush with greenery and changing fall colors. After the ride, our bus delivered us to the next port where our ship was waiting in Andance. Then it was a leisurely cruise along to Rhone toward Vivienne.

Lunch for me today                                                                                                                        Lentil Soup – garnished with sausages                                                                                     Roast Veal – sautéed potatoes & onions, pumpkin mousseline                                            Floating Island – vanilla ice cream and crushed pistachio

Soup was especially delicious – creamy and flavorful. It had been raining all day and this really hit the spot. The veal was tender and flavorful, cooked just right for my taste.

I attended a cooking demonstration in the Lounge with Executive Chef/Chef de Cuisine Frixos Tsapopouloos and Maitre D’ Petar Nikolov. They made Tarte Tatin, complete with witty patter and general hilarity. We each received a copy of the recipe.

More food as is was French Tea Time with pastries in the Lounge. This included the Tarte Tatin which was NOT the one Petar had prepared. Chef Frixos said he couldn’t take the chance!!!! Lol

We arrived in Vienne at 4:30. A walking tour was scheduled for 4:45pm. Kathy went but I opted not to go. It was likely to rain again, and my feet said “no”. I am catching up on my blog posts and relaxing for a change.

Chef’s special for dinner does not look that appealing tonight, so I think I will have     Caesar Salad – anchovies, parmesan, garlic croutons, traditional Caesar dressing   Seared Halibut – pommery mashed potatoes, asparagus, lemon sauce                           Crème Brulee – Bourbon vanilla

After dinner, there was an evening of French Chansons from a duo from Vienne. She was lovely and so was her voice. He played the accordian and the guitar. It was very entertaining, Her facial expressions and hand gestures made you believe you could actually understand what she was singing about.