France, Rhone River Cruise

[Old Bay]

I want to tell you about this, but I'm going to do it a bit at the time after the introduction. We flew into Paris for three days. A lunch and dinner that were unremarkable, three days , including a tour of the city, the tower, the arch, the Leuve (sp?), overcoming jet lag, and a bullet train to Lyon. We boarded the Uniworld ***** Catherine on the Rhone River . The wine we drank was as expected, really good. Red and white burgundies (Pinot noir & unoaked Chardonnays), Hermatage, and Chateauneuf du Pape (Syrah). All delicious. We visited and sailed thru Bourgonnes, Chabls, Beaune, and Lyon to Avignon. Beautiful countryside and the river was as clear as any I have ever seen. The highlite was the food on the *****. I will tell about it a bit at the time. The French are incredible.
Artichoke Gratin.
I thought it was made of only Gruyere, cream, bottoms ,stems, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Jane said it had the hearts too. Whatever, it was delicious and a side I had never thought of . Beautiful texture, smooth and with a soft crunch. I am looking for a recipe! More later .

[DFen911]

Wait you can't leave us hanging like that! I want more!

[Mare749]

Looking forward to hearing more.

[cjs]

Good start!! Anxious to hear more....

[Old Bay]

Part Two:
The best breakfast we had wasEggs Benedict. Jane had scrambled eggs and I had a classic poached egg . Jane swore it was a Guinea egg because the yolk was bright orange and rich . The Hollandaise was the best we ever had or made. The French know sauces FGS! Perfect. A memory. I had Escargot Bourgogne twice. Jane was not willing to try a snail, but she soaked bread (and the bread was wonderful) in the sauce, and declared it was wonderful. She also had rack of lamb from New Zealand and informed me it was better than mine at Union Square in NYC. We went truffle hunting and watched a dog identify a location (twice) and dig one up. I held about $5000 in truffles (black) in my hand during the presentation. The smell was intoxicating. We had fine bread with fresh truffle butter and truffle oil after the hunt. Delicious! Also we enjoyed white burgundy, red burgundy, and rose' with the snacks. Best tour we had. I will review my notes an do another post if I left anything out.

[cjs]

What a wonderful time and food! As far as the yolk being so colorful and rich - when our chickens were allowed free range of our fenced yard, that's how their yolks were, also. Just golden and amazingly rich.

So fun reading this, Bill.

[Mare749]

This really is fun to read, Bill. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

[DFen911]

Next time post pictures if you can

[Gourmet_Mom]

This is fascinating! And I'm drooling! Thanks for sharing, Bill! Looking forward to pictures!

[cjs]

Bill & Jane - we have friends who have a similar trip planned for next March and they are thrilled you are posting your thoughts and adventures.