Lassay les Châteaux

Just one of those "nothing planned" sort of days when we jump in the car and see where we end up.  Started driving and taking photos of the countryside.

Have you had your Shredded Wheat for breakfast?

All these sheep, many of them brand new to the world.  My mouth salivates thinking of those wonderful salads with "chèvre chaud" cheese.  Karl thinks along the lines of roast lamb...

This is NOT a typical house around here, but it really stood out.  Notice the thatched roof.

This is what a lot of "modern" houses look like.  Modern is anything that's not medieval!

 

What should we come across but the loveliest little village called "Lassay les Châteaux".  It really does have castles, too.



Very old ruined ones.

Castles that are still open for touring.



And pretty houses with views of the castle.

The houses in town look like these.

After walking around town, I stopped at the Tourist Information and chatted for about an hour with a very informative tourist agent who knew everything, including all about our little town of Ceaucé since she had lived there for 15 years.  She even knew which house we were renting since she lived on rue de la Gare when she was in Ceaucé.  What a small world after all!

We sat at one of the brasseries and chatted with the owner and some of the patrons about the cost of living, the employment statistics and the state of the economy.  It's not just our imagination, but the cost of fruit, vegetables and restaurants have increased considerably in the last six years.  Unemployment is high.  In this area, once the students go away to study in the larger centres, they seldom come back because they stay where they can find jobs.  The farmers are aging and there are few from the next generation who want to take over.  In many of the small villages and even in the larger centres, so many houses and businesses are for sale.  Some smaller towns are looking like ghost towns with nobody around.  It's all quite sad, really.

We made our contribution to the economy by going to the "Restaurant du Château", a  recommendation from the Tourist Info agent.  We were not disappointed!

The amuse-bouche was a small glass of gazpacho with mini croutons.  Spicy and delicious!

My entrée was a scoop of a variety of tomatoes, cubed and in a citrus sauce.  Unbelievably delicious!  The buffalo mozzarella was battered and deep fried.  On the left was a scoop of cold "ice-cream" that had all sorts of strong spices to match the rest of the dish, and a dry tomato peel crispy decoration.  An amazing starter, that's for sure!





(Notice the little girl behind Karl's left shoulder in the following photo, then read Anecdote.)



Karl had the salmon tartar with a mousse topping, and a horseradish side.  He ate every little tiny bite!

My main dish was chicken with chorizo sausage slices baked under the skin.  The sauce was rich and concentrated with flavour.  It sat on a bed of a variety of cubed squash.

Karl had a tagine of beef with roasted potatoes and assorted veggies.

For my dessert, a strawberry compote with a soft white cheese poured in the middle, topped with a  cookie drenched in honey.

I do believe Karl had the best dessert of all: a "chocolat moëlleux" (lava cake) with a sea salt caramel interior.  On the side, a red berry coulis.

How could one possibly improve on such a feast!

We love these days that start off with so much promise and then deliver in spades.  Sitting at a bistrot sipping a beer or a coffee and watching the world go by is just perfect and so much part of what we feel is French living.  Then finishing with a great meal is the icing on the cake!


Anecdote of the day:  That young girl seated behind Karl had a small suitcase (like an overnight bag) FULL of gloves!  Some were cloth, others leather, and yet others lace.  White, beige, linen, olive green, black...  She took pleasure in changing these gloves throughout the evening, pulling on each finger delicately and talking to herself.  I smiled as I watched her, realizing that she was in her own little world, perhaps imagining herself as a princess.  As we left, I whispered to her that I loved all her gloves and that she was very elegant.