Market day in Tourette and a lunch to remember

Well, we didn’t quite make it to the restaurant for dinner- the place was closed as most places are on Tuesdays in Tourette. So we went to a bar and met Dominik, the local friendly drunk and had a beer. We managed to communicate enough to say we were from America and for David and Dominick to compare scars (Dom’s from a motorbike accident he had ‘after only one drink’ and David’s from skiing this winter). So we finished our beers and walked to the only place that was open in town that night, Auberge de Touretes- a hotel with a wonderful restaurant. We had aperitifs of Pastis, an anise-flavored liqueur diluted with water right before drinking as we looked at the menu. Then we sipped some excellent Pol Roger Champagne through an amazing dinner of scallops, lamb and cod. We had a cheese plate and cake for desert and then stumbled home together holding a flashlight Albert had given us. Fun times.

This morning we ate breakfast, met Jeannot and Eve from Luxembourg, and walked back into Tourette for market day. There were carts of olives, soaps, dried fruits, spices, clothes, jewelry, pottery, pastries, meats, cheeses, wines and so much more! We sampled a bunch of things, bought some truffle oil and a beautiful blue pottery bowl for our home as well as some snacks for later and took a lot of pictures.

spices being sold in the market

all kinds of sausages

cheeses

fruits

freshly baked bread

yummy olives

David purchasing some market goodness

soaps

Then we explored the narrow hilly streets of the old city a bit more before heading back to the B&B for the ‘special meal’ Albert had told us about.
As it turns out, Jeannot represents Domaine du Castel, an Israeli vineyard located in the Judean Hills just west of Jerusalem. The meal Yolande had been preparing all day would feature his and a few other wines- we were definitely in for a treat! Some friends came over and we ate outside for 4 hours. The food was incredible, the wines were delicious and we had a blast! It was such a unique and authentic meal.

Afterwards, we took a nap in our room and ate a simple dinner on our balcony of a few items we bought earlier that day at the market. We had cheese, duck sausage, dried apples, baguette and tapenade.

The wind has a bit of a chill this evening after the drizzle late this afternoon, but tomorrow is supposed to be clear and warm.