Day 632, 26 Feb '16, La Rochelle, Les Tours, Seafood Fiesta. We were up bright and early at 7 am (brrrr.. alarm clock territory... still dark!) With Zara walked, chickens, cats and humans fed we were underway by 10 am. La Rochelle is a large city with medieval roots about 90 minutes drive from home. Given the distance and the season, we could not have hoped for a brighter day - sunshine and freezing cold, but beautiful. It was also the 22 year anniversary of our meeting - so quite a celebration all round. We enjoyed a seafood fiesta lunch at a waterfront restaurant with a stunning view of the harbour and two of La Rochelle's famous towers (The Chain Tower and Saint Nicholas Tower... pictured). Yesterday was my first ever taste of Foie Gras and today we both enjoyed sea snails for the first time. I had a grilled salmon and lentil dish. James, Annie and Lee all went for the seafood platter which was oysters, crab, langoustines, prawns and les bulots "sea snails" with rich mayonnaise. It was an incredible experience to eat such great seafood right on the water front - La Grand Rive was not a place we would normally stop at, so a lovely treat. We strolled the waterfront, enjoyed coffee and icecream at Cafe Leffe then got up close with the 3 towers of La Rochelle. Next stop was walking under the arch of the town clock and window shopping in the commercial quarter. En route to the covered 19th century market we stopped and Annie bought us a surprise bunch of double tulips in honor of our upcoming trip to Amsterdam. Once more, the trip home was a wakefulness challenge for all concerned. We stopped at St Jean d'Agely to show Lee and Annie the unfinished Abbey and made it back to the ranch by 6.30 pm. This evening's gourmet experience was Raclette. A casual French dinner involving hot melted cheeses, cured meat and boiled potatoes. And wine, but of course! Early night... only 11 pm. Tomorrow's plans? Rouillac's famous monthly street fair - the 27th of the month of course!