Pilrimage to Valrhona’s Cité du Chocolate (and trip to Tain l’Hermitage)

One of the things we brought back for our grandkids last time we were in France was a package of little chocolate and caramel balls from Valrhona for Xavier.  Well, Xavier made a special point of telling us that he really, really liked them.  So, of course, we had to plan another trip to Tain l’Hermitage and Valrhona to get more.  (Since Valrhona is our favorite chocolatier and Tain l’Hermitage is in the heart of one of our favorite wine regions, going there was not tough duty.)

In the past we have usually rented a car for excursions like this, but this time David suggested we go by train.  He checked out the train schedule, how to get to Valrhona from the train station, possible restaurants, and we were good to go.   The Part Dieu station is a short walk from our apartment so it was easy to catch a 10:20 AM train and be on our way.  It proved to be a lovely, scenic ride.

Train station in Tain l'Hermitage (note the sunshine)

We walked a short way through Tain l’Hermitage to Valrhona’s Cité du Chocolate and were able to find Xavier’s requested chocolate immediately.  (Whew!)  For those of you who haven’t had the privilege of visiting this bit of heaven on earth, it’s a huge shop full of an incredible number of varieties of chocolates – strengths, places of origin, formats, etc.  And, there are samples to savor everywhere! We added a few more items to our basket and headed for a cashier, a very pleasant young woman who added some additional chocolate items to our bag after we had paid for our purchases.  You gotta love that place!

Inside the Cité du Chocolate
So many chocolates - so little time!

Then we were off to a restaurant David had found online, La Lanterne.  It was just noon and the restaurant was opening for lunch so our timing was perfect.  We entered the small restaurant and were seated by the proprietor (his wife was in the kitchen and came out later to check on things).  It is always impressive to note how few people it takes to manage a restaurant in France – in this case, just the two of them.  Our very pleasant meal was made even more enjoyable by the owner’s humorous comments and bits of conversation.

La Lanterne from across the street.

After lunch we were walking towards the Tourist Office when we saw a sculpture of two children in front of a church.  A very pleasant gentleman saw us stopping to look and told us about the statue and much more about the history of the town.  It turns out that the two children were the future King Charles VII and his bride, Jeanne de Bourbon, and they were married at this church on April 8, 1380.  They were just twelve years old at the time.  A surprise little nugget of history!

Chalrles VII and Jeanne de Bourbon

The inscription on the base.

We took a pleasant stroll down to the river front, walked along the river on the Tain l’Hermitage side, then crossed a bridge and walked along the Tournon-sur-Rhône side before crossing back over the river and returning to Tain l’Hermitage.  A very enjoyable stroll on a sunny afternoon.

Tain l’Hermitage from Tournon-sur-Rhône

The river front in Tain l'Hermitage

As it turned out, we still had enough time to do a little wine tasting before our train ride home.  Imagine that!  So our next stop was the Chapoutier tasting room and wine shop.  We tasted several wines with the aid of a young man who really wanted to speak English with us.  (We settled for Franglish.)  After purchasing a bottle each of Cornas, Condrieu, and Crozes-Hermitage, we were back on our way to the train station and our train ride back to Lyon.

It’s interesting how intriguing bits of information and little surprises along the way can turn a nice side-trip into a more memorable experience.  We’re looking forward to our next adventure.