We awoke to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary. A joyous day but tinged with sadness as it also signalled departure day for Tony and Rose. I was off to the supermarket early leaving them to finish packing. I returned with breakfast provisions and started preparing a big brekky to see them on their way.
This tosser Forgot butter. Tone accompanied me back to the small coop for this breakfast essential. We had Greek yoghurt and honey followed by cheese and tomato omelette with some slices of lovely ham off the bone. Bread of course. After last nights monster Italian it was a struggle to finish it all.
It was time to go. We walked the 400m to the gare and they bought tickets. We sat on platform 2 and waited almost quietly for the 10.42 to nancy. As usual in France it arrived on the button. Hugs and kisses and safe journeys and text when you get the car ok and when you get to Your overnight hotel and when you are safely home and suddenly the doors slid closed and the last waves were delivered.
We watched the train hum away almost silently toward the zorn valley. It would be a nice trip back as the line retraces our route along the canal. It had been an exceptional 10 days and we would miss them badly.
Back at Doucette, John invited us for drinks tonight onboard his stunning Boarn classic line cruiser. I was disappointed to have to decline but we would be out for our anniversary dinner. To my delight he insisted we have Pre dinner champagne with them at 6.30. Perfect!
We set about re- organising and cleaning. Despite my protests that it was our anniversary, Collette got the washing machine on and we had an afternoon of heavy chores. We got news from tone and rose that they had retrieved the car without incident and were heading for st. Omer for the night. At 4 we got the bikes out as a shop was much needed. Off to super u. Mission accomplished we were back at 5 .30. I called the first restaurant we had been declined at last night and was delighted to book a table for 8 pm.
At 6.30 we joined John and Pauline. Incredibly, Pauline had been born in Gosport although raised on hayling island. It was sweet that she carried a momento from Haslar submarine museum on the boat following her only return visit to our town. We drank pink fizz before John gave me a tour of the boat. Same builder as volkers, which we had been most impressed with, this was similarly stunning. John had commissioned it new 5 years ago so the design was very personal. Collette was similarly impressed and if we do decide on investing in a steel boat, second hand Boarns are high on the list of potentials.
After a delightful hour and half we skid addled to the S'Zawermer Stuebel restaurant in nicely named Rue des Freres. It was a traditional Alsace restaurant and just perfect for our anniversary meal. We had a bottle of Alsace Cremant. At 25€ I was expecting it to be good and it did not dissappoint. We chose to share a carpaccio beef salad starter which came with a long filled hot bread thing which was new to me but all was fab. Collette chose a rack of lamb on a bed of aubergine crumble with potatoe and parsnip purée. The dish looked like a work of art. I being a philistine am always a bit sceptical that this attention to presentation does not always reflect a hot tasty satisfying meal. As I said complete philistine. Anyway, Fortunately, there was ample and Collette absolutely loved every mouthful. My meal was in all honesty a bit dissappointing for me. I had a fillet steak. It was a very nice perfectly cooked bit of steak but came on a bed of cold grated celeriac with a morsel of puréed potatoe A glass full of grated carrot. It was all a bit too salad and cold. I definitely prefer a steak with hot accompaniaments. that said it was again beautifully presented and the steak was gorgeous.
Great restaurant, great night!
Again we could not manage dessert so drifted back to Doucette where Collette insisted on a night of unbridled passion. I declined on the basis that after 32 years of unbridled passion surely I was deserving of at least one night off.
And with that bit of nonsense, I bid you Bon nuit!
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