Just pootling on a Sunday!

I slept for another ten hours last night so I think I've definitely caught up with any sleep deficit I had! Sophie was going away with Vikesh for a couple of nights so Keith and I took her over to his house at lunchtime and came back to pootle about for an hour before I went to collect my Mum and take her shopping.

We went to Tesco at Kettering and I took my car to Waves to have it fully cleaned, inside and out. It was filthy and I was ashamed of it! Mum and I went to have a coffee and a chat before doing a little shopping. When we went back outside to pick up the car I was delighted with the results, as usual! I could never do such a good job (well, maybe I could, but it would take me hours!).

I dropped Mum back, said hello to Dad, and then returned home where I read the Sunday papers before going upstairs to watch Doc Martin for an hour. I am hooked on this now, and don't know why I never watched it when it first came out! It's just a gentle, funny show and I love it!

Keith had cooked beef steaks in a gravy served with mashed potatoes and lots of vegetables for dinner, which was delicious. After we'd eaten we watched a recorded episode of the 1% Club and we didn't do so well this evening! The final question, when the answer was revealed, was so simple!

Bingo and curry.

I slept for ten and a half hours last night! I'm obviously catching up on the sleep I've lost over the last week! 

Sophie went to the gym this morning to take part in a yoga class and I cleaned the downstairs of the house and sorted out the laundry. I felt a bit "holiday-bluish" today, something I knew would kick in sooner or later!

In the afternoon, Sophie and I drove over to Farndon Fields and had lunch in the restaurant. I chose a tuna melt panini while Sophie chose a chicken, mozzarella and tomato version. The restaurant was pleasantly busy and after we'd eaten we bought some treats in the shop and returned home. 

Unbelievably, I fell asleep again when we got home, and I think it may be down to an antihistamine tablet I took earlier today to combat a skin allergy! Sophie couldn't believe I'd slept for so long and I wasn't that pleased about it to be honest!

In the evening we'd bought tickets for the Bingo and Curry night at the pub and Keith gave us a lift there. We picked up Lynn on the way and sat at a table with her, another man from our estate and friends of Lynn's from the village. We didn't have much luck this evening even though several people at our table won goodies with either a line or a full house!

Our friend Sonal had cooked a delicious curry to eat halfway through the evening served with rice and mini poppadoms and the meal was delicious as her cooking always is. We followed this up with a slice of chocolate brownie and had a great evening raising money for our local Homestart charity.

Keith kindly returned at 10pm to collect us and then it was home to bed!

It's Friday!

It's been a very short week for me so Friday seems to have come around even more quickly! Work was fine and I had various orders to deal with on our new accounting system. It's taking some getting used to even though it's the same software I used to use when we had the business. Sara is off after today, so it will be my job to look after the customer service emails and answer the phones. Next week may be busy!

Back home I pootled about, and when Sophie arrived we opened a bottle of Shiraz and settled down to watch Masterchef while Keith went to the pub. Masterchef featured a new set of newbies who all tried very hard to impress Greg and John, and sometimes succeeded!

Keith came home, and we enjoyed a lovely, spicy chilli that he'd prepared earlier in the day. After eating, we caught up with Race Across The World and felt for the entrants when they couldn't find somewhere to sleep one night in Montreal. What a horrible feeling that must be!

Back to reality!

I was up at 6am this morning and left for work at 7.30am. I had asked Keith to give me a lift as I knew that there was work going on in one of our car parks and I wasn't sure if there'd be spaces. He was astounded at how busy the roads were - I have this every morning!

I spent today putting on a new tranche of films until the middle of June and updating the spreadsheets so at least I wasn't taking calls! It seems to have quietened down considerably now, which is a relief!

At 2pm I was forced to go over to the Weston Favell Centre to return a top I'd ordered, and once that was out of the way, Keith and I drove home. The weather has been grim today, with dark grey skies and rain, and as the day wore on it became worse with heavier rain and strong winds. Nice!

The holiday blues haven't hit me yet, but I have a feeling they will soon!

Last day of freedom!

I spent this morning reliving the holiday by writing my blog, which was a very pleasant way to spend my last day off! From my seat in the kitchen, I could look out of the window and see the birds flitting about outside, and two blackbirds in particular, were constantly fighting all morning. There is a lot of activity at the moment and we can't keep up with the feeding that's going on!

In the afternoon I popped over to see Mum and Dad and spent some time with them, telling them about the trip and giving them their presents. The weather hasn't been so good today and it's been cloudy and chilly. It's hard to believe that it's May next week and we have two Bank Holidays in a row coming up.  This year is whizzing by so fast!

We had another delicious dinner this evening with six vegetables! We're certainly making up for not having them much over the last week! Keith sat and watched the football after we'd eaten and Sophie and I went upstairs to catch up with Masterchef and Race Across The World. I think it's time for us to decide where we're going next!

Tackling jobs

Poor Sophie went back to work today as she wanted to save as much holiday as she could. I spent the day tackling the laundry piles, unpacking and putting everything away. Writing this blog took up a fair amount of time as well! Keith popped to Tesco to get some essentials and it was back to deciding what to have for dinner for the next couple of nights. Something with vegetables, definitely!

At least the weather was lovely today, with blue skies and sunshine, and I managed to dry some of the clothes by hanging them in the conservatory, where it was lovely and warm.

By the time Sophie had returned from work everything was done and apart from the stash of wines on the worktop in the kitchen, you'd never have known we'd been away. 

Keith cooked a delicious chicken casserole with dumplings for dinner, and after we'd eaten Vikesh came around to see us. Sophie had brought back lots of goodies for him and his family and he was delighted!

A European Adventure: 19th - 24th April

Monday 24 April

Chicken in Calais or a Welsh in Wimereux?

It was my turn to freak out this morning when I went to the loo at 5.30am and discovered Sophie's bed was empty... she wasn't in the loo, or the bathroom or the lounge, and I really started to panic until I heard a little voice saying, "I'm in here!" She was in the bedroom with the sofa bed! Apparently, she said she couldn't sleep as the bed she'd chosen was too short for her!

I sent her to my bedroom and went to make myself a cup of coffee. Keith also woke up and we sat in the living room discussing plans for the rest of the day. Gradually, the darkness outside receded and we could see a cloudy sky, but the sun did eventually appear and we had a lovely morning. I watched the village wake up, and Keith and I packed up as much as we could before we woke Sophie at about 8am.

All of us wanted to get on the road as soon as possible so we packed the car, made sure we had everything, showered, dressed and stripped the beds before 8.30am. Miracle! Our first plan was to retrace our steps of yesterday and drive to an Intermarché supermarket in Ressons-le-Long which we'd spotted on the main road. It also had a petrol station so we joined the commuter traffic, marvelling at how much busier the road was, and how many lorries were about!

It didn't take us long to get to the supermarket and we dived in and bought wine, and beer (Keith found me my Fischer Ambrée), as well as more chocolate and little French cakes. I even bought a pack of Tassimo coffee to see me through the next few days at home! Once that was done, we filled up with petrol and then programmed Wimereux into Trish. We were going back for a Welsh, even though we were three years late!

Trish did not take me the way I expected... she told me to turn right out of the supermarket car park and directed me up into the empty countryside behind the main road. We drove through rolling fields where the traffic was light and through tiny villages, none of which appeared on our map. Keith kept an eye on what she was doing and realised that we were heading towards Amiens via the small towns of Noyon and Roye. 

We turned onto a bigger road, and this was a pure delight as there were sections of single-carriageway roads, as well as stretches of dual-carriageway. There were no hedges, just endless fields, the occasional copse of trees and one or two war cemeteries. Every now and again we'd come to quiet villages, the houses seemingly empty.

I never once became stuck behind something, which was a huge bonus! When there was a tractor in front, he turned off so I could just speed on! Wonderful! Once we reached Amiens, we took the A16 up to the coast and stopped for a coffee and pastry at an aire in the Somme region. This was a busy place and there were lots of cars with different plates parked up. We certainly weren't the only Brits here!

While queuing for our coffees and pastries, we witnessed a French couple in front of us pay for their meals by cheque... cheque! I thought they had long died out! The woman took her time writing out the cheque, oblivious to the people waiting behind her! Mad!

After a refreshing break, we carried on and very soon we were turning off to the lovely little seaside town of Wimeruex. Trish, with her narrow road fetish, directed us onto a tiny coastal lane into the quaint village of Wimille, before we finally reached the town and a convenient parking space on the road.

It was a very short walk to the front and Les Oyats restaurant, which already looked full of lunchtime diners. We didn't fancy sitting outside as it was a bit chilly, and luckily there was a table free right next to the bar.

Les Oyats, far right

The restaurant was warm and cosy and the smells heavenly, although there was a stinky local cheese on the menu called Maroilles which seemed to be served with everything, especially moules! We settled into our seats and Sophie and I had a half pint of the seasonal beer (last time it was La Chouffe, today it was Duvel) while Keith had a pint of Pelforth. Sophie just had to have a Welsh complet, with fried egg, I had Normandie turkey while Keith opted for fish and chips.

Sophie's "Welsh"

The restaurant was busy and lively, the waitresses hurrying and scurrying with drinks and food orders. We were so glad we'd made it, even for a short while! Three years of waiting! After we'd eaten we made our way back to the car and Sophie met a new friend, a little, elderly, fat chihuahua who really took a liking to her! She now wants one! 

We knew there was a ferry leaving at 4.35pm and we wanted to be on that one, rather than the 6pm boat we'd booked so we sped off to Calais and arrived with plenty of time. We were offered the earlier boat and quickly accepted! Once parked in line, Keith and I went over to the Duty-Free shop and we bought two bottles of spirits. We were slightly alarmed to see so many children running amok, and when we returned to the car we noticed five coaches of highly excitable German school children... it was as if someone had pumped them full of sugar, wound them up and let them go! I had never heard so much shrieking, screaming and shouting in all my life!

When we finally boarded we were the first car to drive on and I hadn't got a clue where to go! The coaches were being loaded but eventually, we were told to drive up a ramp onto the deck above. We made straight for the information desk and paid for three seats in the premium lounge. Unlike the ferry to France, this was not tucked away out of sight, but on the corridor leading to the restaurant so there was a constant stream of people walking past and peering in.

Imposters!

We helped ourselves to a hot drink, bottled water and fruit and sat back to enjoy the crossing. Outside, we could dimly hear the shrieks and screams of the schoolchildren but we were cosseted from them!

Sophie and I were getting ourselves a drink from the cabinets when a woman walked in and made straight for the food and drink on offer. She almost hassled Sophie out of the way, ostentatiously taking selfies, and then went and sat right behind us. She proceeded to slurp her drink loudly and then sniff disgustedly. Wonderful! There had only been a handful of us in the lounge and it had been lovely and quiet!

She was soon joined by a companion who also helped himself to food and drink and sat with her. They were both American and looked scruffy and dishevelled. I heard her say to him, "I look like I belong in here," which I thought was a bit strange. It was, in my opinion anyway, quite a reasonable £12 each which we had probably covered by the food and drink we'd consumed, and the complimentary glass of Prosecco!

I was sitting with my back to them but Keith and Sophie were facing their seats and I could see the look of disbelief on their faces! I looked around and the woman, rather than sit on the comfortable seats like a normal adult, was sitting in the round porthole with her legs halfway up the sides. Their belongings were spread all around them in a mess and they were very annoying, especially when they both began to munch crisps loudly!

However, just as I was contemplating moving to the far side of the lounge, one of the DFDS staff came in and looked surprised. I could see him counting and obviously, something was amiss. He went over to them and asked for their receipts. They gave him some made-up story about the receipts being in their friend's bag, but the staff member was evidently suspicious. Another DFDS woman joined him (the lovely lady who told us where to go to get our tickets for the lounge) and she asked them again and was very persistent. Within minutes, they had collected their belongings and flounced out, never to be seen again. Hooray!

We still don't know how they managed to get in because we had to enter a code for the door, but I can only think it was as someone went out and the door was open. What they did was theft, and I was mightily glad they'd been discovered!

The rest of the crossing was peaceful and enjoyable, and as we reached Dover, we could see masses of schoolchildren queuing up outside, faces pressed against the glass. Keith and Sophie had been out to use the loo and said it was like bedlam or a Zombie apocalypse out there! We refused to leave the peace and quiet until the schoolchildren had reached their coaches, and I sympathised with the poor teachers in charge of them! Let's hope they didn't have to go far!

Homeward bound

I was dreading the three-hour journey home but at least we were earlier than planned. We decided to take the M2, the M25 and then the M11 as this was the quickest route but the weather was appalling. It rained constantly and heavily for almost the entire journey, and when we stopped at Medway Services for a quick loo break we got soaked! On the motorway, vehicles sped past creating huge washes that briefly blinded me until the windscreen wipers could clear the water, and it was very unpleasant. I was terrified of aquaplaning as there were large puddles of lying water with cars hitting them at speed.

Once through the Dartford tunnel, it lessened a bit, and on the M11 it was a bit better. Once we reached Cambridge, the rain stopped altogether and the sun came out, which was a huge relief! Before going home we popped to the Chinese takeaway in Kettering and Sophie and I ordered a meal to share.

Our house was cold so we put the heating on, had something to eat and a drink and left the unpacking until the morning. I am off until Thursday so there was plenty of time to get everything washed, dried and sorted out!

A European Adventure: 19th - 24th April

Sunday 23 April

Heading north

Christiane and Pascal came over at 10am to see us off and take back the keys to the apartment. Christiane very kindly gave us a box of homemade cakes, which I thought was a lovely touch and much appreciated, They were a great couple and made our stay very comfortable and enjoyable.

I had been dreading today's journey as most of the trip north was on France's Route Nationale roads rather than the autoroute, and the estimated time was five hours. We headed out of Colmar, passing the Statue of Liberty on the way... yes, really! The man who designed the statue, Auguste Bartholdi, was born in Colmar so they've placed a replica on a roundabout! A lot of people had parked up and were taking pics!

No, we haven't been transported to New York!

From Colmar, we headed to Saint-Dié-des-Vosges along single-carriageway roads. There wasn't a lot of traffic about and it was a very pleasant journey, passing through a four-mile tunnel on the way, for which we paid just over 6 euros.

The road passed through thickly forested rolling hills, interspersed with small villages. It was delightful! We then headed for Nancy and stopped at an aire for petrol and a coffee. As we carried on, the weather turned rainy, and near Reims, we drove through vast open hills with banks of wind turbines towering above us. The route was a pleasing mix of single-carriageway roads, dual carriageways and motorways and certainly a lot easier than I had imagined. 

As it was nearing lunchtime, we started looking for an aire, but we didn't see any. Typical! Sunday is a tricky day for restaurants in France as a lot open at lunchtime from 12pm until 2pm and that's it. Luckily, we came upon an aire and stopped to have a sandwich and a drink of bottled water. It was a dismal stop in the pouring rain, and the food was tasteless.

Once past industrial Reims (not as romantic as I had anticipated!), we took the N31 through beautiful countryside and saw the mistletoe balls in the trees again. Our stop for tonight was in the village of Trosly-Breuil, near the town of Compiègne. Trish took us off the main road and into a dense forest on a single-track road. She had managed to resist taking us on tiny narrow roads so far but was now obviously itching to send us on a remote track to what looked like nowhere!

We made a right turn and headed back to the village, passing several shabby caravans and decrepit shacks. Sophie started to freak out, and any minute I expected a motley band of banjo players to appear, as in the film Deliverance!

As we entered the village I turned too early and we saw a man standing outside a house watching us, which made Sophie freak out even more. It turned out he was the very friendly and helpful owner of the Airbnb who was expecting our arrival, timed at exactly 4pm!

We were able to park on the gravelled drive outside the house and were shown around by the partner of Mélanie (I can't remember his name!). There were four bedrooms, a large open-plan kitchen/dining area and lounge, a bathroom and a separate loo. The very end bedroom had a balcony overlooking the countryside and the garden. It was absolutely charming and the whole village looked lovely. 

We brought the overnight bag up and Sophie said she felt very homesick and just wanted to be back in her own house. It had been a long journey today, under mostly cloudy and rainy skies, and it was yet another strange house to get used to. I made a cup of tea and we shared one of Christiane's cakes.

We knew there was nowhere to eat in the village so our only hope was Compiègne, about fifteen minutes drive away. We decided to head there, scout out any possible eateries and return to get changed. Driving out of the the village, we made the mistake of making a right turn when we shouldn't have, and a very helpful family made gestures for us to turn around! Oops!

The drive to Compiègne was easy and straightforward, and on either side of the road were hiking and cycling trails. It was still dismal and wet but the countryside looked beautiful. Compiègne was a lovely town, with beautiful old buildings and the Chateau de Compiègne right in the middle, surrounded by cobbled streets. We drove into the centre and we were delighted to see a Brasserie full of people eating and drinking. It didn't look like it was going to close any time soon and there was parking nearby. Perfect!

We drove back, Keith changed while Sophie and I freshened up, and then we drove straight back, parking outside the chateau. It was a short walk along the cobbled streets to the restaurant - La Brasserie Parisienne. We were seated by a young waiter and given menus. We all chose steak and frites with a chicken tenders starter. Sophie and I ordered a bottle of Cotes du Rhone wine, which at 28 euros was not cheap, but we intended to take it back to the house with us to finish later.

We never did receive our starters and were just given steak and frites with no vegetables or salad. Seeing as we had passed beautiful arable fields with lovely soil all the way here, I did find that strange!

Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the best meals we had on our trip. The meat was fatty and gristly, and Sophie was very angry that it was so bad. The wine was good and Keith drank a local beer, but the meal certainly won't stand out as memorable for a good reason! Sophie and I shared a dessert, a chocolate confection that you could hardly go wrong with, and we paid the bill which came to 122 euros. Outside, it was pouring with rain but still light, so we sloshed our way back to Trosly-Breuil hoping we could watch something on the television for a change.

We were able to access Netflix and we watched the Luther film again. Sophie and I half-watched it and sipped our wine, but Keith enjoyed it, so that was good. We weren't in bed late and wanted an early start tomorrow for the last leg up to Calais!

A European Adventure: 19th - 24th April

Saturday 22 April

Another day, another country...

Sophie had always wanted to go to Lucerne, in Switzerland, so as it was just under two hours away, we decided to go!

We were up and showered by 10am and after filling up with petrol at an Intermarché supermarket petrol station, we programmed the lakeside city of Lucerne into Trish. We knew we had to buy a "vignette" to drive on the Swiss motorways and understood that they could be bought at the border. We really didn't know what to expect when we crossed into Switzerland, which isn't part of the EU and has its own currency, the Swiss Franc. We took our passports, just in case!

Trish took us onto the A35 towards Basel and within an hour we were queuing up at the border. I had seen signs for the vignette with an arrow pointing right and assumed that once past the border we could stop and buy one. It was just by sheer luck that I was in the right-hand lane and we pulled into an area where uniformed guards stopped us. Keith showed him the passports which he wasn't interested in... he wanted our money for a vignette! Keith paid about £37 for a sticker that the guard put onto the bottom left-hand-side of our windscreen. It's valid for a year and gives you access to all of the Swiss motorways, so probably good value if you're exploring the country.

Once past the industrial city of Basel, we drove through beautiful scenery of rolling green hills and small villages dotted about. We saw traditional wooden chalets and cows grazing. It was lovely! Then we rounded a bend on the motorway and were stunned by a wall of snow-capped mountains! The Swiss Alps! It was extraordinary and totally unexpected, to be honest! They just rose like a wall in front of us, looking very forbidding!

We turned off the motorway into the city and started looking for somewhere to park the car. There were signs for parking at the main station and we realised that we were in a German-speaking part of the country.

The car park was a multi-storey and very clean and well-kept with little lights above each space to signify if they were occupied or free. We parked the car and headed for the station itself, using the bathroom facilities for £1.36! A bit more than spending a penny, but they were immaculately clean!

The main station was very close to the lake where there were pleasure boats moored up. For 29 Swiss francs, you could take an hour's tour of the lake, taking in the stunning scenery. I said it was my treat as I love taking a boat ride, so we booked for the 1.30pm departure and then went to find somewhere to sit for an hour.

Lucerne was very busy and a lot bigger than I had imagined. We had an ice cream and sat by the lake gazing at the mountains in awe!

Behind where we sat was a busy road and there were some seriously expensive cars parading up and down. We could see shops selling beautiful watches and exclusive hotels. The whole place screamed money!

At about 1.15pm we joined the growing throng of people queuing for the boat ride and got talking to an Australian man which made a pleasant change! We took our seats outside on wooden benches and all around was a hotchpotch of different languages. Opposite us was an American family with three very young children and Sophie and I speculated as to what the man did for a living. Sophie and I said tech millionaire from California, but Keith thought he was in the US Army! We'll never know!

Sophie's photo

The hour's boat ride was lovely and halfway through we stopped at a hotel on the far side of the lake where a group of people disembarked. Mount Pilatus overlooks Lucerne and was visible the whole way around. It's a massif with the highest point called Tomlishorn, and looks very forbidding!

As we neared Lucerne again, the boat went a lot quicker and as it was chilly, Sophie and I went inside where people were eating and drinking, and it was a lot warmer! The previously good weather had turned and it was cloudy and colder.

Quirky lakeside house

Talking Italian

Once back at the pier, we went in search of a late lunch and found an Italian pizza eaterie called Restaurant Einhorn. We were seated inside and the very friendly waiter initially thought we were Swiss and gave us a menu in German! 

Sophie and I chose pizzas while Keith opted for lasagne. We all had a beer and the food was very good.

I think they would have noticed if we'd walked out with these!

We paid the bill which came to about 80 Swiss francs, and reluctantly returned to the car. We certainly hadn't spent enough time in Lucerne but hopefully, we will go back! Before going down to our level, though, we popped into a convenient Co-op to buy some groceries for the evening and tomorrow morning. It was packed with people and we bought pastries, chocolate, milk and nibbles to snack on later.

It took a while to get out of the car park, and we headed back onto the motorway after a slight detour! The journey back was fine, but marred by torrential rain and heavy traffic. At the border, we had to slow right down and drive past several stern-faced policemen! No passport control, though!

Back at the apartment, we packed and Sophie and I took the case down to the car. It was getting dark and the basement was a bit creepy. We put everything in the car and heard voices so headed back to the lift quickly. The only problem was that we couldn't open the door. Sophie started to panic slightly, trying both keys but they wouldn't work. It was only when we looked up that we realised she was trying to open the electricity cupboard!

Our evening was spent playing cards and Scrabble and enjoying a glass of wine and nibbles. It was now I really fancied a whisky after the journey back but I had to make do with a glass of white wine instead!

A European Adventure: 19th - 24th April

Friday 21 April 

Stumbling upon a flea market!

We all had a good night's sleep and after a breakfast of coffee and crumpets, we showered, dressed and set out to explore Colmar. I needed a break from driving today and it was heaven to stroll through the beautiful town and discover what it had to offer.

Last night we'd decided to visit the Unterlinden Museum, and then have lunch in the Little Venice quarter, by the river. Within minutes of leaving the apartment, we stumbled on a flea market taking place in the streets leading to the museum. There were stalls selling French antiques, jewellery and bric á brac, and lots of people browsing what was on offer. Sophie spotted some beautiful Alsace glasses:

It was a gorgeous morning with clear blue skies and sunshine, so perfect for strolling about, admiring the buildings and soaking up the atmosphere. Near the museum, Sophie spotted a stall selling rings and bought one for her thumb! She has now run out of fingers!

Storks everywhere!

No shortage of restaurants and bars!

A tourist train was sitting waiting for passengers to take them on a tour of the town and to show them the highlights. We contemplated taking this after our museum visit but decided to walk around instead as it was such a lovely day.

Museum Unterlinden is situated in a 13th-century convent and the inside of the building is almost as lovely as the exhibits. It houses the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald, which seems to be very famous, but I had never heard of it, I must confess. Sophie paid for us to go in and we wandered around looking at mainly religious artefacts from the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of the paintings were gruesome and I was fascinated by all of it!

Exterior of the building

Cloisters

There were countless pictures describing the life of Jesus and many, many pictures of Mary and Jesus as a baby. I found it fascinating looking at the faces in the paintings, some of which were horrible! I suppose these paintings helped to tell the story of Jesus, his birth and death and resurrection, to people who couldn't read. The amount of detail was astonishing and we kept seeing paintings of George slaying the Dragon and our English flag.

Halfway through our visit, Sophie managed to get a good wifi signal and bought tickets for us both to see John Mayer next March at the O2 in London. We were both thrilled! She knew they were going on sale today, and she was delighted to have got them so quickly!

I will get tickets!

We wandered the halls for a couple of hours looking at more modern art on the upper floors, and then decided to have a coffee. The café was empty and when we enquired about having a drink we were told they weren't serving anything yet. Oh well! Before we left, we visited the shop and Sophie bought a stork Christmas decoration, so that will be a welcome addition to our Scandinavian tree!

From the museum, we headed for the old town and looked out for restaurants to eat at this evening. We saw a couple of possibilities and one that was hugely expensive! The prices in most restaurants were roughly the same - starters from 8 to 15 euros, main courses in the high teens and early twenties, and bottles of wine for about 20-30 euros. With the exchange rate as it is, it wasn't cheap!

More storks and random watering cans

This part of Colmar was busy, with tourists doing exactly the same as us - wandering about, looking in shops, scouting out restaurants and having a beer in one of the numerous bars dotted about. There were lots of shops specialising in the local wine as well as local delicacies. It was heaven!

Sophie and I came across a Christmas shop and just had to go in! It was stuffed to the gunnels with every kind of decoration you could think of and they had a gonk for sale, but it was 25 euros!

We were following signs for Little Venice, and the route there was beautiful. Around each corner, another gorgeous view came into sight full of old buildings, some of which looked ancient.

Think the date 1419 is on this building

I love the look of this restaurant!

We soon arrived at the covered market and the river Lauch. All along the railings by the river, people had attached red love heart padlocks:

Covered market

There were so many of them attached to the railings! I had never seen this before and it was great to look at all the inscriptions on the padlocks.

Flambéed!

We were spoilt for choice of restaurants in this area, and OK, it was a bit of a tourist trap, but it was so lovely to see people sitting out by the river and enjoying the sunshine, in such a beautiful town. Our plan had been to have lunch here, so that's what we did! However, we were looking forward to eating out this evening so we didn't want a full meal, and a "Tart Flambé" was just what we were looking for!

We found it at La Krutenau, a restaurant right on the river, where you can take a flat-bottomed boat ride. We were seated in a little annexe of the restaurant on wicker chairs. First up was a beer, and both Sophie and I had a Fischer Réserve Ambrée, which was delicious!

Yum!

Keith had the local blonde beer and we ordered two flambés to share. The annexe gradually filled up with hungry diners and it was pure bliss to sit and relax with a drink. That is until a bird pooped on me! Apparently, it's good luck!

The flambés were delicious and did the job perfectly!

Paper plates, no washing up!

The meal was delicious and after we'd eaten, Sophie decided to have a glass of Riesling. I had another Fischer as I'd enjoyed it so much. Sophie's wine was served in one of her favourite glasses!

Interior of restaurant

Sophie and I decided to share a portion of apple strudel with cream and then, reluctantly, it was time to move on. We saw two boats leave the mooring point with passengers. One of them had an Alsatian (dog) on board who seemed to love looking at the water! This area reminded me strongly of Bruges, with the river, the houses and the boats on the river.

They are certainly big on Easter here!

Wandering back to the apartment, we came across a lovely shop where Sophie bought two Alsace glasses and we found another selling wine, beer, spirits and food delicacies. We had a good look at the wines and bought three to take home. Keith bought some beer:

It had clouded over a bit now, and we saw some spots of rain. Sophie saw a lovely Indian/Nepalese shop and bought an exquisite pair of earrings while Keith and I sheltered outside. People were still eating, drinking and milling about and we hoped that in the evening it would be quieter.

No room at the inn...

Back at the apartment, we relaxed and then ventured out at 7pm for dinner. A couple of weeks ago I'd researched a promising restaurant called La Petite Alsace, and it wasn't far from where we were so I suggested that, but another looked equally good called Le Fer Rouge, which was in the heart of the old town. We decided to try Le Fer Rouge and walking there we spotted more Easter decorations; I had no idea they celebrate Easter so seriously here in France - or maybe it's just this region? Our hope that the streets would be quieter was a forlorn one... it still seemed just as busy and although it was only just past 7pm, the restaurants looked full.

The only tables free at Le Fer Rouge were outside and as it was a grey, chilly evening we decided to try somewhere else. We'd spotted a restaurant called La Pergola earlier in the day and made our way there, but that was also full. We tried several more eateries and were asked the same question at every one: had we made a reservation? Er, no, we hadn't! Some of the restaurants had loads of tables free but they were obviously earmarked for later in the evening. We started to feel desperate!

We walked back in the direction of the apartment to two restaurants we'd seen earlier in the day. We asked at one of them called Aux Armes de Colmar and initially, the waiter said they were full. What a surprise! However, just as we were leaving, he called us back and said he could fit us in. He led us to a little lean-to and seated us at a high table with bar stools. It wasn't ideal but beggars certainly can't be choosers!

To be honest, we were all disappointed and I was kicking myself for not reserving a restaurant earlier in the day when we were walking about the town. I honestly thought a lot of visitors were day-trippers, but it seemed not! We were all alone in the shabby little lean-to with no view whatsoever!

We waited and waited, and nobody came to give us a menu or asked if we wanted a drink. We could hear people arriving in the main restaurant and could just about see drinks orders going out to diners, but nobody came near us at all. I hated the high bar stool and felt like I was going to fall off it, but we felt we had no choice but to stay. That was until after about fifteen minutes when we still hadn't been given a menu or seen any member of staff!

That was it for me, so I said we should leave and see if we could find somewhere else! We had bread at home and could always make toast for dinner! Keith and Sophie followed me out and we received bemused looks from the staff... outside, Sophie realised she'd left her coat behind so poor Keith had to go and retrieve it!

By now, we were all thoroughly fed up and walked towards the museum we'd v visited earlier in the day. We weren't far from La Petite Alsace so we decided to try there. Amazingly, we were welcomed in and shown to a table by the window. Success! Why hadn't we just come straight here?

We perused the menu and Sophie and I decided to share the twelve snails to start (18 euros). Keith just went straight for the main course of steak, along with Sophie, and I chose the veal in a mushroom sauce. The restaurant was lovely and cosy with red everywhere and several other diners were enjoying the lovely ambience.

The wine list was extremely limited, and Sophie and I chose an Alsace Pinot Noir, which was a staggering 33 euros for the bottle. When the waiter delivered it to the table Sophie recognised it as the wine we'd bought in the Aldi in Tressange a couple of days ago, for 4 euros! Hmmm!

To be honest, we didn't have a lot of choice! It was either eating here or toast! Our starter arrived with a basket of bread and we tucked in. Both of us had eaten snails before, so we knew what to expect and used the implements to wrinkle them out of their shells... They were lovely but you can really only taste the garlic butter they were served in! The French couple at the next table looked on with amusement, and asked if we'd had them before!

Our main courses were delicious and the meals were served with the ubiquitous French fries. Sophie and I decided we couldn't resist a dessert and just had to try the chocolate fondant to see if it oozed... and it did! It was sublime!

The restaurant had emptied out by now and it was great to sit and relax after our meal and Sophie and I had a glass of Alsace Schnapps flavoured with raspberry.  We were so relieved we'd found somewhere to eat and enjoyed the meal but the bill was a whopping 178 euros, rounded up to 190 with a tip. It certainly wasn't cheap and our only gripe was the high price of the wine. I hate to think of their markup!

We walked back to the apartment along mostly deserted streets and relaxed for a short while before it was time for bed!