This morning the weather has changed substantially. It is cool and windy. A pity as the weather has been so brilliant. We are to make a trip to a seashore Oyster Farm for lunch.
The Troops ready for the trip across the bayAbout to settle in for lunchSettled at the Table
Note the hats loaned by the restaurant. The wind was so strong that they would occasionally blow off. One such incident knocked over a bottle. Julie’s flew the length of the table. Most folk eventually removed them. There are three sizes of the Oysters.
The Large Oysters at our endGroup Shot after most of the Oysters have been finishedThere were also Prawns and Snails (welps)
The prawns were magnificent with great flavour. I found the snails to be quite tough. JV liked them quite a bit and was impressed with the chillies infused in them.
The Troops headed off to a local shop for sweets. I had stayed behind but was quickly summoned because the shop was closed.
The place was great with tremendous produce and service. It was a pity about the heavy winds as the weather would have been perfect there otherwise. We get back in our vans and proceed back down the road. We stop at another place which is open.
After Sweets and Coffee
Back to the Chateau and the typical nap for me.
Wines for tonight. Note: Doug’s JambonSupper Spread
One of the highlights of the meals is a new variety of heirloom tomatoes at each. I liked the terrine as well.
Isle of Mull Cheddar that we had bought in London
We also put out the Smoked Salmon Pate with horseradish that we had bought at the Borough Market.
Mouse and her disgusting habitAfter Dinner with Colin holding forth
Quite a good day with the seafood lunch and nice wines with the supper.
There is very little scheduled for today. Colin has indicated that, for this leg in particular, it is mostly about relaxation, food and wine. Everybody here could use all that. The weather is still great so there is a lot of lying around in the sun going on. All very restful.
Wines for tonightLunch spreadBack yard. Note that the Tide is totally out
The Lunch blends into Happy Hours (2-4) and with that and the sunshine, it is easy to nod off which I do with a decent nap. Here is the menu for tonight’s degusting (degustation) dinner.
Monday’s MenuWhite Asparagus with Beetroot (yuk) and Blue CheeseWarm Duck SaladBeef Fillet with Bordelaise Sauce
It was disappointing that Doug could not get any bone marrow for the Bordelaise Sauce. He will try again for later in the week.
A very quiet day, relaxing, lots of food and wine.
Yes, it is time to move on. We pack and head out. The first stop is Kings Cross via the Tube. We were afraid that there would be more tube cancellations but we were OK today. We get to Kings Cross / St Pancras with the only stairs we have to face at Moorbank. And some young guys and then a stationmaster helped carry the bags up/down.
At St Pancras we get some ordinary stuff for a meal. Then go to where the jump-off for a train to Luton Airport was to be. No, it is closed with signs suggesting we might have to go a long way around the underground to catch the Luton train. Fortunately, there was an alternative upstairs and soon after we board the train. The ride is uneventful. At the Parkway we board a long bus to go the rest of the way to the airport. That is OK especially when some young guys give up their seats for us. When we get to the airport, there is a very long line for the Baggage Drop which seems rather ordinary. It moves pretty quickly, we were probably in the queue for 30 minutes.
We had not been to Luton before but it seemed like a quite good small airport. Sat around in a food court area with free Wifi for 30 minutes before boarding the airplane. There are delays in boarding and delays in taking off once we finally did board. But all is OK, a quite smooth flight of around 90 minutes to Bordeaux. We get off the plane, on the tarmac, and the first thing we noticee is the weather. It is sunny, no wind and 30C. Paradise!
Immigration is relatively quick and the suitcases come off in reasonable time. We have trouble finding Colin as we walk right past him, he was inside, we were outside, and walked by our bus too. Eventually we found him and gathered up JV and our bags and boarded the bus. We met our new friends in the tour group as well as Chris and Jeremy from the NYC tour group. It is about a 40 minute bus ride to our Chateau.
Chateau La Tosca
Pool Area
We have Happy Hour before we even go to our rooms.
Welcome DrinksOysters caught by Colin (chuckle)Duck Strips
Not a bad way to start the tour. We then go to our rooms which as usual are variable in style and location. We are on the ground floor and are quite happy with our room.
Our bedroom, one of three roomsLounge Room – our room is behind the sliding door at the top middleThe First of the Wines for tonightChef (Douglas Elder) hard at workThe Outdoor Dining TableThe Yard. Note that the Tide is all the way inThe Full Drinks RepertoirColin and the local girls serving pre-dinner drinksFarmer’s Table
There were all sorts of good things on the table including Quail, Chicken, Pork Knuckle, Potatoes, a variety of heirloom tomatoes, etc.
My PlateDoug and special cheeses, they all disappeared
