May 14 - Leisurely morning - Moroccan lunch

Morning Coffee on Balcony on Lake Geneva -  Doesn't get better than this

Sunday morning breakfast was served in the Executive Lounge. There was a small buffet with cheeses, meats, fruit, bread. On a separate table were steam trays with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc. The man on duty in the lounge apologized that it was a "small" breakfast on Sunday. He was very attentive. When he saw me take a tea bag, he quickly came over with a tea pot for my use, put two tea bags in, poured the hot water, and took it to our table. When Ron asked him if they had black pepper (only white pepper was on the table), he replied "No", but then quickly went downstairs to the restaurant and returned with black pepper. Ron was finished eating by then, but it was the thought that counts!

We stayed in our room until 1 PM, enjoying the view, working on blog, researching restaurants, etc. Many places were closed on Sunday and Monday. Ron noticed activity at L'Orientales, a Moroccan restaurant just next to the hotel. I had read good reviews of it, so we walked down the very steep hill (very slowly). The restaurant was crowded but there was a table available. There was a large family party, and we wondered if they were celebrating Mother's Day, but I looked it up and it is not until May 28 in France.

The décor was exotic and beautiful - chairs and tables made with filigree with mother of pearl inlay.
Silver candelabras and tea pots. The waitress brought us a bowl of marinated olives. She spoke no English, but made a valiant attempt to help us order. We recognized many words on the menu, but not the fine print!

Just took top off chicken tagine - and it is still steaming

We had enjoyed Moroccan cuisine previously, especially tagines, in Tours when we had the farm in France, but haven't had it recently. I had the chicken tagine, which is always prepared with preserved lemons. Once we tried to preserve lemons in a huge jar, but the experiment was a failure! Ron had Couscous (not his favorite) with Kefta (a kind of meat ball) with potato, carrot, etc. Pleasant meal, and change of pace.

Casino

We walked a few blocks, and then took a taxi to the Casino. We played two new games, which were fun and gave us free games and bonuses. We ended up winning enough to cover the cost of our lunch. Always good to leave ahead.

We walked a few blocks further and stopped in a little ice cream/drink stand on the lake to rest my aches and pains and have a beverage. Ron had a beer but they were out of white wine. We walked further in the same direction, and I was saying it was probably a mistake. Sure enough, we were walking beyond any taxi ranks or pubs or cafes. Suddenly we saw the small blue tourist train approaching. The driver stopped, and Ron waved at her and she looked out her window. Ron asked if we could board. No idea what she replied, but we got on.

This was a hilarious experience, as it seemed the journey would never end. The little road train continued for about 45-minutes without stopping. We kept wondering why she never stopped for people to get on or off. Finally, she stopped a few hundred yards beyond our hotel, so we got out. She came up and said, "Your tour is not finished." We told her we needed to go to the Hilton, and she said we should ride around one more time and she would drop us there. Meanwhile, we had to pay for the ticket - 6 EU each. Ron said he'd enjoy ione more round. It covered a lot of territory, and with my limited mobility, was an excellent way to see more of Evian.

Evian is designated 4* in France for flowers - this is a small example

When we finally alighted across from the Hilton, we walked through the parking garage to find the lift instead of trudging up the hill. Went to the lounge for snacks and drinks. After Moroccan lunch and lounge snacks, we had no desire to go out to dinner. We sat on the terrace, and there was no wind and the water was so still - beautiful! This is the off season and the hotel is not very busy. Most evenings we have the lounge to ourselves.