We had our complimentary breakfast (for Diamond members) in the hotel. A nice perk, as it is normally 50 EU per couple. We enjoy having the "NY Times" here in Europe. Much more of interest to us than the Scottish and English newspapers we had in Edinburgh. We enjoyed the paper more when it was "The International Herald", but unfortunately, it was bought by the "NY Times".
Noticed that the cheese selections on the buffet are all from this Savoie region - Reblochon, Abondance and Tomme. There are about 1,200 varieties of cheeses produced in France - a cheese-lovers Paradise.
The morning was filled with chores. Ron printed credit card transactions (which was very difficult on the French keyboard in the business center) and tried to figure out the cruise control.
Early afternoon, Ron asked for a taxi, and was informed that a hotel shuttle would take us free of charge. We went to the Baie d'Halong on Rue de la Gare, a Vietnamese restaurant I had discovered on-line. It had very ornate décor, including a ceiling totally of embossed red and gold tiles. Soft, soothing music was playing. A very calm and relaxing spot.
We enjoy "ethnic" restaurants, and an added plus is that they are generally less costly than restaurants with local cuisine. However, we found the prices here a bit higher than expected. BUT, the food was delicious! We started by sharing NIMS, a Vietnamese spring roll that you wrap in a lettuce leaf with a few mint leaves, and dip in a sauce made with rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and chili paste. We are accustomed to NIMS being a "mini" size, but these were large. I cut them into pieces. They were so good - could have made a meal from them. Ron had soup with chicken and noodles. He added so much chili that the waitress was laughing and saying "Piquant!" She added "Yi-Yi-Yi!" We then shared a noodle dish with chicken - the chicken was so white and tender.
Around the corner from the restaurant was Rue Nationale, the pedestrian street that lies above and parallel to the lake shore. Several places we passed brought back memories. Unfortunately, our joy of being here and loving to saunter and explore is greatly diminished by my increasing aches and pains. We stopped along the way and sat on the terrace of Le Muratore,, a very nice restaurant, established in 1870.
We walked further and saw the hair salon "Juste Pour Vous" where we both had hair appointments at 3;30. It was a bit early, so sat at the café Coffee Break just opposite. It was a system we had not seen before. You put your payment into a machine, and if cash, change comes out below. The server never touches the money. Ron said there were nice looking sandwiches there. After we had ordered, Ron went over and asked if they could take us earlier. The lady said for me to come over and bring my glass of wine. It was a very nice salon, and the head massage during shampoo was most relaxing. She did a nice job, and I felt most refreshed, but should have let her cut the fringe (bangs) a tad bit more. She gave Ron a nice haircut as well.
We walked all the way back to the hotel. Of course, by then I had to sit again. So we sat in the lobby bar for a beverage. We then made it up to the lounge.
Another night with no dinner. We are already regretting we weren't more diligent with our pre-trip diets!
Noticed that the cheese selections on the buffet are all from this Savoie region - Reblochon, Abondance and Tomme. There are about 1,200 varieties of cheeses produced in France - a cheese-lovers Paradise.
The morning was filled with chores. Ron printed credit card transactions (which was very difficult on the French keyboard in the business center) and tried to figure out the cruise control.
Early afternoon, Ron asked for a taxi, and was informed that a hotel shuttle would take us free of charge. We went to the Baie d'Halong on Rue de la Gare, a Vietnamese restaurant I had discovered on-line. It had very ornate décor, including a ceiling totally of embossed red and gold tiles. Soft, soothing music was playing. A very calm and relaxing spot.
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| Nims |
We walked further and saw the hair salon "Juste Pour Vous" where we both had hair appointments at 3;30. It was a bit early, so sat at the café Coffee Break just opposite. It was a system we had not seen before. You put your payment into a machine, and if cash, change comes out below. The server never touches the money. Ron said there were nice looking sandwiches there. After we had ordered, Ron went over and asked if they could take us earlier. The lady said for me to come over and bring my glass of wine. It was a very nice salon, and the head massage during shampoo was most relaxing. She did a nice job, and I felt most refreshed, but should have let her cut the fringe (bangs) a tad bit more. She gave Ron a nice haircut as well.
We walked all the way back to the hotel. Of course, by then I had to sit again. So we sat in the lobby bar for a beverage. We then made it up to the lounge.
Another night with no dinner. We are already regretting we weren't more diligent with our pre-trip diets!
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