Ron walked to the Presse we had seen to try to find an American newspaper. We were to meet in the breakfast room. He was unsuccessful finding a paper but I had discovered the day's "NY Times" in the hotel - for free. There were about two-dozen choices of tea. There was a small buffet, and also the ability to order eggs. Ron had fried eggs and I had a cheese and ham omelet.
As we drove out of Grenoble, we could see the fortress, called the Bastille, which sits above the city. It was built in 1592. We crossed the Isere River which flows through the city.
We left the hotel around 11 AM (leisurely), and programmed the hotel in Carcassonne, and set off. Ron saw a sign indicating that there was a "bouchon" near Valance, and didn't know what it meant. He has forgotten what French he did know! "Bouchon" is the word for "cork" which also, unfortunately, means a bottle-neck traffic jam. We soon encountered said "bouchon" which delayed us about 45-minutes.
That morning I had reserved a hotel outside Carcassonne which offered free, secure parking. We didn't want to face driving through another ancient city. It began raining about an hour before Carcassonne, and water standing on the highway caused Ron to slow down - unlike some maniacs who flew past, apparently not understanding the concept of hydro-planing.
We arrived at the Bastide St. Martin and, as requested, were assigned a ground floor room with a terrace directly on the pool. It was a lovely setting, but the terrace was not covered, and the rain (the first we'd had in ages) prevented us from enjoying it.
We were initially disappointed that the hotel did not have a restaurant, but the desk clerk explained that the restaurant was a two-minute walk across an expanse of park land. It didn't open until 7:30 PM, and he made us a reservation for that time.
The restaurant, Chateau St. Martin, was in a 12th century chateau.
When we arrived, a group was just finishing up filming a cooking demonstration.
We were served an amuse bouche, but couldn't understand the server's brief description other than that it was a "mousseline". It had zero flavor, but looked pretty.
Ron had veal and I had beef "tournedos", which was actually a big chunk of steak, and not what I had expected.
The wine glasses were not what one would expect in a fine-dining French establishment. Ron asked if they had a proper red wine glass, and all that she could offer was a brandy glass.
Overall, the meal was definitely not a highlight of our trip - especially for $100!
 |
| After breakfast - coffee and "NY Times" |
As we drove out of Grenoble, we could see the fortress, called the Bastille, which sits above the city. It was built in 1592. We crossed the Isere River which flows through the city.
We left the hotel around 11 AM (leisurely), and programmed the hotel in Carcassonne, and set off. Ron saw a sign indicating that there was a "bouchon" near Valance, and didn't know what it meant. He has forgotten what French he did know! "Bouchon" is the word for "cork" which also, unfortunately, means a bottle-neck traffic jam. We soon encountered said "bouchon" which delayed us about 45-minutes.
That morning I had reserved a hotel outside Carcassonne which offered free, secure parking. We didn't want to face driving through another ancient city. It began raining about an hour before Carcassonne, and water standing on the highway caused Ron to slow down - unlike some maniacs who flew past, apparently not understanding the concept of hydro-planing.
We arrived at the Bastide St. Martin and, as requested, were assigned a ground floor room with a terrace directly on the pool. It was a lovely setting, but the terrace was not covered, and the rain (the first we'd had in ages) prevented us from enjoying it.
We were initially disappointed that the hotel did not have a restaurant, but the desk clerk explained that the restaurant was a two-minute walk across an expanse of park land. It didn't open until 7:30 PM, and he made us a reservation for that time.
The restaurant, Chateau St. Martin, was in a 12th century chateau.
When we arrived, a group was just finishing up filming a cooking demonstration.
 |
| Cooking Demo being filmed |
 |
| Dining Room |
We were served an amuse bouche, but couldn't understand the server's brief description other than that it was a "mousseline". It had zero flavor, but looked pretty.
 |
| Mousseline |
Ron had veal and I had beef "tournedos", which was actually a big chunk of steak, and not what I had expected.
 |
| Ron's veal |
The wine glasses were not what one would expect in a fine-dining French establishment. Ron asked if they had a proper red wine glass, and all that she could offer was a brandy glass.
 |
| Red wine in brandy glass |
Overall, the meal was definitely not a highlight of our trip - especially for $100!
Comments
Post a Comment