Although we would have liked to stay longer with Ada and Serge, we have to return the car by lunchtime Sunday in Reims, north-east of Paris, nearly 500kms away, which meant leaving in the early afternoon.In the morning, we did manage to make a short trip to the nearby hill town of Nonette with Ada where, at the top of the hill, we had a fantastic view of the countryside, the village of Le-Breuil-Sur-Couze, the Manoire where Ada & Serge live, and the camping ground where they first met as youngsters.
After a delicious lunch, again prepared by Ada, of salad and chicken (freshly provided by a local villager), we had to say goodbye and head north again. We used the Autoroute, and the drive, although fast and easy, was pretty boring.
We realized that driving nearly 500kms to Reims was not going to be possible, and so after about 400 kms we picked Troyes as a place to stop for the night. We've now driven nearly 2,500 kms. As we approached Troyes, it appeared to have no distinguishing features, but as we approached the centre we began to see buildings with quite different architectural designs that enaywhere we’d been before. Many buildings looked like a cross between the Alsatian style of Strasbourg and Tudor England.It was getting late, so we hurriedly booked into a hotel which turned out to be OK, and headed out for something to eat. Frances & I had trouble agreeing on a restaurant to eat at, but eventually we were both taken by a small restaurant called, Le Moine Gourmand which was both economical and offered some unique French meals. Frances had duck with a fig sauce, and I had grilled beef – both meals came with a zucchini ratatouille with a touch of carrot, green beans with garlic & parsley and of course French fries. They were delicious, especially with the champagne and cabernet sauvignon we selected.
I’d selected the option with the dessert buffet, and I can’t begin to describe the choices. I’ll leave out the chocolate torte and the chocolate mouse – didn’t touch them, however I did taste the oeuf a la neige (a soft meringue with a caramel glaze), fresh fruit salad with crème englaise (custard), pear flan, apple crumble and finally crème al oeuf (similar to a crème brulee without the caramel brulee). Frances made do with a double ice cream topped with whipped cream, as was my cappuccino. Not only was the meal fantastic but the chef and waitress were absolutely charming and really added to the experience. Afterwards we went for a short walk around the town centre and were just stunned by the architecture and feel of the place.I mentioned earlier, the need for flexibility and patience when traveling, well, serendipity plays as part as well. Here we were, in a town picked at random on the map, having a most enjoyable end to a very long day.
