7/1/17
Amboise
We got off the train at Amboise in a
misty drizzle. We seemed to be right in the middle of a residential
neighborhood. We understood there would not be a taxi service. Reed, very
thorough in reading Rick Steves for lodging and restaurant information, knew
about a restaurant/hotel adjacent to the station. Cellphone in hand with Google
Apps open, I barked out directions but they seemed all wrong. Peoples homes
abounded, restaurants not so much. Reed spied a blond lady in her driveway and
she pointed across the station and said, “over the bridge.” We followed a steep
rise of stairs over the Amboise train tracks to the opposite side of the
station. We had been on the side facing away from town.
I spied a small, colorful bus with
writing on all side. Kind of resembled the tour buses we saw in Spain, but the
passengers were locals, including a reddish-haired older woman with her
grandson. I mentioned “La Vieux Manior” to the driver using my best attempt at a
French accent. The driver, also female, looked at my blankly. The
reddish-haired lady seemed aware of La Vieux Manior, if only. The driver
encouraged enough by the passenger let us stay on the bus. There was a
small-town friendliness to the bus riders and we stayed aboard as the bus
traversed a river and into the downtown area. I was glad to be out of the mist.
In a few minutes were on Rue Rabelais, our street, and out of the bus. Google
Maps said we were 3 km from our destination. The rain got heavier.
Reed walked into Saint Thomas Hotel, a
fancy looking place. Amboise appeared to be an upscale destination as we passed
two Four Star Hotels in a few minutes of walking. The St. Thomas concierge
insisted we could easily walk the short distance to our Bed and Breakfast. The
train travels were over. I could breath a cleaner, more rural air. We
approached our place and wonder-of-wonders we came upon this beautiful called
La Vieux Manoir.
In a blink of the eye we found
ourselves in the midst of the famous Gloria Belknap, the American proprietor
singled out by Rick Steves as a singular personality. Steves had also mentioned
Gloria and husband Bob’s advancing years. Bob, like Gloria, immediately
conveyed a welcoming presence. Gloria, however, is a force of nature with a
hearty laugh, mischievous sense of humor a raconteur’s sense for
self-expression. She knows Amboise and environs. Gloria immediately gave us a
choice, keep the apartment you rented or move to a closer 2 story apartment,
connected to the main house—at the same price. We took the second option. Reed
had pulled out the stops on this luxurious housing and for a few days at least
we would visit the chateau region of France, right in the Loire Valley, in a
chateau of our own.
Gloria directed us to L’Alliance
restaurant. We got lost on the way. A French couple helped us find the place. I
laughed when the woman pulled out Google Maps to confirm the location. Okay, we
were living the good life. The bill came to 108 euros! A good investment! The
food had the aura of French dining—creative, beautifully prepared and, well…
French. The wait person followed the Spanish template, a demure woman:
informal, knowledgeable and professional in her food service. I ordered veal
and loved the salty richness of the meat. Reed ordered the 39 euro price fixe
meal and got the cheese service as an extra. I pulled out the cellphone camera
and preserved for posterity Reed’s appreciation of the magnificent cheese cart,
a pretty good photo essay if I say so myself.
The crowning achievement for me was my
dessert. The waitperson tried to explain “panna cotta” to me but I only
understood “young cream” and not sure what that meant. The panna cotta arrived,
about an inch thick, and I provided a bed for blackberries and red fruits, a
mattress of cream you might say. As the
old saying goes…. I died and went to
heaven. This panna cotta is the tastiest substance that has ever passed my
lips. My food meditation is getting vaguely porn-sounding and I’m getting so
far out of my expertise zone as to have over-stayed my welcome… Whoops! I’m already
there. You can tell I liked it. Damn good dessert.
We made it back to La Vieux Manior in
the dark, retracing out steps along the walled streets and winding lanes—and arrived
back in an exhausted state.
July 1 , a challenging day with a great
reward at the end, qualifies as a traveling peak experience.
travel day—7/1/17
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