Sunday, September 19

Well we had another wonderful day in Bormes.  After awakening VERY late, because we were up VERY late last night, we strolled down to the village center (2 minutes walk away) for a lovely brunch that lasted nearly two hours.  Needing to exercise to keep from going back to sleep, we began an earnest walk around Bormes with all of its lovely alleys and beautiful flower lined streets.  We found where we had previously stayed, found where I had taken cooking lessons many years ago, caught up with what had happened to several people with whom we had become friends with over the years, and just generally delighted in the beauty of the village.

One of the things we really wanted to do while here was to create and cook an authentic Provencal dinner... I mean the whole nine yards.  Yesterday we purchased all of the ingredients but had not decided when exactly we would undertake task.  Well, late in the afternoon we decided it would be tonight.  So about 4:00 pm we began.  In the meantime, Della befriended, Jock, the caretaker of the property and his girlfriend, Susan.  So it only followed that we should invite them to join us in the feast... despite the fact that we had NEVER prepared any of the things on the menu.  We were undaunted and certain that we could pull off a meal to remember.

The menu consisted of appetizers of olives, followed by Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, Moroccan Couscous, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms, Vegetable Tian, a fresh salad, and finished with assorted sorbets and cheeses.  We all pitched in and I must say it was a huge success.  What can be better than good food, good wine, great old friends, and making wonderful new friends?  We had the entire package and it was fantastic.  True to the French tradition, we dined for over three hours and loved every minute of it!!

LIFE IS INDEED GREAT!!!!!!

Skip and Mary Alice, so far, have tasted the following wines, mostly local, i.e., wines of Provence:  St. Roman Bellet (Braquet blend), Les Figuiers La Roque Bandol (Mourvedre blend), Grand Bormani   (Grenache blend), Chateau du Galoupem (Greanche blend), Domaines Ott Chateau Romassan (Mouvedre blend), Chateau Vannieres Bandol (Mourvedre blend), , Chateau Vannieres Bandol (Mourvedre blend), Chateau du Galoupet (Grenache blend), Domaines Ott Chateau Romassan Bandol (Mouvedre blend), Domaines de Beaurinard (Grenache blend), Domaines Goubert (Grenache Blend), Whispering Angels Domaines Sacha (Grenache blend), Domaines Goubert (Clarirette)

******************************************************************************

Ok folks, we hope you have had fun reading of this, and of course there will be a test on it as soon as we return.  Those of you scoring at a superior level will receive a special prize.  It's only taken FOUR hours to complete this segment of the blog.  Oh, the labor of this love.  To our children, and especially the one who is following this blog at the moment, we send our thanks.  And to be clear, Della and Lowell probably tasted just a few of these wines as well.  And please note how difficult it is to work on the internet when you can not cut and paste.  Good night, out of power, laughing our A### off, WE LOVE YOU.  :))))))))))))

We've done lots since leaving Cannes yesterday.  Our drive down the coast was rather uneventful (thankfully) and we had lunch at Les Murennes in La Mole, which is right outside of Bormes-les-Mimosas.  The restaurant was a simple one, but nonetheless delicious.  We found our house easily and met, Jock, the caretaker.  Jock very kindly showed us around and explained how to use the TV, Internet, and other important things.  He was very justifiably proud of the two acre garden that he tends.

The house is amazing.  It's huge and sits on more than two acres looking over the town.  The owners, who live downstairs and are professors at UCLA and are here only part of the year.  They rent the upstairs.  The apartment is not connected to the main house.  It has 3 bedrooms, a huge reception/lounge, a fantastic kitchen (very large for Europe) with modern appliances, two full baths, MANY outdoor eating/lounging areas, and killer views of the Mediterranean, which we can view from our THREE balconies.  As I am sure you have noticed, we LOVE this place and have already begun to think about when we can rent it again... next time for perhaps a month!  Last, but not least, a small kitten appears to be quite at home in the apartment and zips in when we leave the door open.  Speaking of open doors, the caretaker leaves the door to the main part of the house because as he says in his Scottish accent, "this place is quite safe".

We had dinner last night at La Pastourelle in Bormes.  Interestingly, we met the family who owns the restaurant back in the late 1990's.  Their baby boy is now all grown up and works at the restaurant.  I'm sure we will return there sometime during our week here.

This morning Skip and I got up (unfortunately not early enough) and took a much needed walk.  We only walked for about 45 minutes, but it was still a workout with all the hills.  After breakfast at home, Della, Lowell, Skip and I set out to purchase the groceries that we would need for the week.  We had a few adventures along the way that we will share later.  (Actually, it rained a bit and we were happy to do practical things.)

We didn't have lunch until later in the afternoon.  We stopped at the only restaurant open at that time in Bormes.  Everyone had sandwiches, but I had the charcuterie and it was GREAT.  Afterwards, we stopped by the National Petanque Tournament (boules).  The last time we were here we had hoped to see such a tournament, but were not able to do so.  Tomorrow are the finals and we will stop by.  The town is very crowded because of the tournament, and parking is at a premium.  However, we don't have to worry because we have PLENTY of parking on our 2 acre estate. (lol)

We are having a ball.  We've sampled tons of wine (Lowell is keeping with the wines... blends/varietals, etc.) and have had fabulous meals so far.  And by the way, no one is counting calories!!

PS- I've found that my iPhone French/English dictionaries are too hard to use and I couldn't find my pocket dictionary before we left home.  But, today I bought a great dictionary, even if it is a tad big for my purse. 

Off to the Palme d'Or for a wonderful dinner!!!!

Fun in Cannes

Cannes, France at the Hotel Splendid.  What a wonderful view from our room AND what a delicious breakfast.  Everyone should start their day like this!!

Dinner - September 15

After spending time with Herve at "1862" (several hours really), we freshened up and stopped to have dinner at The Crillion, a little bistro very near the Hotel Splendid. The food was good, but the atmosphere was the important thing at this meal.  We ate outdoors and enjoyed watching all the people passing.  We also sampled still more wine, from Provence.  After dinner Skip and Lowell were still going strong so we took a stroll along the marina in Cannes.  I must say the typical boats seen here in Cannes are MUCH bigger than those we typically see in marinas in and around Wilmington. Still not ready to turn in, Skip and Lowell decided to see if their luck had changed for the day, so we spent about an hour at the casino.  I think everyone won some, or at least no one really lost.  So, we decided we should end the day on a positive note.  We headed back to the Hotel Splendid, but were lured to yet another cafe, this time to have a "late" night dessert.  At least it was late night for us since we had been up for nearly 36 straight hours.  The dessert consisted of lots of chocolates and caffeine for everyone except MA.  It's been a grand first day, but we are exhausted!

More Fun

Oh boy, what a day.  In Cannes for less than 3 hours, and well it's been more than memorable.  We sure wish all of our friends could be here with us!  We've been been up for about 30 hours and only destroyed one hotel room, one bedspread, one shirt, and a few other things.  On the other hand, we met Herve, a most knowledgeable oenophile and had a wonderful afternoon.  Now off for dinner and then for an early bedtime.

We had a delightful time spending time at "1862", a wine shop owned by Herve Thoron.  The shop has been in existence since 1862.  Herve was very knowledgeable about wine and we loved spending time there, especially after the trauma at the hotel!

Yummmmm, another great meal.

Oh the stories we will have to tell about this little bottle of wine!!

At "1862".

Yet another

Great wine

Room 309 - The Story!

OK, no one is going to believe our first hours in the hotel in Cannes. It's a story best to be told in person. Suffice it to say we will be telling this story for MANY years to come. The story will probably grow with the years, but it's a pretty darn good story and we laughed until we cried.