The Road Home

I woke at 5.30 and copied some photos over to Flickr, so we are now up to date up to last night. I then began typing up remaining parts of the blog for posting later.

At 7.30 I showered and dressed and Drew did the same soon after, at 8.45 we checked out of the hotel and walked about half way to the Gare du Nord before stopping for breakfast. We opted for the petit déjaunir Français which was orange juice and coffee with a croissant and jam for Drew and bread (a French stick) for me.

We then walked on to the Gare du Nord, a very impressive facade at this station. Inside we checked in with Eurostar and sat in the lounge.

The train was called at 10.50 and we boarded soon after ready for departure at 11.13 p.m. We had a pleasant lunch on the train with a starter of Chickpea, yoghurt and coriander salad and a main of roast chicken with basil potato mash. Drew swapped me his chicken for the Apricot Tartlet that was dessert, while he had both of these.

When I blogged about the Eurostar journey at the beginning of the holiday someone asked me how long we were under the tunnel. I guess that it was about 30 minutes, but I timed it today and it turned out to be exactly 20 minutes from entry to exit, hardly any time at all.

We arrived in London St. Pancras at exactly 12.30 and got to the Hammersmith and City line tube station by 12.42. The tube train arrived in 2 minutes and was absolutely packed, but we got on and got to London Paddington at 1.05 with 30 minutes to wait before our train to Cardiff.

I’ve been remarking on this blog at the excellent timing of trains in Italy and Spain, well it was the same in London. The train left Paddington at exactly 13:37 as scheduled and arrived in Cardiff at 15:56.

We had a 30 minute wait for the Valleys train, this was on time too and we arrived at Taffs Well at 16:43. A 15 minute walk meant we were home at 5.00 p.m. time to ring my father, and for Drew to ring his mother and then to get the washing in the machine. 

Walking back from Taffs Well at the same point as we talk a photo going

So as we begun I turn to Tolkien to sum this up adapting the last two lines for my own purpose:

The Road goes ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the ... light of home,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

That’s it folks, trip over, thanks for joining us on our travels.

Going up the Mountain of the Martyrs

Still a little tired after our overnight train journey of the night before we didn't get up until 8.00 a.m. After showering and dressing we were out of the hotel by 8.30. This being Paris there were lots of little cafes where we could breakfast. We choose one two blocks from the hotel with a view up to the Sacre Coeur. Drew had two croissants while I had a slice of French loaf with olive oil these were washed down by orange juice and coffee.

We climbed up the hill of Montmartre and up to the Sacre Coeur. Yes we know there is a funicular, but after this holiday our legs expect some exertion!  Sacre Coeur is very special and though cameras aren't allowed inside we really enjoyed strolling around and spending a little time in prayer.

From the Sacre Coeur we went to St. Pierre's Church, the original 12th century Church on Montmartre. Drew loved the stained glass in this Church and took plenty of photos of the windows.

From the top of Montmartre we walked down through the crowds of tourists and came to a pretty restaurant called: Le Moulin de la Galette. This has one of the two remaining windmills in the area (the other is on the Moulin Rouge) which was originally known for its windmills. Le Moulin de la Galette had been a famous dancing spot in its time and a number of famous artists including Van Gogh had painted it over the years. I went in and reserved a table for tonight, I was amazed, I grant it was with the help of a book, but I managed to ask if I could reserve a table for 8.00 p.m., be told that I couldn’t but confirmed that I could have one either for 7.30 or 9.00 and indicated that I wanted to 7.30 one entirely in French. French is the weakest of my languages and I struggle with pronunciation more than with the words themselves, but to my astonishment I managed it. Sister Monica, the fearsome nun who tried, and failed, to teach me French in school would have been astounded.

We continued down the hill to the Cemetery of Montmartre. Drew loves a nice cemetery so he was busy taking photos of the graves, and some real nice ones there, are as you will see here.

From the cemetery we walked the short distance to the Moulin Rouge and past the seedy sex shops of this part of the town. Drew continued to take photos of everything we passed.

Climbing the hill of Montmartre again, we went to look for the restaurant where Drew first tasted Mussels (Moules) eight years ago. On that occasion we had four days in Paris and one of the days was spent in this part of town. The difference between February and August was the number of people crowded into the area of Montmartre with the restaurants. We identified the place, and as Drew likes his little traditions we decided we would lunch here. The restaurant is called Le Consulat. We went in and sat down. Drew was determined to have the same meal that he had had last time. I joined him this time, so we both had moules et frites. A huge bowl of mussels was served and they were really delicious. I love it when some of the most simple food is the one that really tickles your taste buds.

We walked back through the crowds and down the hill and ended back at the hotel at 2.30.

Saturday Evening

Being this weekend brings the holiday to an end and we have a travelling day tomorrow I’d looked for a Vigil Mass in Paris so that I could attend tonight before the journey tomorrow. I’d seen one in St. Vincent’s Church about 20 minutes walk from the hotel, but when up the hill this morning I’d noted that St. Pierre’s had one at 6.00. So I left the hotel at 5.15 and walked up to St. Pierre’s, that walk really is hard work. Getting there around 5.45 with plenty of time before Mass. Mass was a nice celebration with only 20 or so people in attendance, but a priest who took a calm and prayerful approach, singing the core parts of the Mass in Latin, meaning I could join in more easily than I could in French.

Drew arranged to meet me after Mass and when I came out at 7.00 there he was. We walked around Montmartre looking at the artists and the tourists for a while and got to  LeMoulin de la Galette at 7.25

We were sat promptly and decided we would opt for the Chef’s Menu dégustation, a five course menu, that was actually six courses.

The reason the menu was six courses was that the first course was a ‘gift of the chef’. This was a bowl of gazpacho de tomate. This impressed us as, fans of gazpacho as we are, this one was of an intense tomato flavour, with a balsamic drizzle and halves of cheery tomatoes in the bowl. An excellent start.

The next course looked like nothing I had ever seen, I hope the photo does it justice. It was carpaccio de bar aux zestes de citron vert, tartare de thon rouge et salicorne, it was made to look like the sea itself. So as well as each the sea bass you were eating a jellied texture designed to look like the sea. A clever idea, but bringing with it flavour, not just show.

Next we were served foie gras mi-cuit et brioche de Nanterre toastée, the richness of the foie gras was a bit much for Drew, I had half of his, but it suited me fine. The salad with French dressing on which is was served was also very tasty the smears were raspberry and plum.

The next plate was also a masterpiece, this was filet de rouget, gambas et langoustine, riz noir au combava et marmelade provençale – the range of colours on this dish was only matched by the range of flavours, a citronella sauce, a carrot sauce, a lovely limey flavour plus the textures of the fish and shellfish – delightful.

The main course was carré d'agneau aux figues rôties, pommes de terre ratte du Touquet aux fines herbes. We had been asked in advance how we liked our lamb, Drew went for medium I for pink, and they were both cooked perfectly for our tastes. The fig was a bit of a surprise, it looked like a roast potato and I only realised it was fig as I bit into it, still it provided a sweetness that went well with the lamb. The lamb was served over some lovely little mushrooms which had been lightly sautéed. Altogether excellent.

Finally came the final course and Drew had to sacrifice, as he does so often, to have both versions of the crème de glace et de pamplemousse, et macaron pistache. He thought both were excellent and they worked as a complement to each other, indeed he thought that twice.

We finished with a coffee and walked back to Sacre Coeur where a concert was taking place. We strolled down the hill and arrived at the hotel at 11.00 p.m. after another lovely day.

Friday in Paris

We arrived at Paris Austerlitz at 9.03 and caught the metro line 2 to Gare de Nord. For our second stay in Paris I had picked a hotel in the area of Gare de Nord so we have easy access to the station for the Eurostar departure on Sunday. The Hôtel du Square d'Anvers is half a mile from the station and is situated opposite a lovely park called Park d’Anvers.

We took our luggage to the hotel where they stored it for us and walked around the area. The Sacre Couer is visible from the front of the hotel, up the hill of Montmartre which starts at the end of the street. After a wander we sat in the park enjoying the 22 Celsius temperature. What a difference to be so comfortable while sitting out in the sun! We suddenly realised there were white fluffy things in the sky. We’d not been conscious of it, but we’d last seen clouds in Milan, it was nice to see them again.

We went to lunch in a small restaurant at the end of the street called La Table d'Anvers. Drew had Mozzarella et tomate to start while I had Verrine d’avocat et gaspacho aux écrevisses, both were served in small glasses and while they looked similar – the tomatoes in both I assume – they tasted very distinctive. Mine had a lovely dill flavour to the seafood, Drew’s was full of basil.

Our second course was hamburger avec salade et pomme frites for Drew, though to be fair he did ask for it in French! I had Suprême de volaille aux citron confit ; riz pilaf. The chicken was an amazing yellow colour with the lemon through it, the taste was amazing, clear chickeny flavours but with a strong citrus burst to every bite.

We checked into the hotel at 2.00 and had a couple of hours to catch-up on the lack of sleep we had, had on the train last night. Then I updated the blog.

Friday Evening

We walked for about 30 minutes tonight before finding a restaurant called La Panorama, this was a traditional French restaurant, us getting there at 8.30, which would have been empty if this was Spain, meant we were comparatively late and the other diners were well on their way through their meals. Having only just got used to Spanish eating times we clearly need to unlearn it for France.

Drew began with soupe a l’oignon gratinée, he couldn’t help to compare it with the sopa de cebolla he has in Spain. He felt the Spanish version had more flavour and more onions, where as the French one was more like a broth with onions floating in it. I opted for escargots a la bourguignonne, the French snails are much more meaty than their Spanish cousins. They were really tasty and the sauce they were cooked in made perfect dipping for the lovely crusty French stick.

Drew had ordered Tartare de Bœuf for his main, the waiter had doubted that Drew knew what it was and had asked ‘are you sure’ it is uncooked meat. Drew who did know what it was said yes please. The uncooked high quality beef with an egg on top was served with pommes frites and Drew was happy to eat the lot. I opted for Souris D’Agneau confire aux épices, a knuckle of lamb is not a cut we regularly serve in the UK, it was served in a peppery sauce and had a lot of meat on it. The lamb was served with green beans.

We had coffee and finished the meal, returning to the hotel and getting to bed by 11.00. A quiet day as the holiday gradually winds down, but still an enjoyable reminder of what France does well - great flavours.

Last day in Madrid and on to the train to Paris

 Thursday

 One of the downsides of an overnight train is you get a part of a day when you have checked out of an hotel before you are ready to travel. The hotel in Madrid was fine with this and had a luggage room where we could leave our luggage.

We sorted ourselves out, backed our bags and were ready to check out at 9.00 a.m. We left the hotel and walked up to Puerta del Sol, to say goodbye to Madrid. We stopped just off the square at a cafe called Uvepan where we had Zuma de Naranja, Café Solo and I had Tostados de Tomate y aceite olio while Drew had a Pan au Chocolate which was very full of chocolate.

Having had breakfast we decided to walk out of the Puerta del Sol in one of the roads we have not strolled on before. We have left or come into the Puerta del Sol by 5 routes so far (Carrera San Jeronimo, Calle Carrretas, Calle Mayor, Calle Arenal, Calle de Alcala). This time we took the road called Calle Montera, unbeknownst to us this is known locally as ‘prostitute street’ luckily it being early in the morning there was no signs of this. Calle Montera lead on to the road called Gran Via and we walked along this street which was an area of posh shops and old cinemas and other buildings. It was a nice walk along the street.

The Gran Via leads on to Plaza Espana a location we had not seen before and was very impressive. In addition to the big statue to Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand there is a smaller one of the Cervantes characters’’ Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza. Of the statues it was this one that got most attention with lots of Spaniards climbing up on the statues for photos.

We sat in the Plaza and watched people coming and going for about an hour. We walked on back into the centre of town passing the convent of the Discalced Carmelites who have such strong roots in Spain under the guidance of St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross.

Crossing Puerta del Sol again, we walked back down to Plaza Anton Martin where we had come up from the Metro. Given our focus had been on finding the hotel we did not see the strange statue of people in a huddle on the plaza. This was in memory of the murder of a number of lawyers and political operatives of the Communist Party of Spain in this street on the 24^th of January 1977 by right wing supporters.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had come to enjoy the Cervecería Mery-Cruz and had noted that they did a good lunch menu for only 8 euros each. The Menú da la día is a choice of five starters and five main courses with a drink, plus dessert or a coffee as part of the deal. Drew opted for the Gazpacho Andaluz and it was amazing to see the range of fresh vegetables and croutons that were available for Drew to add to the soup. He was very impressed. I went, on one of the owners recommendation, for the Paella Valenciana which was freshly made. My first paella of the holiday, and a very tasty one, the right amount of saffron to give the other ingredients a real zing.

For the main course I opted for Lacón a la Gallega, having enjoyed the Lacón two nights and I thought it would be worth trying it hear. Again it was salty and tasty served here with soft boiled potatoes and with lots of the smoked pepper that tastes somewhat like paprika which is common in Spain. Drew opted for Huevos en Chistarra and had a plate of two lovely fried eggs with a chorizo type sausage and chips on the side. A very nice meal at such a ridiculously low price.

Having been without webaccess during our stay in Madrid (the hotel Wi-Fi needed to text a mobile) we managed to get online for 30 minutes to check e-mails and then went and collected our luggage from the hotel.

Madrid Chamartin station is 14 stops from the Anton Martin station where we got on, but 30 minutes later we arrived at the Madrid Chamartin metro station. This station has an amazing light display which Drew photographed. We realised why they had to have something for you to look at as it was 6 floors, via escalator, from the metro station to the level for the RENFE railway station. As we had booked the Gran Class version of the TrenHotel we were able to use the RENFE guest lounge, so had a nice air-conditioned wait with free nibbles, coke and coffee until the train was called at 5.30 p.m.

The Elipsos TrenHotel is a collaborative venture between RENFE and SNCF, the Spanish and French Railways, and travels from Madrid to Paris nightly. We arrived at Coach 68 and the steward gave us our key and showed us to our cabin. Unlike the Paris-Milan sleeper this train has a toilet and shower room in addition to the Cabin (for those travelling in Gran Class). However the sitting space in these trains is smaller than on the earlier one.

We left Madrid at 6.12 p.m., on time, and travelled north through some fascinating countryside that could, if it was in America, be called bandit country.

We were invited, when we got on the train, to select dinner at 8 or 10, and opted for 8. Dinner is included in the tickets for Gran Class and it was a lovely meal. The motion of the train was far less bouncy than on the Paris - Milan sleeper, so Drew didn’t need to hold on to his water bottle to stop it falling off the table as he had then. The menu for the meal is on the left. Drew started with an Omelette with salad while I had potato and spinach gnocchi in a foie gras sauce with truffles and parmesan – a really engaging set of flavours.

The train stopped at Valladolid as we eat our dinner. For main course Drew opted to have a loin of tuna with carrots and Mediterranean veg in a vinaigrette sauce. I had roast chicken with potatoes and tender leaf salad. This was nicely roasted and rich in thyme, surprisingly good food for a train.

Dessert for me was a selection of cheese and for Drew a yoghurt. The cheeses were served a little cold, but after being left for a few moments they warmed up and provided good flavour.

We went back to the cabin and the beds were ready for us, so at 9.45 we went to bed. The train while we were in bed called at Burgos  and Vitoria it then spent about an hour in Irun on the Spanish-French border in the Basque lands. The delay allowed for passport and customs checks (we had again had to hand our passports to the steward at the beginning of the trip) plus for the RENFE engine to be replaced by a SNCF one and the wheels rebalanced so that they were changed from Spanish to French gage.

This gentle pulling back and forth going nowhere was not conducive to sleep. So it was after Irun when we were back travelling at 250k that I fell back to sleep. I awoke at 5.30 and got up at 6.00, having a shower on a train was a strange experience. I’ve been in smaller showers (Nottingham University halls were the smallest I think!) but the idea of having water pouring on you as you are moving along felt strange, though in face it worked really well and I felt helpfully refreshed. Drew got up at 6.30 and at 7.00 we went to breakfast while the train pulled in to Poitiers.

Breakfast involved an omelette, jamon, toast with tomatoes and oil (croissant for Drew) and fruit. These were followed by a few cups of coffee.

The bed had been replaced by seats again when we returned and we watched as the train stopped at Blois then Orleans and finally arrived at Paris Austerlitz at 9.03 a.m.

There was no excitement with our passports this time, they were given back to us after we got up this morning, it was nice to have this work so simply compared with the previous experience.