COVID in France?

All ready to travel during COVID

Since it first struck, we have been very careful about the COVID virus. We were among the first to get our vaccinations and we wore masks when shopping or when there were crowds. It really seemed to work; all those around us caught the virus and we escaped. Flying over here to France, we wore the best masks available on the plane and kept them on the whole time. We took a taxi to the train station and wore masks in the cab, and kept them on in the Train station and on the train. We felt we were being careful for ourselves and considerate to others since we had just arrived off a crowded international flight. 

However, we were really the only ones wearing masks once we landed in France. There were a few people in the train station, but I suspect they were newly arrived tourists like us. In fact, on the train, the two young men sitting across from us got up and found other seats rather than sitting with the two masked English speaking tourists. 

No masks here in Narbonne at all

Our first trip out to get supplies and groceries, was done with masks ready in our pockets, and we wore them in the stores and market. When our landlady arrived to greet us the next day she did not have a mask and when questioned about COVID, she replied, “No it is all over with here. No need for masks or restrictions!”

For the first few days, we did still take our masks, but when no one else is wearing them, it is difficult, so even Regis, “the cautious one” quickly seemed to forget her mask back in the apartment when we went out. After the first couple of days, we simply went with the majority of the populous here and went about our new French lives as if COVID was all over. In fact, today while walking down by the Market we did see a fellow wearing a mask and Regis commented, “When I saw him, my first reaction was that he must have COVID and is protecting others.”

No masks in Toulouse either

Now, when we head back to Canada in a couple of weeks, we will probably wear masks on the plane or at least have then ready, but so far we have had no issues, no coughs, no fevers, nothing, so all seems good, and I must admit it does feel good to go about your daily lives as if “Life is back to normal.”

SO . . . dinner inside out of the wind and rain is possible. 

One Man Show

La Table de Nicolas

After my sister-in-law told me to stop cooking all our own meals and go out to eat, we made a reservation at a little restaurant around the corner from the apartment that looked interesting and had good reviews. It was called “La Table de Nicolas”, so I assumed that it was named after the owner. We stopped in a few days earlier and made a reservation with the girl at the counter; 7:30 on Tuesday evening.

We had seen nothing except sunshine and HOT temperatures since our arrival, so the thunderstorm warning was a surprise and just before we were to leave for dinner the clouds actually produced rain. However, the walk from the apartment only took three minutes and the rain did not bother us under a little umbrella. 

Taking our order

Arriving at the restaurant at 7:30 sharp, we were greeted by an Asian fellow who
motioned for us to take any of the four, two person tables in the room. We were a bit surprised to find an Asian gentleman running a French restaurant, and after a Google Translate reading of the Menu the Japanese Cheesecake in the desert section and the Saki on the wine menu hinted at his actual nationality. 

We quickly realized that he was the only person here; he greeted us at the door, he took our order and he then went to the kitchen and started preparing our meals. We were the only clients at first but then another English-speaking couple came in and then two French couples. It was interesting to sit in a restaurant and actually hear some English as this was the first we had encountered here in Narbonne. 

The Chef at work

My seat faced the kitchen area so I was able to watch the chef prepare the meals. His menu was limited to three appetizers, two main dishes and three deserts, and he had obviously prepared everything before. He took little bags containing ingredients out of a fridge to prepare individual dishes. He laid out dishes and carefully plated all the meals on a counter for anyone to view. As we arrived earlier than the other three couples, our meals were prepared and served individually, but I watched him handily cook and plate the other six meals all at once. Working all alone, he seemed to have a well oiled routine down to make this one man operation work efficiently.

Service was relaxed but it wasn’t slow, and everything was excellent. My charcuterie plate appetizer was delicious and Regis “Catch of the Day” was especially good. The cuisine here in the south of France is more flavourful than spicy, so I was not especially impressed with my Pork loin, but it was still good. 

When we were done, we settled up with Nicolas (If that was his name?) and walked home, realizing that as the only one working the restaurant that evening, he was probably going to be there for a good while as he was obviously also the clean-up crew and the dishwasher. 

On The Road Again

It has been a while since I've written anything here, but then it has been a while since I've done any travel and the posts are mostly written around travel. Now, since the “Atlantic Bubble” has opened up, we decided to spend the government's $300.00 Senior COVID-19 gift supporting some local destinations. Originally I planned to go to Saint Andrews By The Sea, a location I have wanted to visit for a while, but we decided instead to keep our contributions to the economy really local and stay within Nova Scotia. Regis set out to organize a “Staycation” within the province. She decided upon a night in Wolfville, then on to Annapolis Royal, an evening in Pubnico and finally Summerville Centre. A four day trip around the South Shore of Nova Scotia was a great opportunity to get away without actually going away.

A leisurely drive down to Wolfville only took us two hours, driving all on the secondary roads and allowed us to stop at a couple of our favourite wineries, and finally getting to see what was in the Hops House just off the highway at Grand Pre. We have stopped in three times previously only to always find it closed; now when many businesses are closed due to the Pandemic this place was open. I picked up some of their local craft beer to bring home.

After visiting Gaspereau Winery, one of my favourite in the province, we made our way to Wolfville. The road we took made me sorry I had decided to bring the Toyota rather than the Alfa Romeo because the road had enough twists and turns to “break the back of a snake”, but the impending rain and thunder storms had kept the Spider in the garage.

In Wolfville, we stayed at Micro Boutique Living where we had a delightful little suite overlooking the amazing tides of the Minas Basin, and we finally got to sample the fare and brews at Church Brewing which had always been overflowing with collage students prior to the virus sending them all home.

Day two was traveling to Annapolis Royal along the old highway Route 1, through towns we normally only know as signposts at the exits on highway 101.

Our accommodations in Annapolis Royal was an exercise in differences from Wolfville. Where we had six texts and e-mails making sure we knew our check-in time was not before 3:00 PM and we MUST be out by 11:00 AM, the “Just-B” (Just a bed, no Breakfast), sent us a greeting that said check-in was 3:00 and check-out was 11:00, but they would have everything ready plenty early and they were in no hurry to clean up after us, so come and leave when convenient. As well, the Just-B was quaint and old fashioned with an artsy feel where the Micro Boutique was trendy and modern. Interesting contrast, but both places were comfortable and I would recommend them both.

While in Annapolis Royal, we hiked the French Basin Trail, a nice walking trail on old dykes around a marsh. This allowed us to work up an appetite for Take-out fish & chips delivered by the cook to the Brewery down the street – that's small town hospitality and co-operation for you.

And now that I have gotten back into writing, I hope you get to read a few more of these posts from this trip around the province.

Regis walking the French Basin Trail

A comfortable bed for the night

Dinner at the Church

The Amazing tides of Minas Basin

Not New York

My amazing travel planner (you know that is Regis right?) found a great price on return fights from Costa Rica . . . . only catch they involved an 18 hour layover in New York. I've been to New York and enjoyed it, but with me, it's “been there, done it”, and I have never expressed much interest in going back. Lots of other interesting places to see, why go back to the Big Apple? It may have been the good price, but I suspect she thought it might be an excuse to get me back to NY.

So, we booked a hotel at the airport and planned to take the train into New York for dinner. I agreed to the plan, and although I really didn't care about it, I knew Regis wanted to experience New York again. However, when we actually arrived in Newark International Airport, got through immigration and found the shuttle to the hotel, she made the mistake of asking me if I “really” wanted to go into the city or if I'd rather just chill here at the hotel. Silly woman . . . giving me a way out . . . . I said I'd really rather just stay put, but I was game to go in if she wished. I was having a issue with my back so I was not 100% and we both decided that if we visited New York we really wanted to visited the High Line Park, and it wasn't the best in January, so instead of going in this evening she wangled a promise to come back to New York in the future when the political climate improves and during a better season.

That left us in New Jersey and needing some place to have a nice supper. The pleasant check in clerk at the hotel suggested that if we wanted someplace different than the hotel restaurant, there was a great “Steak House” just 10 minutes away by UBER. We looked his suggestion up on Google and it was actually a Portuguese restaurant and was rated #1 on TripAdvisor for the Area. The reviews were completely over the top. This looked like a place worth a visit.

We checked it out on Google Maps and it was a 20 minute walk. Perfect after a day on a plane, but the looks from the hotel staff did not bode well. “Walk . . . what do you mean walk . . . why would you want to walk?”. The first 10 minutes almost convinced us they were right; no sidewalks and traffic flying by at highway speeds, but at the first intersection it turned into a residential area and although we met no one else on the sidewalks, at least it was a little less hazardous.

We arrived at an almost empty restaurant and were shown to a table. The menu was extensive and we were amazed at the menu items we recalled from our month in Portugal, Steak cooked on a stone, Jumbo Shrimp cooked on a stone, Cataplana in a copper pan . . . . al items we had enjoyed in Portugal.

We decided against appetizers, although they sounded delicious. A salad large enough for four was delivered along with a basket of rolls to hold us until our mains arrived. As I saw meals delivered to patrons around us I was glad I had not ordered a starter, the servings were generous.

As the restaurant began to fill we really began to realize we were back in the USA. In fact we were dining in New Jersey not Costa Rica. The two guys at the table next to us spent their time trying to out BS each other, we knew that a table across the room featured a medical visit to New York, and when the fellow in the Jeans, blue check hat, and blue blazer arrived wearing a ball cap, I suggested to Regis he would not take off his hat because it featured a Texas map and Texans liked their hats, I was proved correct. By the time we left with happy full stomaches, the place was full and noisy. 

Our meals arrived and right away we realized that not going into the city for dinner was NOT a mistake. I was enjoying mine so much I decided I wanted to extend the experience with desert. The BS'ers beside us ordered creme brule and I thought that sounded like a good idea . . . he sent it back . . . ok, maybe not. When they left I spoke to the server and told him my dilemma, I loved creme brule but his comments on it were not positive. He gave me an honest answer . . . the creme brule was not made on site and he could not be sure, but suggested I could order it and if it did not meet my standards I was free to send it back. I appreciated his honesty and ordered something else and completely enjoyed it. I thought I was back in Portugal.

So we did not get to New York, but experienced an amazing dining experience. Any of my friends visiting New York, and flying out of Newark . . . ask me about this amazing spot?

Smoked Portuguese pork chops with mushrooms and balsamic

Crab stuffed shrimp (Regis's choice)

A Poor Porker

Welcome to the Poor Porker

Driving back from that terrible car show, I drove past a restaurant called The Poor Porker. It was an odd looking place behind a rather ramshackle fence. It was closed when I went by, but based on the name, I thought it must have been a Barbecue spot, and I decided to look it up on the Internet and check out their menu.

Turns out the old expression “What’s in a name?” means nothing in this case and I was completely wrong about what

Nothing in the fridge

the Poor Porker was . . . . . No Barbecue, no pulled pork, no ribs . . . . . beignets.  . . . Seriously, what does “Poor Porker” have to do with Beignets?

The Name did however peek my interest, and I decided to check the place out. It was right off Main St. so easy to walk to, and we wandered down on a tour around town with friends. The place was not open, but you could peer through the fence/hedge. There was actually no actual “Restaurant” building. It was an open lot with a food truck at one end, a sort of garage/barn on one side and a tiny travel trailer with an open side in the corner. Oh . . . and a teepee set up in the middle. Now I definitely wanted to return when they were open.

Play a tune . . .

First, those Beignets were delicious! Puffy delicate fried dough covered with your sweet toping of choice. The place itself reminded me of the Ruin Pubs we visited in Budapest, a strange collection of junk forming a unique interesting setting. You entered through a big industrial corrugated steel gate. In one corner was a hammock and an odd mix of chairs. Scattered all over the lot were quaint seating areas created from disjointed elements. Wooden dining chairs, metal outdoor furniture, kitchen set chairs, children’s toy chairs. I do not think there was a pair of matching chairs in the place. You could sit inside the teepee, inside the travel trailer or under mismatched umbrellas around the yard. There was one half a rusted jeep, a rusting refrigerator, animal skulls on walls and a stack of lumber in one corner. In fact everywhere you looked was some other odd item. If you went back 10 times I think you would notice something different every time.

And OMG those beignets were delicious !

Order your Begnets here

A different spot to sit and enjoy your treat

Nope these are not "porkers"

A jeep, well beyond restoration

Back To Portsmouth

Last year, during a trip to New England we stopped in Portsmouth over night. I searched Google Maps for places to eat, and discovered that Portsmouth has an amazing number of really good restaurants. However, they must also have a lot of hungry restaurant patrons, because every place I choose had waits of over an hour. One place I was interested in told me it would be at least two hours. We ended up having a decent meal in a chain restaurant in a huge mall out near the Interstate – BORING!

The Hotel Portsmouth

This year while going through New England on our way to Niagara On The Lake for another Wine Tour with the Children (We believe in demonstrating a positive parental attitude towards alcohol . . . . .), we decided to return to Portsmouth and give it another try. We booked a room at The Hotel Portsmouth, right downtown within walking distance of all the best eating establishments - really beautiful old hotel with reasonable rates, comfortable rooms and a wonderfully helpful desk clerk.

Wall Art In Portsmouth

We left early and walked downtown to Jumping Jay’s Fish Café, and had no problem getting a nice table at the window. This place had amazing reviews and it lived up to all of them. I literally have never seen such fast and efficient service. Someone here knows how to work a kitchen. We had our drinks and our shared appetizer arrived, thoughtfully served on two plates. We finished our appetizer and had barely time to chat when our mains arrived. Both dinners were cooked to perfection and delicious.

Good Seafood!

Now although we were pretty busy enjoying our meals, I did have time to spend some time “People Watching”. Sitting beside us was the oddest group. Two couples were enjoying a meal, but it was interesting to listen and observe them. They obviously were “old friends” who had gone their separate ways but got together on a fairly regular basis. Although “friends”, these two couples could not have been more different. One couple was fashionably thin, trim and stylish, the other were overweight, over dressed and out of their league. One couple ordered a bottle of chardonnay, asking the server for a recommendation; the other ordered a beer and an over ordered cocktail  - something with Southern Comfort and extra cherries . . . . . Huh?. In fact everything she ordered was a “special” order  -  “Could you blacken the fish and give me different vegetables?”. I had the meal she “changed” and in my opinion she ruined a delicious dish; man those roasted beets with balsamic reduction were “to die for”. . . . . .

Fun in Portsmouth

I am very glad I went back to Portsmouth . . . . .