Never mind a picnic.. or a cake..
SEE LATER!
I had a small Caesar salad for 6.50e - the large one would have been too much food for me. This was a la carte! It was fresh and presented well. Lots of meat and a whole egg!
with a glass of St Nicholas de Bourgueil - a very rich red which I regretted cos it needed meat! Bit strong for mid pm for it was now between 14h30and 15h when I arrived at VILLANDRY. I came to a sudden halt at the first restaurant as I had driven from Poitiers, missed morning coffee and was feeling bushed! The wind on the autoroute was a little scary whilst watching the lorries ahead of me grip a straight course!
This little restaurant Le Gosier Sec was inside a grotto. The proprietress and waitress were impeccably polite. But somehow it missed something! Perhaps a restaurant in a grotto is limited! French musette accordion, organ and xylophone dance music and chansons filled the air! After a while one's eyes adjusted to the darkness but I did ask for the candle on the table to be lit. Happy Birthday it said! The back mural was a Bacchanalian Medieval scene of bosomed wenches and predators, quaffing wine and eating grapes!
I returned to my car for a slice of home made Pear Tarte Tatin and Rooibus tea!
Then into the expansive grounds of the chateau, which is quite interesting architecturally and quite ordinary inside!
Imagine controlling the household budget! No thanks!
TWO DAYS LATER I SHARED AND ATE THE CAKE I BOUGHT!
You have to remember that Villandry is essentially an early 20thC construction. The bones of the building are older, but quite a lot of the decorative aspects of the exterior were added after the Carvallos bought it, and the interior is a result of it being their family home initially.
ReplyDeleteWe've never been to the Gosier Sec, so I am interested in your impression of it.