Celebrating the 70's - A chronicle of time and temperature

Monday 23 December 2024

We wake early after the amusing fire alarm incident last night and check our bags and train it into the Duomo, a magnificent cathedral and shopping centre. All the brands are there but nothing takes our fancy. A bar on the way back provides a couple of vino rosso and a gigantic Negroni for Lady P. She womanfully consumes it, then needs special supervision on the walk back.

On the recommendation of The man in Seat 61 again, we head for a little restaurant near the rail station called Noblesse Oblige, where we enjoyed a shared tuna tartare then a dark seafood pasta and a Sea Bass with porccini and roast potato. This was enjoyed with a bottle of Sardinian Vermintino.

A taxi takes us to Statzione Garaboldi where we board the SCNF to Paris. It departs on the second of 15:10, silently slipping west to France.

The journey of eight hours was in first class, which means comfy seats and a few less fellow travellers but not much else. Train travel is actually pretty good here and we head into France to the site of the tunnel collapse from last year’s floods. This requires a bus detour of about 30 minutes, in falling snow and declining temperatures and aggressive fellow travellers. You know, a bit of elbow here and there. Nowhere near as bad as the behaviour of those in Asia! Luckily, they are small. Anyway, it was an adventure and soon we arrive, near midnight at the amazingly baroque Gare de Lyon (except that you really don’t need the adjective “amazing” when you are describing baroque architecture).

On multiple levels, Gare de Lyon is considered a classic example of the architecture of its time – late 1800’s. Most notable is the large clock tower atop one corner of the station, similar in style to the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, home to Big Ben. The station houses the Le Train Bleu restaurant, which has served drinks and meals to travellers and other guests since 1901 in an ornately decorated setting and is now a two star Michelin restaurant.

A short walk to the Hotel Viator, listed as 3 stars but we reckon it’s better than that and we are back in Paris for four nights.

Tuesday 24 December 2024

Christmas Eve and it’s all on here in Paris. Except it’s a very quiet neighbourhood. Gare de Lyon – so beautiful and the surrounding area could be a shithole like Gare de Nord but it’s not. It is clean, quiet and the Africans are replaced by the hard working Asians who open all hours and offer alternative cuisines. Flashy reckons we’re in China town. Perhaps we are.

In any case, we spend the day wandering about Paris, which while overcast is not raining and it's a pleasant 10C.

The dinner tonight, a secret Lady P has kept from Flashy, is a ‘caf back at the station.’ So why the glad rags? She’s in a dress! He is told what to wear.

Ah, so we are really going to Le Train Bleu, the two Michelin star restaurant located in Gare de Lyon. It is the most incredible, glitzy space you can imagine and we have the special Christmas menu.

Kir Royale and an Old Fashioned cocktail to settle us in. Then the Champagne with a lovely portion of foie gras with blackcurrant pepper and caramelised balsamic. Some PC people and of course vegans, are against foie gras. California has banned it. Well, of course they have! I can't begin to tell you how delicious it was.

Next a ceviche of scallop on beetroot wafer and citrus fruits. The Loire Valley Chenin was opened and was delicious. The entrée of Turbot et caviar and spinach in brown butter was superb. A mango and passionfruit sorbet cleansed the palate for the Volaille avec truffle and macaroni with more truffle and celery puree. The traditional Christmas Yule log vanilla apple and spices was for dessert. We were sated now. Flashy wanted a cognac but Lady P was nearly asleep. So, a leisurely, short walk back to our warm hotel.

Wednesday 25 December 2024

We walked for 15kms today all around the 5th, 6th and 3rd arrondissements and had a nice lunch in Chez Andre Restaurant, the same place we had lunch at the start of the year. The weather was misty, the paths wet but no rain. A chilly 7C.

Great food, wine and service. There were only four pax in the restaurant, I hope they have a good dinner service! Very few people about though, so Flashy had an easy job of reconnaissance of likely hostiles at the market and churches.

Back home, we went across the road to the pizza place for a spicy (not really) pizza and a half bottle of Loire red for dinner. The place, close of course to the station, was packed but we enjoyed a very traditional Italian pizza. I mean, what more do you want!

Thursday 26 December 2024

A shopping day today at Galleries Lafayette. Lots of people out and about now. It was horrible. Shoulder to shoulder with milling crowds. Freezing outside one moment then bloody hot in the overheated store the next. More bloody shoppers inside not looking where they are walking. It was however, made bearable by the Billecarte Salmon Rose Champagne, oysters and smoked salmon in GF's Champagne Bar overlooking the gigantic Christmas Tree - just!