Paris 1 - A meal with friends at Le Charolais

We all met at Le Charolais and had a few drinks to start the night.



Once we were seated at our table the food service began ....  (includes photos from the web)

'I hope you like oysters' said our host!
There were three of us who had never eaten them, so this looked like it would be fun!
I shucked the first one (http://www.inahalfshell.com/etiquette/) and was left with a salty, seafoody taste in my mouth.  Not quite what I expected so I thought I would have another shell and chew the contents a bit  .... it was chewy, quite interesting in that it wasn't squishy, and still left a seafoody taste in my mouth!!  That was enough ....
I had tried them  ...

We chatted, drank some more and the second course came in ...

Steak with bunches of small asparagus wrapped in bacon.  

Another first, I can't remember having asparagus before!  

This was all delicious!  The steak cooked just right.

Duck salad - that's what we were told.
The duck was diced and coated in a salty sauce, reminded me of the coating on popcorn, it was extremely delicious.
I asked for the recipe but was told I would have to work there for two weeks to 'earn' it!!!!
I am willing ....


The cheese board came next.  I thought it out of order but was told that the cheese should always be served while the wine is still flowing!!!!  I declined but there was much oohing and aahing from the rest of the table.



The dessert was a 'first' for the restaurant/bar.  They had been carefully instructed about what was required and then they did their own thing!!
It was like a pastry base, with strawberries and then a crumble top.  It was served with 'squishy' cream which was a bit of a let down but then the French do not really 'do' cream

We then continued with the coffee and other drinks ...  it was a very good night ... in a typical French Bar .... full of French people .... spilling out onto the pavement .... and then we walked home ... well, back to the Hotel!

Hosts of posts about .... Paris

Another week in my favourite city.  The whole point of this journey was the 'Annual Rovers Meet up' of PJ's Scouting friends.  We met up on the Friday and dispersed on the Sunday but PJ and I stayed over for a few more days .... have to doncha!!
There will be lots of photos, hopefully, and lots of laughs .... we had lots of food and drink as well but they don't translate into typing!!
The sun shone every day, it felt like Summer especially with most of the flowers in bloom and the leaves on the trees.

We travelled down to London by coach and PJ had his early start!!!  The taxi arrived at 04.15hrs as we had to be at Digbeth in time to catch the 05.00hrs coach.  See what I mean ... just loves an early start.  I don't really mind as I am not awake, just travelling in automatic mode 'go here', 'go there', 'sit here', 'sit there', all the same to me until I have had a coffee that is!
The taxi flew along empty roads and green lights so that we could arrive at 04.25hrs .... nice and early like ...
The coach soon filled up - all that queuing and waiting for the driver to check the tickets - not any more .... leave the cases and tickets with one person and everyone else get on board!!!  Soooo funny - not.  I am a quick learner and climbed on board to get the seat behind the driver ... thankfully most people wanted to get down the back.  As we pulled away PJ suggested (a change of plan!) we get of the coach at Golders Green and go straight to St Pancras on the Underground (Tube) - ok.  I'll go with that ... was looking forward to travelling on a red London Bus (original plan) and the ride round London seeing places I haven't visited but  .... Tube is good.

Inside St Pancras Station

So at 07.45hrs, inside St Pancras Station, there we were - sitting in Costa having a coffee and texting two of the lads who were on the 07.55hrs Eurostar!!   What time did our train leave?  15.37hrs.  We took an hour over our coffee, changed some cash, wandered round some shops, by which time I was very cold and waking up!!!  We went to see if we could go through to Duty Free but the very pretty blonde lady said no and I said I wasn't going back into the cold hall.  She took our tickets and then came back with fresh ones for the next train .... our gasts were flabbered!  I wanted to hug her, but allowed my English composure to just say thank and shake her hand.  THEN she escorted us through Customs to the actual border so that we bypassed all the queues, I am loving it.  I thanked her profusely.

Gare De Nord, Paris

We boarded the train and found our seats, we were travelling backwards but at this point I didn't mind!!  We settled down and somewhere around Ashford I closed my eyes and when I opened them we were in France!! Such a quick journey and the Tunnel!  What Tunnel?!?!  PJ was as amazed as me that we had BOTH slept ... unheard of for me to sleep.

Paris was warm and sunny so we made our way to the Bar where we had arranged to meet Rover 1, thinking that we now had four hours to wait but hey!    this is Paris!

Bar Au Baroudeur

We found a table down the end of the windows outside, as One does in Paris!  The waiter was friendly and spoke some English so we sat and watched Paris go by.

Bikes at charging points

I bought some postcards - the first of many! - and we sat there in the sunshine, watching the ParisBikes fill the charging points and then be taken off to be ridden who knows where ..... 

The two ladies at the next table were eating some delicious food and we felt quite hungry so we ordered a Croque Madame - Croque Monsieur with an egg - and frittes of course!! - hot, crispy, soft inside chips.

After another couple of hours we left the bar and waited on the corner for Rover 1 and then caught a taxi round to the Hotel.

After a wash and brush up, we emerged to meet up with the others and have something to eat ........

Shrewsbury ... in Shropshire that is...

The rail tickets were given to us by N, who would be unable to use them before the end of the month.  We looked at all the places we could go to within the rail company and settled for SHREWSBURY in Shropshire.  I checked it out on the web whole PJ checked out train and bus timetables, I found a River Cruise company ... PJ found out we would be up early in the morning!!

Shrewsbury Station

We travelled into town on the bus and cut across to the station before the shoppers could fil the streets.  We were looking forward to the train journey, the sun was shining and there were plenty of empty seats.

View back down the hill

Shrewsbury Rail Station is a magnificent building, just the usual platforms and ticket offices on the inside, with plenty of traffic in the car park outside - not empty like the photo (taken from the web).

We climbed up the hill towards the Castle and the shops, I did ... really puffed me out but I made it to the top!

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We bought some postcards and mags, stopping to watch some charity abseiling down the Church Tower.

Tudor alleyway by castle

We walked back towards the Castle, noticing small tudor passages led off the main street, some had shops, some housing but they were very reminiscent of Edinburgh.

Tudor House Museum

The castle houses the Museum of the Shropshire Regiments in a magnificent Tudor House.
We just stood and stared ....

Castle Wall

The grounds outside the Castle  had large artillery guns and was surrounded by well laid out flower beds.

Laura'a Tower

Inside the grounds we decided to walk up to Laura's Tower, it seemed a gentle stroll upwards with staggered steps.  It was .... until we entered the gateway to the Tower .... there were about six steps ... large, old, slippy steps.

Castle from Laura's Tower

We managed them and arrived at the tower which had a large, cobbled courtyard surrounded by a low wall, but unfortunately the tower itself was locked.

The views of Shrewsbury were magnificent, mainly the river Severne and the railway lines.

Pushchair parked 

On the way back down to the Castle grounds we met a family going up and had to stand aside while the guy 'wheeled his large pushchair' past us.
Wheeling the pushchair up was bad enough but we laughingly told him that he wouldn't not manage the last few steps but he laughed and said 'We'll see'.
When we looked up at the Tower from the grounds we noticed that the pushchair was parked up outside the Tower!?!?!

We wandered round the grounds and then back down towards the station, and followed the road alongside the river until we reached the pier for the river cruise.

Sabrina River Cruise Boat

The boat was named Sabrina after a Roman water goddess and, as we were paying customers, we were allowed on first. Apparently residents of Shrewsbury were allowed a free trip as this was the opening day.

Laura's Tower from English Bridge

Trust us! ...
but this was good as we could choose our own seats and, being in England, there were no children running around or shouting ... Marvellous!!!
There was the usual commentary but only on our return journey, pointing out interesting places, we could just about see Laura's Tower above the English bridge.

Shrewsbury School & Boathouse

Shrewsbury School is a private boarding school where the fees are about £30,000 per year which puts it on a par with Eton and Harrow.  Surprising the things you can learn on a boat!!?!

High tide mark

Along the riverbank we could see where the floods of the last couple of months had been, these flats must have been very worried as the river reached up to about one foot below the top.
You might be able to see the white line along the top of the bricks.

Street Furniture

Coming back along the road to the station, I noticed this street furniture, a soldier, a town crier and a victorian lady - metal cutouts.


Back to the Station and into town, which was very busy now with shoppers but we managed to catch the bus to the Robin Hood.

Unfortunately it was only going to the city boundary and one bearded gentleman, with a small white hat, decided he didn't like it and started an argument with the blonde lady driver.  After a few heated words like ... legal rights, racist, not getting off bus ... the driver stopped the bus and she refused to go any further till he got off.  By now there were a few different nationalities joining in and telling him to shut up or get off, and eventually he got off, ... we all clapped and cheered!!!!
I love these international bus routes!

We had a great meal, laughing and joking with the staff as per usual and catching the last bus home.
As we say round here - "ain't we had a lovely day?"   "ain't we just!"