Lazy Day

It's a good thing that we didn't have any special outdoor activities planned for today, as we've had wet, windy, almost autumnal weather.

We agreed that a leisurely lunch would be a good idea, and headed west a few miles to the village of Premian, part of which you see in today's blip. We'd enjoyed meals on previous visits at a tiny restaurant there, L'Esclop (wooden clog, in Catalan -- on the righthand side of the street above) and today was no exception. The restaurant has been updated since we last ate there, with larger windows, additional seating, and white walls with pleasant art, making it a cozy place to be on a rainy day. It's warm and informal, and seats about 30 people inside and about the same outside on the terrasse, in nice weather.

There were several choices available; we opted for the four-course menu at 20 Euros each (approximately $27 / 16 GBP) and a bottle of Faugeres wine from vineyards near that area. Phil and I chose the same starter, a delicious salad of fresh lettuce, goat cheese, and lardons (similar to small pieces of bacon, for U.S. readers), but differed on our main courses -- entrecote steak for him, lamb chops for me, both served with pureed potatoes and ratatouille. A selection of cheeses followed, with a particularly nice Brie, and for dessert, Phil had a light apple tart and I had a delicate chocolate mousse cake, both served with whipped cream, followed by coffee.

This wasn't gourmet food -- this was literally home cooking, made in a house across the street from L'Esclop and carried from there by the owner or the chef, walking in the crosswalk you see above, to the restaurant. It's an interesting business model, and works very well!

We had a quiet couple of hours in our studio flat afterward, and then went to C and J's lovely home (see Monday's blip) for several cups of tea, local honey cake, and conversation; we never run out of that!

Tomorrow we're seeing more friends here in Olargues in the afternoon, and in the evening, a much-anticipated blipmeet and supper in La Caumette with blippers 5000vines and BrodieB, as well as BrodieB's mother, visiting from Australia. BrodieB's sister, blipper GlassRoad, will be very much there in spirit, and we hope to meet her in person sometime in the future!