Moulins sur Allier: Day 2

After yesterday's adventure a gentle day of recovery is in order.  After breakfast of croissants and hot chocolat, a stroll round the market and a brisk walk round the town, I took a deep breath, summoned up my schoolgirl French and took myself to La Coiffure where, after a little stress and fishing for words on both sides I emerged looking a la mode.

Here we are (before my new hairdo), photographed last night by six year old Alanna.

Wards abroad

After a nail-biting wait on St Pancras for GM Chris Ward firstly to arrive and secondly to buy his breakfast,  the wedding guests successfully checked in for Eurostar and passed through security, only setting the alarm off twice. The challenge of finding numbered seats on an unmarked train was solved thanks to the keen observation powers of Hannah and Warwick who found the carriage number on the platform rather than on the train.  Having tried to avoid presenting his passport, GM Ward completed his evasive manouvres with one further diversionary trick involving the purchase of a newspaper at the moment of boarding. However, he wowed the crowds with his eventual appearance from the opposite direction at the last moment.

Alanna practices her new French skills

The journey from London to Paris was enlivened by a remarkable mega pic-nic prepared by fair hands of the culinary queen. Seafood sandwiches, coronation chicken baps, homemade fruitcake and all the trimmings of a British Boxing Day tea, had been smuggled aboard in the rucksacks of the young Misses Alanna and Jacinta Ward.  A beverage expedition returned with both Earl Grey and traditional English Breakfast tea along sufficient spare milk to keep us in cuppas all weekend.

The hearty victuals put us in fine fettle for the carrying of cases across Paris, but unfortunately did not reach the little grey cells which were a little on the sluggish side. It took some time to work out how to use the ticket machine and find the necessary platform.  Fortunately, Hannah figured out that the overground train we were trying to catch did not stop at the station we needed and that the helpful French railway employee was right all along and that we needed the Metro.  Fortunately the GM had intentionally remained in Paris for his own independent adventure and so we were not distracted by further puzzling on his whereabouts. We reached our second station with two minutes to spare and consequently once aboard the Clermont Ferrond train we were ready for an afternoon nap.

What joy to awake to the aromatic vision of a refreshment trolley serving ground coffee in mini cafetieres. Apart from a very brief discussion as to whether the entire party should divert to call in on Keith and Vivien, the two and a half hour journey passed without further excitement until on disembarking the mother of the bridegroom and her silly sister got lost on a footbridge between two lifts.  Finally, the party reached the Hotel Balladins in time to book in just ahead of 60 German Musicians in town for the Battle of the bands, Beat Box and Fash Dance event this weekend. 

The evening was rounded off by a Chinese meal around a round table.  Battered frogs legs with sweet and sour sauce were on the menu and goldfish were swimming in a pool inside the restaurant.  Who knows - they may even have been in the batter.

More tomorrow from the French front ... over and out...