Bordeaux, France
Umbrellas at the ready we tackle a morning stroll. Having been woken by the rain hammering down once more outside we're resigned to a thorough soaking but fortunately the drizzle isn't too fierce as we mooch around the city, taking in the views from the Pont de Pierre, checking out the markets and peeking into the St Michel cathedral, where we stop for coffee and a choclatine croissant; a light breakfast after yesterday's multiple courses.
Suitably fortified, we continue past the Grosse Cloche and along Rue Ste Catherine to the Cathedral de Saint Andre and Hotel de Ville. From there it's into the Golden Triangle, a selection of streets comprised of grand buildings and wide boulevards, and along Rue Huguerie where our lunch restaurant resides.
Baud et Millet is also known by the more descriptive moniker, La Cavern Aux Fromages, and as you'd suspect it's devoted to cheese in all its glorious varieties. Downstairs is an all you can eat buffet of hundreds of cheeses for €29 which we avail ourselves of whilst also ordering a comte cheese crumble with field garlic and rhubarb and a tomato clafoutis with roquefort. The dishes aren't amazing but the selection of cheese is fantastic and we load up our groaning arteries with even more abuse de fromage. It's sinfully good.
A short walk later and we're back at the Grand Hotel. With the heavens starting to open and five hours to kill before dinner we decide to hit the spa and while away the afternoon in fluffy bathrobe luxury, alternating between the fabulous pool and it's classically inspired chaise-longues, the enormous steam room, a sauna with a view across the rooftops of Bordeaux and a relaxation room full of teas and cold drinks. The only place we don't try is the rooftop terrace and outdoor jacuzzi as the rain by this point is so torrential that even opening the door is like inviting a flood inside.
Refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated it's only right that we saunter down for a cocktails in the hotel's grand Bar Victor at 7pm, sitting under the glass roof onto which rain is thundering down. We find out later that Lourdes, which isn't very far away, has had the worst floods in living memory with pilgrims needing airlifting out of the town. We can well believe it.
Gritting our teeth and clasping umbrellas tight we venture out of the glorious comfort of the hotel and into the night, making our way to Restaurant de la Loup. We love the eclectic, old-fashioned feel of the place and are highly delighted by the fantastic wine decanters shaped like an enormous glass into which our bottle of 2009 de Chateau Pierre Saint-Maxines, Graves, is poured by the hostess.
Sadly the food doesn't quite live up to expectation. We have first a delicious amuse bouche of vichysoisse and Coman's starter is wonderful, beautiful slices of parma ham and honeydew melon, complemented by a distinctly-flavoured soft cheese on a wholewheat bread - yet light and fresh. My duck however is rather disappointing, served sliced and luke warm, coated in what tastes a bit like Heinz salad cream with a cold lentil pile in the middle. Hmmm.
My lamb main is very tasty but its potato accompaniment succeeds in being cold, crunchy, sour and bitter simultaneously, detracting from the melt-in-your-mouth meat. Coman's over-cooked fish is covered in a buttery sauce that masks all flavour. A solitary piece of brie is the extent of the cheese course (no bad thing after our earlier extravaganza) and while the desserts try and bring the feast back to the levels of other establishments we're a little disappointed to end our gourmet break with the least tasty meal of the trip, but we've entertained ourselves no end during the evening and are suitably stuffed nevertheless.
A drenched walk back to our hotel rounds off the evening and we settle into bed watching Dances Avec Les Stars, noting how faithful the Strictly Come Dancing formula is followed around the world, although France scores for both Artistique and Technique separately, adding extra 'excitement' to proceedings.
And so to sleep and an early morning flight back to the UK where the first thing we do is go for a run around Epping Forest to shift just a little of our gluttony. It'll be soup and water for the next week so we can fit back into our clothes!