Just a Couple of Such Stories of my Travels
Years
ago on my very first trip to Europe I made a deal with my traveling friend. If
she would go with me on a gondola ride in Venice, Italy, I would go to the
Moulin Rouge with her in Paris. We each kept our word and were happy campers.
At
the Moulin Rouge dinner and wine was included in our ticket. Dinner was quite
good and better than expected from most mass crowded meals. I am one crazy
American who likes her wine really cold, so I spooned in a couple of ice cubes
from my water glass into my wine. Since I wasn’t driving and the wine was to my
liking and I was 20 years younger than I am now, I signaled the waiter for a
refill. When he collected my glass there were two tiny specks of the melted ice
in the bottom of the glass.
Suddenly
I was the topic of conversation at the wine table as the other waiters looked
in my glass and then looked up to watch me. There was no mistaking what they
were talking about. I did not care, and when my glass was returned I couldn’t
resist saying, “Thank you, and yes I enjoy my wine really cold.” Actually we were as amused at their actions
as they were about my wine preference!
**********
There
was a time when I would never think about putting an ice cube in my wine. And
again we go back several years when we were being entertained at one of the two
Honolulu restaurants that required coat and tie. I think those days are totally
gone now. I mentioned to the tux-clad waiter with a white napkin over his arm
that I liked my wine cold. Unceremoniously he grabbed the soup spoon from my
place setting, dipped it in my water glass, retrieved two ice cubes and plunked
them into my wine glass. At the time I was stunned, but I look my lesson from
that incident and have done the same ever since, but usually quietly and
unnoticed.
***********
When
I biked Bordeaux, our guide turned out to be the owner of the company as his
scheduled guide had met with an accident and was delayed and later cancelled.
Our evening meals were taken at the small boutique hotels where we stayed along
the way. Typically French, dinnertime was slow and lengthy---never less than
two hours. Our small group was compatible and personable so it was a pleasant
time of day after a long one in the saddle. The wine flowed every evening.
Bottles were put on the tables and the fellows in the group, never hesitated to
call for another one when it was empty. There is nothing typical about this. I
assume the hotel owners were saying thank you to our guide for sending them his
business. We were the beneficiaries of their kindness and none of us
complained!
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