A week for visitors!

Gian paid me a surprise visit from Paris this week. He came by train from Paris on Wednesday night and left by plane back to Nice on Saturday morning. We went to l`Alsace à Table restaurant - Marisol came with us. Marisol and I had a barr ( I have no idea of the English equivalent for that) grilled and flambéd with pastis and cognac and fish soup to start with. As usual, the restaurant staff assured me on the phone that they are accessible but they do have a step into the restaurant. I did not take my electric chair with me.

Gian accompanied me to the Centre Clemenceau and was concerned about my exercises and made me promise to do those the kine said I could do on my own everyday. Did I really promise that? Another great thing we did was to go watch the new Star Wars film - my first Star Wars film at the cinema really-great special effects!

As soon as we have sent Gian to the airport, it was time to go pick up my cousins, Jasmine and Jo and their friend, Carol from the train station.They have already been in Europe for 2 months with their Euro pass. I made them trundle with their suitcases to the Petite France for a tarte flambe.

In the evening, they helped me with my Malaysian table for the quartier's street picnic. I did not decide to do it till that morning-I was originally invited to join Marisol's Chilean table. Jo has a super digital camera-I hope she will furnish me with some photos later. We laid the table with a red batik tablecloth and napkins. We had a mounted glass centerpiece with imitation water lilies, seashells and green candles, banana leaf plates, chopsticks resting on pewter fish chopstick rests. I bought some prawn crackers to go with the decor.We also had a photo frame with butterflies.....and of course we won! We had several appreciative comments and although I had made some nasi goreng and courgette sambal to go with the theme - I was embarrassed that we didn't really have enough to share with our Chilean or Portuguese neighbours. They were very generous with offering us samples to try though. My Mexican neighbours, Berta and Ruben, came to join us too. The symbolic prize was a bottle of pinot noir but the real prize is to be collected on 25th June at the Citadelle.

 A Malaysian Table

Esplanade street party
 
Berta and me        Jaz and French girls

All in all, I think it was good to have my visitors get a taste of life at a French neighbourhood (including a drunk French man who had to be escorted away). Jo was also happy to be someway where she can update her blog.