It was quite some time ago
I have fond memories of St Tropez. I had come here with college friends and we spent a week or two staying in a caravan site up in the hills above here, in Grimaud. When making our plans for the day, we spotted a tour to the hilltop villages and I thought it would be fascinating to see how things had changed. One thing I felt certain about was that there would be no caravan sites up there any more!
But nature had different plans for us. When we awoke and looked out, the view was gloomy in the extreme.
The stormy weather front that had brought the heavy rain and thunderstorms to Livorno was now moving slowly across the south of France and St Tropez was feeling the effects.
We had breakfast and listened to the announcements about taking wet weather gear, umbrellas and sensible footwear, for the cobbled surfaces were likely to be slippery. We looked at the forecast and on reading that the current 60% chance of rain was going to increase to 100% in the next couple of hours, we changed our plans.
We returned our tickets for the Hilltop Villages tour and decided that, as soon as the tender boarding opened, we'd head ashore and have a look around the town for a while. It was Sunday, so we weren't sure what would be open or how busy it would be, but hey, it would be fun to be there again.
But it simply wasn't to be. By the time the tenders opened, things had really closed in. We didn't want to get drenched or mooch about in the pouring rain, so we paid Justus a visit in the coffee shop, read our books and I did my knitting. We can't remember another port where it's rained so much we didn't even want to go out.
It was still raining as we sailed away, bound for Palma di Mallorca, where the forecast is better, I'm pleased to say. But at least it was clearer and we were able to catch a glimpse of what we missed.
The day didn't end there, however. We had a reservation in Chartreuse last evening and looked forward to a fine dinner in lovely surroundings. We weren't quite prepared for the loveliest of surprises however.
Last time we were on this ship, a few months ago, we enjoyed a great Connoisseur Wine lunch which I blogged about here. In that post, I described one of the dishes as one of legend and one of the first things we did on boarding the ship this time was to ask Chief Sommelier iKadek if he planned a similar event this time. Sadly not, for he was heading home and with so many ports in quick succession, his colleagues would be unlikely to have time to plan such an event. We shared our memories of that wonderful meal and thanked him for making it so special.
Well, this ship is staffed by some very special people indeed and what followed is another of those thoughtful kindnesses that we remember and appreciate hugely. When we sat down to dinner last evening, the Chef came over to explain that he had prepared that very Foie Gras Espuma specially for us. I have no idea who or how it was arranged, but maybe iKadek said something to Manuel who said something to Vlada, who spoke to the chef…? All I do know is how delighted we were and how we'll remember that extraordinary kindness.
