Relax then Rave

According to the original itinerary, the group was supposed to travel on the TGV, France’s high speed train. But, as is common in France, the transit workers had announced a strike the day before. So instead, we woke up much earlier than planned and braced ourselves for a nine hour bus ride into the Loire Valley. The unexpected travel time was certainly long and tedious, but we were all able to catch up on some much needed sleep. And as Mrs. Campbell noted, we were afforded a beautiful view of the French countryside that we wouldn’t have been able to observe on the TGV: the scenery would have been nothing but a blur! (She always seems to find the silver lining in a difficult moment.) Even so, I have to admit that I did not see very much of it.

We arrived at our hotel in Ambois and were given some time to freshen up before dinner. Out of the many experiences I had during the last CCVA tour of France, this evening’s meal was one of my favorites. You may be wondering what is so special about a group dinner, but this was no ordinary experience.

The restaurant itself is inside of a cave, and the establishment does nothing to disguise its location and does its best to highlight the ambiance.

The ceilings and walls are rock and it is cold and slightly damp, but the staff there creates such a warm and welcoming atmosphere that you quickly forget that you are eating underground.

The best kept secret of this small restaurant, however, is its discothèque. None of us had known about it the last time we ate there, and we were shocked when a door on the back wall of restaurant opened into a dancehall complete with disco balls and strobe lights.

I rode the bus to the dinner hoping that my fellow travelers would have the same wonderful experience I had five years ago. The food, especially the bread that they make fresh in their brick ovens, was fabulous. And as I hoped, the owner opened the discothèque to us again!

It was a good thing we had gotten plenty of rest on the bus, because we all got a serious workout, dancing for about an hour. It was so nice just to spend time with everyone on the trip and have fun. Definitely worth the long travel day!