Orleans Travel Articles & Travelogues

FRANCE TRAVEL ARTICLES

ORLEANS September 2002

We arrived before 3pm and found a nice hotel, Les Cedres, in the same street as the Hotel Ibis, which was full. It was still a beautiful day and quite warm now that we were away from the coast.

It didn’t take long to walk to the city centre, where we saw the famous equestrian statue of Joan of Arc. Then we went to look around the cathedral, after spending a few minutes in the pretty town hall gardens. Naturally before long, we were looking at restaurant menus as we wandered down the Rue Bourgogne. Then we walked along the main shopping street, Rue Jeanne d’Arc – well, she was the Maid of Orleans, wasn’t she? Before returning to the hotel, we stopped in Place du Martroi for a Hoegaarden.

We went out again at about 7.15pm, intending to eat at la Dariole. We were lucky enough to arrive there just in time to get the only table not already booked. After having a blackberry kir, we were given an amuse bouche of mushroom and bacon soup served in a miniature tureen. Norman started with smoked haddock and mackerel purée, served with salad, whilst I had rabbit terrine with cream cheese, apple purée, salad and small gherkins. Next I had fillet of gilt-head sea bream with mussels and vegetables, served in a cream sauce. Norman had steak with sliced, fried potatoes. The cheese course was a very good creamy chèvre served with a green salad. The bread was good too. I finished with crème brûlée, blackcurrant sorbet with mint and biscuit, while Norman enjoyed fresh peaches with red currant and honey sorbet and mint. With a large Bâdoit and coffees, served with chocolate coated nut brittle, the meal cost 62.50€. An amazing price considering that VAT in France is 19.6% and service at 15% is also included!

After eating, we walked past the illuminated cathedral, along Rue Jeanne d’Arc, up Rue de la République to Place d’Arc and back to the hotel at around 10.15pm. Somewhere along the way over the last two days, I must have been attacked by a particularly vicious mosquito. The next morning I had over a dozen nasty bites on my hands, arms and back.