FrenchPressJourneys: Get Out of Town, Lady

So comfortable for me just to hang around the village, do my daily routine, and not really go anywhere except to the grocery store. As my departure time nears, people ask what are your plans for the rest of your stay. Plans? I am supposed to have plans? I spent all summer avoiding over planning, trying to live in the moment, and enjoy whatever came my way. Slowly a whisper of a desire creeps in. An adventure? Maybe an adventure? A little trip to an unknown village on top of a hill. Lunch at a cafe where nobody knows my name. Castelnaud de Gratecamb, situated approximately 9 km from Monflanquin, a classified "Most Beautiful Village in France", population 516. I research how to get there in my little car. It seems manageable. Cafe Cambe in the village is highly rated plus as a bonus it sits atop a hill. I call to reserve a table with a view. As usual, I get just a little bit lost on my way to the village and can't find the cafe upon arrival. Luckily, there is a very pregnant woman walking slowly on one of the main streets. I roll down my window to ask directions to the cafe. It is just straight ahead around a corner. Plenty of parking in front of the cafe. Victory!

Once inside, the hostess seats me at a table with a lovely view. She pulls up the traditional slate board with today's fixed lunch menu. For 17 euros, I am entitled to three courses. The starter salad with home made croutons, vegetable sticks, and bits of sausage reminds me of something I myself might throw together for lunch. Then comes my main course: bite size chunks of chicken sitting atop a bed of delicious buttery tagliatelle in a creamy sauce. This reminds me of a dish grandma might serve. As for dessert, it's fruit in a creamy yogurt. I look around to see every table filled. We are all eating the same thing though some ordered beer or wine to drink. Colleagues from work laugh and chat together. The atmosphere feels friendly and communal. I decided to pretend I am a restaurant critic who needs to snap many pictures and take notes. Two servers work the crowded room. Consequently, service is slow, but nobody seems to mind. I busy myself between courses by doing my word puzzles, a fun way to pass the time.

It feels both delightful and strange to sit in Cafe Cambe. Nobody knows me. What a pleasure to hear only French! Americans escaping you know who and the usual English holiday makers are changing the nature of Monflanquin, but that's a topic for another post. Below are my pictures taken as my lunch critic persona.