We awoke to the sound of rain bouncing on our deck. Auggh! More rain. I bundled up, grabbed my umbrella, and we headed for the peer. We took a little ferry boat from the port to the city of Toulon.
We wandered over to the Provence Market that filled the centre of Townsend weaves along the town’s narrow streets. I found a lovely woman who made her own pate and selected a sampler and some olives. We bought a baguette at the Patisserier and wandered through town to the Place Victor Hugo at the Opera House and later visited the Musee de la Marine housed in an ornate Baroque building. David was excited to see the models of the navel ships which in some cases 20 feet long (a scale of 1:10).
We later found a a table at a seaside restaurant just as the sun came out. I had the Salade Nicoise and David had the Salade Berger. He moaned at the first bite and declared, “The Spanish are ultra stylish and look beautiful, but the food not so much; whereas the French may look kind of funny, but their food is stylish and beautiful!” Amen.
This was the first Salade Nicoise I’ve had in France and it is nothing like what I am accustomed to in Vancouver — grilled Ahi tina, crisp haricot vert, baby nugget potatoes, anchovies, and black olives. This Toulon salad had corn — corn! There was also red peppers, tomatoes, and canned tuna, all on a bed of lettuce, accented by spears of endive. Well, that’s different. I’ll to try it at another French restaurant.
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