Whether he knew it or not, by saying yes to the breakfast waitress’s question if we planned on dinner in the Abbey, it meant Teko and I were going to have our first special – meaning, extravagant – dinner on this French adventure. In the past week, we usually did dinner on the fly, at a creperie or cafe, mainly because all our hotels so far didn’t have in-house restaurants that at the end of a long tourist day we could fall back on. This time around at the Abbey was different. Despite its origins it’s very much conventional in the hotel sense, and after he said yes, it was both a pleasant surprise and something I looked forward to to end our rather uneventful day.

The Abbey already came into my radar after searching for a dinner spot the night before when we were staying at Château de la Barben, because like many things lacking, it also does NOT have a restaurant. Last night however I felt then, and even now to be honest, that it wouldn’t make Teko happy as much as a trip to the Golden Arches or Carrefour, and so didn’t bring it up. He surely agreed to it now because he knew I would likely enjoy it and he’s absolutely right. Ten years together tends to have that effect. So on the 8th night of our two week driving tour, I got to sit down to a very nice meal at a very nice corner table in a very nice restaurant, had a very nice aperitif, foie gras, and fish, capped off by a very nice dessert. When the very nice bill came, it was all I could do to not feel guilty about the entire production, and even though I no longer look out for pretty-looking food, experiencing such things every now and then, when done in calculated moderation, can be truly satisfying. The guilt, even now however, still needs mastering. Maybe no very nice dessert the next time.