Life on the Road - I
Photo © A Garland
My last week has seen me on tour with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra hosting concerts.
460 miles in four days.
London - Portsmouth - Bristol - Exeter - Poole.
I wonder if it's a bit like what Taylor Swift's life is like .. Not sure what her rider is .. scented candles? Sliced lemons (this is a thing for one singer apparently.)? Kittens? Yellow M&Ms?
Anyway, my request is simple - a bottle of fizzy water.
Living out of a suitcase plus train travel for a few days was tiring but the concerts & audiences were so inspiring.
Home for one evening was here:
https://www.citygatehotel.com
A pub with really lovely rooms.
Our party of three arrived around just after 2200 & had booked a table for dinner at 2145.
Kitchen closed.
Chef gone.
Options?
Two sorts of Pickled Eggs
Scotch Eggs
Pickles
Nuts
None of it warm.
A question was asked to the friendly staff ..
"Would it be possible to order some takeaway food to be delivered here to the pub please?"
"Yes, of course." Came the answer.
However .. once our pizza arrived, (dirty with double anchovies, double cheese, extra garlic, ham, pepperoni etc ..there was even talk of pineapple which I immediately knocked on the head), I was informed by the bar manager that the delivered food should be consumed within our respective rooms. This hadn't been explained to us pre-ordering. The member of staff who'd said all would be fine stood next to her peer silently as he chastised me with one of those .. "Hey, on this occasion etc .. " I didn't drop his junior in it despite the fact that this person hadn't given us the full info about bringing outside food into the establishment.
Pizza was devoured together with some nice red wine. Good sleeps for all of us in very comforting bedrooms & then to breakfast ..
Oh, HELLO ..
Here we go.
Robert goes for Pancakes & Maple Syrup Bacon
Photo © A Garland
Another friend decides upon Crab Royale Eggs Florentine with extra oomph
Photo © A Garland
For myself, it's Soft Poached Eggs on Sourdough Toast with Crushed Avocado
Photo © A Garland
A good spread of pastries, juices etc ..
£15.00 all in which the three of us went for.
Hmmm.. Breakfast for Robert & I arrived fairly swiftly, but for the third member of our party, it was a different story. A 15 to 20 minute wait. Naturally, Robert & I waited until the third meal arrived despite our friend's protestations. Once everything was being tucked in to, all was very tasty & well presented. A little cold though.
The breakfast was removed from all of our final bills.
It's a place I would happily return to - mainly good service - very cosy rooms (free Port). It's just that ..
After a really long day travelling which also included working in the evening ..
Making a booking for a meal post-2100 which had been taken & accepted ..
Being told that the chef's gone home so no hot food available ..
An over-lengthy chastisement albeit done politely, about pizza delivery & eating it in the pub not rooms, I didn't need ..
I could've grassed on another staff member who didn't say that takeaway food shouldn’t be consumed in the pub ..
I didn't. The person knew it, too as they stood behind the bar silent as I was being 'told off' ..
Do you know what, it didn’t matter, the main thing was that Robert & I got a chance to catch up face to face. A chance to laugh, make plans, laugh some more, order food & wine .. & .. then ..
Laugh some more.
AMM
