Hector's Vacation

This is the last post until we get back to England tomorrow as the internet will close soon.
Fear ye not as we will update with all that happens and include lots of the random photos from around Deauville that we took while we went out exploring.

Until then we leave you with this competition: Who can spot the four leaf clover??
Answers on the back of a postcard or in an email with a grid reference.
Best of luck.

After trying to get into the restaurant at the Trophie and discovering that it was full we headed back into town and chose to ask in at the Drakkar, as fitting in a two is often quite easy. They said we would have to wait ten minutes so we did outside, Dad was able to talk with a couple of the guy eating under the canopy for most of it.


As we were seated just inside by the back wall the complementary glasses of champagne were rolled out again- not something I remember from last year. Dad says that he has been sat in this very place many times over the years, and I remember from last year the very same seat when I ordered Chateaubriand, and was greatly disappointed at the time.



Tonight we were uninspired by the starters so went for the safe bet of Salad du chevre chaud et saumon fume and Soup au poisson- Dad once again loading the croutons with the garlic sauce so to overpower the beautiful flavour of the soup- but thats the way he likes it.

We chose to treat Hector this evening- he's got himself a Pina Colada on crushed ice.

For our main courses we took the safe option of ordering steaks, au poin. I recommended the entrecote after seeing the lady sat next to us at dinner the other night having it while I chose the Onglet with chalots and haricots verts. I've only recently been introduced to the world of onglet, and I still am not quite sure what it is but all I know is it tastes fantastic.


The last time I had it was also the first- Meeting up with friends, Matt, Ollie and Duncan at The Eagle, Farringdon, London to do some research for Duncan's dissertation about the evolution of "Gastro Pubs", The Eagle being the first of these. My onglet was perfectly cooked, and with such mouthwatering flavours transferred from the meat juices into the caramalised chalots- this was rivalling all the others for being the best meal of the holiday.

Lots of good racing on today, and with our access all areas passes we were able to explore all the niches that are so rarely seen by the public. I was quite fascinated by the weighing room where the jockeys must go after each race to ensure that they were carrying the right weight when they finished the race. In this oak clad room were many screens so that owners, trainers and jockey could all watch back the race and analyse the performance.

Many of the men in this room look a lot like the atypical race goer of old, long raincoat, flat hat, cigar in hand and binoculars around the neck. There is a great banter between the jockeys as they come in to be weighed and then change their colours ready for the next race- they do seem to have wonderful senses of humour whilst they remain highly competitive.

The weather today started off quite very wet and windy, after the horses made it past the winning post the terraces were abandonned with great haste as the corwds rushed into the stands and betting halls.



With it cold and damp outside we made a brief visit to the Salon Proprietaires and to the opportunity to ask the man in the white dinner jacket if he could make us a refreshing pot of tea and we helped ourselves to a few small cakes.



Dad had a small bet in the second race; after watching the horses walking round in the paddock he said No.2 was looking particularly well, remarkably so in fact- and as a shrewd judge of physique he was quite right- it turned out that the jockey riding it was one of his old favourites, A Badel, who is infact retired and only rides for his wife who trains several horses. Yesterday when we watched the racing his son rode as an apprentice for his mother and they also claimed victory then, so it was a successful weekend for the Badel family. Dad made back the money he had lost yesterday after a wayward tip so called it quits.

We wandered into the pre-parade ring to get an advanced look at the horses as they were saddled and before they went into the public ring; there we met David Powell again and several other of Dad's old pals. There were three big races on today and with an interest in the second and many of the big owners in racing putting forward enties the mood was livening up.

Patrick Barbe assured us that if the Aga Khan had turned up in person to watch his horse then it was beyond being a certainty, and with Frankie Dettori on board in the green and red colours we were inclined to believe this. He was, of course, spot on with his prediction. Frankie took the race quite beautifully and Dad was happy enough to have money on the second and third.

This race had been sponsored and so there was to be a presentation to the winning owners, trainer and jockey. A popular win, given the volume of the applause by the crowds. Click, flash, click, click went all the cameras around me so I joined the band waggon, and why not. It is certainly not everyday that we find ourselves in the paddock surrounded by such company. Henri Barbe ran up to Frankie after the ceremony to give him a good luck bracelet that he had made- the type we've all made out of different coloured threads, intricately weaved into patterns and then often given to friends.

With Hector kicking and screaming a fuss like I've never seen before I was under instruction to ask for a photo, but with the French racing channel interviewing him on his way to get changed there was not a chance. But, we did catch him on the way out of the changing room, and he was very obliging. Thats why everyone loves Frankie. He then went on to ride his second winner in the next race, in the blue colours of ***** and ever being the crowd pleaser did a trademark flying dismount in the winner's enclosure.


JH had a runner today so we joined him and Oscar to watch most of the races, on this occasion from right up on the roof with an unimpeded view of the race. Fortunately by this time the rains had eased and there were even moments of sunshine unlike the torrential dowpours during the first race that had the terraces empty within moments of the horses reaching the finish line. Bryan made the briefest of appearances for the 6th race in which one of his close friends had a runner, so they had flown over from Ireland to watch this race and then an hours polo before returning to their plane. The horse lead from the start and on a heavy track with only daylight to chase it tired and soon finished after the leading horses. Perhaps a disappointing run, but not given much of a chance by the ride.

Dad was insistent that the last two races were poor so left for the car- Hector and I paused briefly 'pour un cafe'- which really had the hairs on the back of our necks standing on end, MyOhMy they like their coffee strong. We then took a last tour of the stables, said goodbye to JH and Marilyn and I found Dad waiting for me in the car. He had chosen to leave just as the sun was finally coming out on the races. It really is such a beautiful track when the weather is nice.

To quote from anotherfoodblog.com :""This has to be the prettiest. It has a working harbour and fishing fleet, and a marina across a swing bridge. At one end is the old stone customs house, and around three sides of it, like a horseshoe are packed the tall narrow houses. Residential up top, with artists studios lower down, and finally restaurants and shops at street level. The restaurants overflow onto tables by the marina, nestling under colourful parasols."" I once wrote, its a mismatch of a fishing village built into the side of a steep hill.


At ground level are numerous 'a la carte' restaurants and bistros then above them are artists galeries and right up the top of these eight story houses are the private accomodation. The incredibly tall, narrow houses remind me so much of the streets that line the canals of Amsterdam. Each designed so differently with a varied decor to create, surprisingly, a very amenable picture in front of your eyes.
You might even see that in one of the photos as we are heading along one of the roads above the harbour there is a man holding up a painting in the street from his studio so that he can show some buyers what it looks like under natural light. To walk these streets is really quite a surreal experience. We went there on a day when the weather was poor yet even so parking was a lottery and the far too narrow pavements were spilling onto the main roads with tourists and locals alike. The beautiful churches and fascinating studios attract people from afar, many tour-buses deposit their groups in the centre and leave them to wander around for a whole day. In such hectic surroundings, as we ate our meal by the harbour it was remarkably peaceful even though there was a constant stream of people between our tables out under canvas and the restaurant built into the hillside at the very bottom of these towering houses.

We had a very quick lunch- crepes and then got an ice cream for the journey back.

Just beside the marina is this fabulously ornate carrousel, it is a traditionalists dream. All the figures are carved from wood, they rise up and down very slowly and some of the horses heads nod as the go merrily round. This carrousel has a second tier with smaller horses where it seemed the girls preferred to ride, perhaps so they could look down on their parents while their brothers sat in the spinning tea-cup. There are no racing cars with flashing lights, or airplanes seemingly taking off on this ride; no, in fact with the simplest white flashing lights and gentle country fete style music the carrousel was a very refreshing sight- so in keeping with a very tradional fishing village.
Hector was most excited at his opportunity to sit on a horse for the first time since getting here, especially after having to stay by my side while we watched the races. Petrand assured him that any of the French horses would love to make friends and treat him to a ride, so on this he picked out two. As you can see from his expression he really enjoyed himself, but was less than impressed by the carriage, even if it had the finest padded, leather seats.