Freedoming – Bebo Cafe In Hertford
I had gone to Hertford East station to take a few photographs of the West Anglia Main Line on the way and check a few things.
Finding myself in a town, I only knew vaguely, I walked towards the centre and found the Bebo Cafe.
It describes itself as a Gourmet Cafe and Coffee … on its incomplete web site.
I think it fills that bill.
Especially, as the very nice sandwich I had, was made on gluten-free bread.
I shall return!
Dalston Goes French
I know that De Beauvoir Town, where I live, is next to Dalston’s Kingsland Road, which is the local High Street, but surely for the local Marks and Spencer to sell sandwiches labelled in French is going a bit far.
What would the Rees-Moggies say of this?
Why Don’t Cafes Provide More Charging USB Points?
Surely, if someone had a flat phone, thry’d stay longer?
I would design a system, so that each USB port could provide so many milli-amps. I’d then adjust the limit, to get the most profit!
My First Chicken Nuggets
I am seventy and I’d never eaten chicken nuggets, until yesterday.
They didn’t really exist before I was diagnosed as a coeliac twenty years ago and I would now never buy anything like that from a fast-food shop, as I don’t want to be glutened.
However, yesterday, I received an e-mail from Leon to say they had finally cracked gl;uten-free chicken nuggets.
So I just had to go and try a few.
They were delicious!
Free Water At Ipswich Station
I hope this is the shape of things to come.
Greater Anglia give more details on this page on their web site.
Serial Cooking – Goat’s Cheese, Strawberry And Basil Salad
I found this unusual salad in a book called The Salad Bowl by Nicola Graimes.
Don’t go easy on the pepper!
The Last Leg Across Paris
I had arranged that I would take the 18:43 Eurostar back to England, so that gave me time for lunch in Paris.
I always eat in Cafe Breizh, when changing between Gare du Lyon and Gare du Nord, as it’s conveniently on the Metro from both stations.
It is a high-class Breton Creperie, which is gluten free and also has a nice line of ciders.
The only problem, is that at times you have to queue.
I took these pictures on the Metro.
Note.
- The unusual half-height platform edge doors on Line 1.
- Paris Zoo does nights, like London.
- It did appear that Bastille station had been spruced up.
For Cafe Breizh, I went to Saint-Sébastien – Froissart station.
Returning to the station after an excellent meal, I came across this shop.
I would have investigated further, but they were very busy.
Exploring Aosta
The city of Aosta is a short walk up the hill from Aosta Railway station.
It is a typical up-market resort with good shops, cafes and restaurants.
My lunch was a local speciality of beef, red wine and polenta. It didn’t look that appetising, but it tasted excellent. And of course it was gluten-free.
Eating In Novara
Novara is a town with not too many restaurants, so I followed the advice I gave in Dr. Chris Steele, where I said this.
As to eating out, Dr. Steele should try Italy. Just say you are a coeliachai and you get gluten-free pasta in many restaurants. We should follow the Italians and treat the disease very seriously, as how much does the misdiagnosis cost the NHS.
I just chose a busy restaurant, said the magic word and had an excellent meal of grilled fish and vegetables.
What did surprise me was that despite Novara being in the middle of Italy’s rice-growing area, I wasn’t offered risotto.
In Bruges
I thought that I was passing the city, I should take a pit-stop in Bruges, with perhaps a gluten-free breakfast.
If you go to most cities in Germany, there is always a handy tourist office at the station.
As I didn’t know the city, I needed information on how to get from the station to the centre, which was a twenty minute walk.
If it hadn’t been for a helpful local man, who spoke impeccable English, I wouldn’t have found out that the buses were convenient, but you had to buy the tickets from the paper shop inside the station.
In addition, there wasn’t any visible staff at the station.
How tourist-friendly is that for a welcome to one of the most important sites in Belgium?
My gluten-free breakfast wasn’t very good either!
It came with ordinary bread and only the tea was good.
My argument is that if you advertise gluten-free, then make sure you can do it properly.
Finding a bus back to the station wasn’t easy to cap it all.
Conclusion
Don’t expect to turn up in Bruges on a train and spend a pleasant hour or two before moving on.
Unlike many cities in The Netherlands, Germany and Italy, the information lets you down.
The Anonymous Widower 