L'Estaminet, Johannes Geworkian Hellman+2 Swedes

We had the pleasure being visited by Johannes Geworkian Hellman, our 'hurdy gurdy' ('vielle'/'vevlira')-playing friend from Sweden (the 14th and 15th of April).

My mother-in-law and I met him at Châteauroux train station at 6 pm and from their we drove him to La Châtre, passing by Maison de George Sand à Nohant and Château d'Ars.
The latter not least interesting since Johannes for a long time has nourished a dream to visit Rencontres Internationales des Luthiers et Maîtres Sonneurs, the last three years being held in Château d'Ars, earlier St Chartier.

When coming to La Châtre we helped Johannes install himself in one of my mother-in-laws chambre d'hôtes (B&B:s) and thereafter we guided him very quickly throw the town, ending the day by dining at the restaurant L'Estaminet.

When entering the restaurant, our family doctor (Aurore's and mine) was there with his Swedish wife and friends. This was probably the first time that L'Estaminet was visited by three Swedes at the same time, including a fluently Swedish-speaking French woman (Aurore) and a not so fluently Swedish-speaking French man (our doctor).
"This is not good for our statistics!" the owners said, jokingly.
Our doctor treated us the apèritif, kindly enough!

A nice evening before we went home to us, Aurore and I and Johannes to his apartment.

Above we can see the interior of L'Estaminet and below, Johannes the day after when eating his breakfast with us. To be continued...

(Photo L'Estaminet taken from: http://tellmewhere.us/media/f/83AC4044-CAA4-4F9E-BB14-67EA69F721E0.jpeg)

Restaurant de Château, Sarzay

Today we ate with my parents-in-law and our friend Alain at Restaurant du Château, Sarzay.
In the photo we can see the castle and we have eaten at the neighbouring restaurant (around the corner) several times - the first time at the after-celebration in connection with our wedding - but this was, for me (Gunnar), the première at - what is called - 'The Castle restaurant'.

(Photo taken from: http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/22187693.jpg)

A beer at Duplex

When meeting Aurore after work today, we decided to take a beer on the restaurant Duplex in La Châtre.
This because it was a lovely day and because we were worth it!
At Duplex we met Marie - who works there and a woman Aurore has known for many years.
She is a cultural, well-read and humurous person .
More uncommon for a French woman (or man) - is that she loves the Swedish dish Surströmming, in English known as fermented Herring or fermented Baltic Herring (French: petit 'hareng [de la Baltique] fermenté).
Aurore likes it and we ate it in 2009 but before that I haven't eaten it since 1969!
There are not many foreigner - or Swedes - who like this dish as the odour is quite intensive - it smells corpse!
We had a nice chat with Marie - as always - and we've decided to meet for a barbecue later on this spring, not eating surströmming however.

(Photo copyright: http://hogtider.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/surstromming.jpg)

(Photo copyright: http://www.vk.se/uploaded/image/2009/4/20/surstromming_klamma.jpg)

Le Berry Club de Musique

We were invited to dine with our friends Philippe and Catherine and after the dinner they took us to Crevant and the restaurant Chêne Vert where they once a month have a music club with amateurs singing and playing different kinds of music.
At the restaurant I (Gunnar) met a couple of English friends with whome I meet regularly in a conversation course (french) I'm following in La Châtre.
One of them played and sang this evening.
Aurore met a woman she knew from her adolescence in high school, now working as a teacher in Châteauroux.
I can understand that this has become a very popular event as it reminds somewhat of an English PUB with beer, music, smoking (unfortunately), laughter (well laughter is not specifically British but...) and a nice atmosphere.
There is also a mixture of people from Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and other countries.
This evening/night even from Sweden.


(Photo Chêne Vert copied from: http://www.orsennes-chambres.fr/cdm/Images/CheneVert/CheneVert1.jpg)

The sixth barrel

Again we visited the Sixth Barrel (Sjätte tunnan) in the Old Town, a restaurant I can recommend for those of you interested in real medieval ambience combined with good food.
The food is also of medieval character of course.

There are at least on vegetarian alternative.

We enjoyed the evening very much, Aurore and I!

Medieval music both live and through speaker units.

(Photo from the entrance and bar copied from: http://whatsupsthlm.se/images/content/blog/12/fotobloggen_20091029040036.jpg)
(Photo tables and wall with painting copied from: http://content.expressen.se/blog/51/49/62/tuff-tuff/images/bild1_72ppi.jpg)
(Photo table against the inner part of the restaurant copied dfrom: http://whatsupsthlm.se/images/content/location/1130/sjatte_tunnan%286%29.jpg)

Sjätte Tunnan

We ate at our favourite medieval restaurant (the only one in Stockholm as far as we know) and were pleased to listen to Johannes Hellman who played the hurdy gurdy (vielle/vevlira).

He was even familiar with the folk music festival in St Chartier.

I (Aurore) was really proud to be berrichonne this evening...

I (Gunnar) was also proud being married to a berrichonne but on the other hand, that often happens!

Johannes played very well and he told us that his teacher often plays the hurdy gurdy at this medieval restaurant.

He also told us that he was one out of only five 'lira'-players in Sweden and he was the only(?) or one out of two 'semi-professional' player(s) in the country.

He was now going to continue studying music and particularly the hurdy gurdy but he also playes other instruments, the flute e.g.

Herman's Vegetarian Restaurant

Svenska (English below):

Idag arbetar Aurore endast halv dag och vi möts i city för att därefter ta bussen till Herman's vegetariska restaurang.
Där äter vi en lunch för en gångs skull. Det är inte ofta vi äter lunch tillsammans på stan.
Aurore har endast en timmes ledighet mellan sina två arbeten och det tar henne en halvtimme att ta sig in till stan från den ena arbetsplatsen.
Vi åt oss i alla fall proppmätta och jag tog även en dessert bestående av en ananaskaka.
Efter denna lunch var vi mätta under resten av dagen, vilket gjorde att vi inte kände behov av middag.
Man renoverar just nu Herman´s veranda och utedel och det blir säkert mycket trevligt när det är klart.
Kanske den restaurang som har den bästa utsikten i Stockholm?

English:

Today Aurore only works half day again and we meet in city where we take the bus to Herman´s vegetarian restaurant.
We there ate a lunch for once. It's not often we have had lunch at a restaurant together.
Aurore only has an hour free between her two workplaces and it takes her half an hour to go from one to another, the former outside city and the latter in city.
Last time we had lunch was with Hervé, Aurore's cousin, when he visited Stockholm 17-22 of January.
We ate until we were totally full and satisfied and I even took a dessert: Pneapple cake.
After this lunch we were satisfied the rest of the day and therefore didn't have to have dinner.
They are now renovating the veranda at Herman´s and it will be very nice when finished. Maybe this is the restaurant with the best view in Stockholm?

Valentine Day!!

Svenska (English below):

Valentinedagen (Alla Hjärtans Dag)!

Aurore och jag sätter oss först på Filminstitutets bibliotek (Filmhuset) vilket inte kan sägas vara särdeles romantiskt men nödvändigt.

Vi beger oss efter förrättat värv till café Oscar på Narvavägen där vi dricker kaffe och mumsar i oss sötsaker - mums, mums!!

Klockan 19.00 har vi beställt bord på restaurang Kharazmi, Dalagatan 44, en persisk restaurang, något som inte är särskilt lätt att finna i Stockholm.

Vi talade med den iranske innehavaren av café Östermalm på Styrmansgatan och han rekommenderade en restaurang i Kista gallerian samt en i Akalla. Kharazmi hittade dock Aurore - så klart!

Vi äter bra om än i 80-tals anda - La Nouvelle Cuisine! Alltså inte överfulla tallrikar, utan sparsmakat men gott!

Jag fick också möjlighet säga några få ord på farsi/persiska, de ord jag fortfarande erinrar mig från den tid då jag på 80-talet hade en iransk flickvän.

Vi får vår romantiska kväll trots att dagen började vid det allra minst romantiska stenökenpalatset på Gärdet.

Kärlek, Love, Amour till er alla!

English:

Valentine Day!

Unfortunately it has to begin at the Swedish Filminstitute and its Library but after this and some errands we visit café Oscar on Narvavägen for coffee and some 'pastries' - yum, yum!

At seven PM we have ordered a table at restaurant Kharazmi, a Iranian/Persian restaurant at Dalagatan 44. It's not so easy to find Persian restaurants in Stockholm, mind you.

When we asked the proprietor of café Östermalm, Styrmansgatan, he suggested two restaurants in two of our suburbs, far from the center of town.

Aurore found this one herself - of course!

We enjoyed our romantic Valentine dinner even though this restaurant served something reminding of 'La Nouvelle Cuisine', that is to say, sparsely filled plates.
We appreciated the cooking though.

The visit at Kharazmi also gave me a chance to say a few words in farsi/Persian - as much as I today remember from the days in the eighties when I had a Persian girlfriend.

'Kärlek', Love and Amour to you all!

(Photo rose copied from: http://www.digitalphoto.pl/foto_galeria/3802_2008-0144.jpg)

(Photo restaurang Kharazmi kopierat från: http://www.kharazmi.se/img/bilder/catering/buffee_litenbuffee.jpg)