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I trekked back to Beausoleil last night in search of food that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. After passing a couple of restaurants that I gave half a thought to (still pricy, but not standard Monte Carlo league), I came across this place.
Pork with black mushrooms, Cantonese rice and a can of cola lite all for E9.40. As Mr Bartley said when I mentioned it to him on a return stroll round the poker room, “that’s more like it”.
Indeed I returned this evening, stocking up on snacklets at the supermarket next door and treating myself to a dessert as well as a main course in the Vietnamese café. That shifted the bill up to E12.60. I also went for a bit of a walk round more of Beausoleil and spotted “The Priory”, a typically post-ironic name for an English bar abroad (remember Half Man Half Noodle in Hanoi?).
++++
What is it with hotel cleaners? Indeed, what is it with hotels? The first day I was here I dutifully made my way down to breakfast at 7.45, returning intermittently to my room to see when the cleaner came by. It turned out to be 2pm. OK, I said to myself, now we have some kind of timescale to work with.
Until this morning, when she decided to knock on the door at 8.45am. Needless to say I was still in bed, nay, asleep, and hadn’t bothered to put a “Ne pas deranger” sign on the outside because, well, the cleaner didn’t do the room until the afternoon, did she?
I assume that cleaners work to their own personal clock that we mere humans cannot hope to understand, and I’m happy to adapt to it, so long as it’s vaguely consistent. And I would have thought most customers were roughly the same. So why not get each room cleaned at, roughly, the same time, at least for the period that a single guest is staying there?
++++
I made my way down to the pool this morning, experiencing (since it is a bank holiday in most of mainland Europe today) the joy of “sunbed-shifting”. I parked myself on a sunbed that was actually a shade-bed – one that was part-protected from the morning sun by a pine tree. However, as the number of visitors grew, the more traditional sunseekers weren’t happy with the beds on this side of the pool, so they picked them up and moved them into the sun. Not long after, they were replaced with other beds by the pool staff. Many other beds were moved subtly and not-so-subtly by guests. And there was a rather attractive 40-something lady who decided to go topless. Which was nice.
After a while I noticed that most people seemed to be turning up with large brown beach towels to claim their bed. Eventually I looked round to see a place dispensing these. Had I broken some unwritten rule? Did I have to hire a beach towel in order to poach a sunbed? No-one bothered me for the two hours I lay there, reading my Neal Stephenson and listening to Sibelius, so I have no idea if I broke any rules or not. Perhaps I shall ask them tomorrow.
The poker plays down to 24 players tonight and then to eight tomorrow. Not many people whom I recognized in the final 78, although Annette Obrestad seemed to be continuing her relentless accumulation of chips. JJ Lieu was still around. Not sure about Phil Laak, although I saw him do a bit of an angle-shoot last night. I also note the absence of Jennifer Tilly, so either she’s working, or didn’t fancy a trip to Europe.
The Austrian restaurateur (Adrian Schaap) on my table yesterday, who doubled up with 55 v AK from 11,000 chips, was still there last night with 260,000, which just goes to show what might have been for Birks ... sigh. Turns out he has some tournament form ($25K in prize money), which gives me renewed confidence. But who knows how many tournaments he has entered?
The American against whom he doubled up (pictured) was also still around, as was one of the young Germans (who has a twin brother who also plays).
***UPATE. The American youngster is Joe Ebanks, who won the San Remo E1000 event for E77,000. A bit of previous tourney form ($60k or thereabouts, but probably mainly an online player. Clearly also an SF fan as a child, being one of many to use the moniker "Ender". In this case, Ender555.
Also a picture of a typical car beneath my balcony. Aston Martin spots, 5; Rolls Royce, 2; Bentley, 5 (one convertible, parked outside now). Mercedes, countless, although the SAMFGs are fewer and more notable. CL350 SAMFG was particularly attractive. A few BMW 645Convertibles. Many many Ferraris and a few Lamborghinis and Maseratis. Not many Porsches. Have to assume that they are now considered rather tatty.
Pork with black mushrooms, Cantonese rice and a can of cola lite all for E9.40. As Mr Bartley said when I mentioned it to him on a return stroll round the poker room, “that’s more like it”.
Indeed I returned this evening, stocking up on snacklets at the supermarket next door and treating myself to a dessert as well as a main course in the Vietnamese café. That shifted the bill up to E12.60. I also went for a bit of a walk round more of Beausoleil and spotted “The Priory”, a typically post-ironic name for an English bar abroad (remember Half Man Half Noodle in Hanoi?).
++++
What is it with hotel cleaners? Indeed, what is it with hotels? The first day I was here I dutifully made my way down to breakfast at 7.45, returning intermittently to my room to see when the cleaner came by. It turned out to be 2pm. OK, I said to myself, now we have some kind of timescale to work with.
Until this morning, when she decided to knock on the door at 8.45am. Needless to say I was still in bed, nay, asleep, and hadn’t bothered to put a “Ne pas deranger” sign on the outside because, well, the cleaner didn’t do the room until the afternoon, did she?
I assume that cleaners work to their own personal clock that we mere humans cannot hope to understand, and I’m happy to adapt to it, so long as it’s vaguely consistent. And I would have thought most customers were roughly the same. So why not get each room cleaned at, roughly, the same time, at least for the period that a single guest is staying there?
++++
I made my way down to the pool this morning, experiencing (since it is a bank holiday in most of mainland Europe today) the joy of “sunbed-shifting”. I parked myself on a sunbed that was actually a shade-bed – one that was part-protected from the morning sun by a pine tree. However, as the number of visitors grew, the more traditional sunseekers weren’t happy with the beds on this side of the pool, so they picked them up and moved them into the sun. Not long after, they were replaced with other beds by the pool staff. Many other beds were moved subtly and not-so-subtly by guests. And there was a rather attractive 40-something lady who decided to go topless. Which was nice.
After a while I noticed that most people seemed to be turning up with large brown beach towels to claim their bed. Eventually I looked round to see a place dispensing these. Had I broken some unwritten rule? Did I have to hire a beach towel in order to poach a sunbed? No-one bothered me for the two hours I lay there, reading my Neal Stephenson and listening to Sibelius, so I have no idea if I broke any rules or not. Perhaps I shall ask them tomorrow.
The poker plays down to 24 players tonight and then to eight tomorrow. Not many people whom I recognized in the final 78, although Annette Obrestad seemed to be continuing her relentless accumulation of chips. JJ Lieu was still around. Not sure about Phil Laak, although I saw him do a bit of an angle-shoot last night. I also note the absence of Jennifer Tilly, so either she’s working, or didn’t fancy a trip to Europe.
The Austrian restaurateur (Adrian Schaap) on my table yesterday, who doubled up with 55 v AK from 11,000 chips, was still there last night with 260,000, which just goes to show what might have been for Birks ... sigh. Turns out he has some tournament form ($25K in prize money), which gives me renewed confidence. But who knows how many tournaments he has entered?
The American against whom he doubled up (pictured) was also still around, as was one of the young Germans (who has a twin brother who also plays).
***UPATE. The American youngster is Joe Ebanks, who won the San Remo E1000 event for E77,000. A bit of previous tourney form ($60k or thereabouts, but probably mainly an online player. Clearly also an SF fan as a child, being one of many to use the moniker "Ender". In this case, Ender555.
Also a picture of a typical car beneath my balcony. Aston Martin spots, 5; Rolls Royce, 2; Bentley, 5 (one convertible, parked outside now). Mercedes, countless, although the SAMFGs are fewer and more notable. CL350 SAMFG was particularly attractive. A few BMW 645Convertibles. Many many Ferraris and a few Lamborghinis and Maseratis. Not many Porsches. Have to assume that they are now considered rather tatty.
