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Day 8

The morning after the night before

Well you would expect after a heavy night at the Casino we'd have a thumping hangover.  Sorry folks, no hangover but it was certainly an experience.

Having dressed in our finest outfits and bejeweled ourselves we set off last night for the twenty five minute walk down the hill to the Casino.  We had vision of James Bond, vodka martinni, handsome men in tuxedos and beautiful women in elegant Channel designer dresses.  

All went well.  The lights were on and a doorman was there to greet us smiling graciously as we approach the entrance.  Through the door and we were confronted with row upon row upon row of fruit machines, people who looked as if they'd just fallen out of bed and a misty fog from the frantic smoking of the gamblers at the start of the night.  Oh dear, where were the handsome men and beautiful women?  We were asked to go up the lift and we followed the elderly and infirm as they tottered into the metalic box.  Out we emerged to be greeted with glasses of 'sparkling wine' and even more people desperate for that final inhalation of toxic fumes.  

At this point we started chatting to a couple from Denmark.  Think Nordic viking about 7 ft tall and built to knock down any obstacle that they may encounter.  Actually this couple were quite a laugh and introduced us to the Danish art of clinking glasses and saying  'Scholl' every five minutes.  Glad they could speak English as my Danish is non existent.  The Head waiter assumed that we were all together and placed us as the end of a long table next to another couple from England who were the exact opposite.  Think John Major, grey accountant into orienteering and cruising.  

Yummy Pana cotta

Well, the canapes arrived.  Not very impressed, tortilla chips hard as nails, cheesy dumplings that were more like sponges and undescribable dips, think one was tuna.  For the main course, Pork stuffed with prunes, a potato stack and sliced green beans.  Quite pleasant and the meat tender enough for my poor old molars.  Pudding had to get the prize of the night with a Panna Cotta with passion fruit.  Very nice.  Full marks for that.  The wine and water was free flowing but we were walking the twenty five minutes back up hill, and me in heels, so we didn't go too over the top.

The entertainment/show for the evening was very good.  The Band played during our meal and a young, handsome guy sang some of the old ballads for the more ancient amongst us, (not me!).  Then the mainshow, and despite the audience being told that 'no photos to be taken due to copyright... etc. etc.' the iphone were out in abundance and snapping away.  Eddie thoroughly enjoyed this part of the evening with some very 'cheeky' girls although slightly lacking on the top half, apparently.  I was watching the pert bottoms of the young men, oh er, Mrs.  We bib farewell at the end of a very pleasant evening to our new Danish friends, who by now were 'plastered' big time.  But they were so funny and probably made the evening even more entertaining. 

Our overall experience of the Casino was good value for money.  We were very disappointed with the lack of finesse and the overall standard of dress but then we have probably watched too many movies and thought that Maderia was really Monte Carlo.  .