Having previously admitted as to how hard we're finding the decision making process this trip, we debated for a while on Sunday and decided to go back to Toppers for dinner. It was a good choice.....the brisket was good and while I questioned the 'mashed potatoes and gravy' sides, it really was all good - a taste of each and we downed those whiskey carrots which are excellent.
We spent Monday lazing around the pool again - as much as I know better than to let this happen, I managed to let myself get fried on Sunday and decided I needed to cool it for a bit. Fried - that is - as in too much sun and not the other definition one might give to the term. I used a number 50 good lotion on my face and wore a hat most of the day but still I'm as red-faced as a well steamed lobster ....so let this be a warning - you just can't use too much protection in the hot Caribbean sun.
We ended up playing Bingo with many of the other guests on Monday afternoon - we didn't win (which has been the story of this trip so far....) but it was all fun, and then we had to do the decision thing again......
Where to go for dinner and since we only have two uncommitted dinners left for this trip we wanted to make a good choice. Moulin Fou it was and a very good choice it was, too, although I personally preferred the ambiance of the place when they were at Porto Cupecoy. But the food is/was awesome in either location...
Since Cheris was up and running with their music playing fell bore, we opted for dining inside and I'm so glad we did. As we were being seated I glanced at one of the other occupied tables and thought I recognized someone I knew but couldn't quite make the connection.
It took a while but it finally came to me - I met this couple almost four years ago on the island - friends of friends and mutual friends and all that good stuff - we had enjoyed an evening at one of the Buccaneer Beach Bar gatherings and were introduced there and later in the week we did a joint family dinner at Poulet d'Orleans where we dined on their porch and got to know each other a bit more. And the last time we saw this couple we met them at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station in NYC after a day touring the city at the direction of another TTOLer and native New Yorker. Barbara, if you're reading this does it ring any bells for you? You just never know who you're apt to bump into in St. Maarten, do you?
Anyhow, we had a lovely dinner at Moulin Fou - John had the surf and turf (filet mignon w/sea scallops) perfectly done and beautifully presented, and I had the lamb filet with goat cheese and mushrooms wrapped and baked in a phylo dough crust. It was yummy and to make it even better, I finally remembered to use my Privilige card. I've had the card in my wallet the entire trip and this was the first time over almost two weeks of meals out and about on both sides of the island I remembered to ask about it. They were very gracious and in the end we saved almost $20.00 on our dinner tab.
If only we'd remembered to use it earlier but particularly if we'd used it on the French side...
Which brings me to another thought - for all who choose to dine on the French side, yikes!! We were somewhere and decided to order just drinks. Two pina coladas came to $16.00 - a little on the high side but not by much when you considered the setting. When J went to pay the bill, they converted the two pcs price into Euros - yes, we paid in cash and no, we didn't use our credit cards - $21.00 US dollars for two pcs?!! Yikes and yikes again!!.... and they weren't even served in the big tall glasses with lots of fruit making them look as pretty as they tasted good, so from now on, if we're drinking, we're doing it on the Dutch side of the island, for sure.
As I sit here and contemplate the last twenty-four hours or so, it brings to mind that our trip is fast coming to an close.....and it's been a very different trip this year with the three-day Monday to Wednesday island holiday. But it's been all good and I've enjoyed every moment to this point......
And lest I forget, at 2:55 am this morning, we were awoken from our slumber to the feel of the headboard on our bed shaking and hitting the wall behind it.....at first I thought J was having a bad dream and he had the same thought for me. It wasn't major or earth shattering, and over the years I've come to know these earthquakes are very common throughout this part of the Caribbean, but it's the very first time we ever experienced one while we were on island. And if I were to try to compare its magnitude to anything else I'd suggest it reminded me of when we'd fall asleep and one or the other (sometimes both...) of our full sized collies would jump onto the bed with us and develop an itch. They'd scratch so hard that for the moment the bed would shake enough to wake me and then I'd order them both out of the bed, only to do it all over again when the moment struck them. Anyhow, it happened, we felt it and now I've got something else to add to my list of 'firsts' for this trip. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />
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