How to have a fantastic Valentine's Day lunch in 8 easy (?) steps

1. Drive 15 kilometres on windy, snowy mountain roads from Gap to Rabou, a little village of about 75 people.

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2. Park the car next to the tiny town hall and look for the trailhead sign. Wonder if the 20 minutes walking time to the auberge was estimated in summer or winter.


(Those tracks? They're from the inn's owners' 4x4. This is the only road in, mes amis !)

3. Start the trek, armed with one ski pole each (better than nothing, non ?)

 

(See that cabin in the background? It's coming up, about 10 minutes down the path...)

4. Stop along the way for some icicle fun.





5. Slip and slide downhill to the half-way point, the stone bridge and little cabin.

 

 

6. Catch breath. Then start walking uphill... and up and up and up, until voilà !

 

 

You have arrived at the Auberge de Moissière, which dates back to the 12th century (!!!) and features an inn with room for 14 guests and a restaurant.

7. Proceed to spend the next three hours eating the most amazing lunch of all time. I didn't want to single myself out as the tourist by taking photos of my plate, but it was simply incredible:

apéritif cocktail
+
amuse-bouche (basically a pre-appetizer appetizer)
+
appetizer
+
main dish
+
half a bottle of wine
+
cheese plate
+
dessert (OK, three mini desserts!)
+
coffee
+
digestif (a shot of strong alcohol to help you digest)
=
three hours à table
=
one amazing Valentine's Day date!

You can see all the pictures of the day here, and visit the Auberge de Moissière's site here.

(And if you come visit me, I might just take you there for lunch!)

P.S. No, I didn't forget Step 8: Hike out back to civilization. And yes, the path did seem a tad bit slippier after the apéritif, wine, and digestif. Just in case you were wondering.