Honeymoon at Champs Le Sims - Part Three, The Nectary

"The brochure reads that this place," Ginny began, "is much bigger than it appears. That there are many 'delights' to be found inside. Hmmm, interesting."

As they waited for the keys to their scooters, they both read through the brochure.



This nectary has been in this area for close to two hundred years, it is a family run business, with casks of vintage nectar that ranges in price from a couple of hundred Simoleans, up to the thousands for the finest and most rare of nectars. The grapes are grown in the fenced in enclosure right next to the original farmhouse itself.



Anybody wishing to stay overnight, they're most welcome as there's always room for accommodation. Especially to those people who have imbibed a little too much from their nectar tasting sessions.




Be well aware that the nectar made here, is made exclusively for the connoisseur and is an 'acquired taste.'




We have a special area 'by invitation only' where you can to a round of nectar tasting, sampling our various nectars directly from the vats themselves.




The nectary itself boasts of a labyrinth of cellars delving deep underground,




which is ideal for the many distilleries both old and new that reside there. And a perfect environment for the vats and barrels of maturing nectars.


Grape pressing by the traditional method is still in use today. And for those of you adventurous enough, you can even have a go at pressing the grapes yourself. It is so much fun.


Rumours of a well, swimming with pink champagne are greatly exaggerated!!!!!




"Ohh, sounds intriguing, maybe we should take a peek at that, and maybe try a little nectar whilst we're at it."

It didn't take long to collect the keys to the scooters, although Ginny had some problems starting hers up. It coughed and spluttered and stalled a few times. So much so that Ambrose was already halfway to the Nectary by the time she'd set off.




Excited, Ambrose raced indoors and screeched to a halt as he marvelled at the rows upon rows of crates, all filled with various nectars, all labelled by their vintage and price..

"Oh," he enthused, "I really must grab a bottle of this stuff to take back home."

"Hi sweetie," Ginny said from behind him, "oohhh, just look at this place."



"I know. I'm going to buy a bottle or two, oh before I forget .... thank you."

He grabbed her in an embrace.

"Whatever for?"

"Picking this place for our honeymoon. How on earth did you guess?"

"Let's just say, I picked up on the few hints you dropped occasionally, oh and the brochures you conveniently left around the house."




They both chuckled.

Just then, a little old lady hobbled in.




"Bonjour mademoiselle."

Ginny's eyes brightened.

"Brosie?"

"Yeah?"

"You go choose a nectar, I'm just going to hang around here and see if I can get any local gossip going. Maybe some of the folks can give us some extra info. Maybe some place not on the tourist map?"

"Okay sweetie."

With that, he went over to the racks of bottles and glared hard.

what to pick, what to pick.... he mused, feeling completely over his head with the choice that was on offer. In the end, he chose a 20 yr old Pomegranate Cranerlet Nuala Grape nectar at a staggering 530 Simoleans. Much pricier than he'd anticipated.




"Oh," crooned a heavily accented voice behind him, "that's an excellent choice you made there monsieur."

"I... I did?"

"Ah oui. But perhaps you would like to join us for a wine tasting session downstairs in the cellar? We're trying out some new flavours and we'd like public opinion on them first before we release them in the general public."

"Ah, o - kaaay. But isn't that by invitation only?"

"Oh forgive me, I didn't introduce myself. I am Noelle Saint James."

"Saint James? As in ...."

"Ah oui, I am in partnership with my husband Elliot ... in our family business."

"Oh wow. Well, in that case, yeah, if you don't mind."

"But of course, I'll show you the way. Perhaps your lovely lady would like to join us too?"

Ambrose glanced over and saw that Ginny was completely enthralled by the tales of this old woman.

"Ah, I think she's a little busy at present. But you will let her know, won't you?"

"Of course, come this way."




Ginny, in the meantime, was indeed enthralled by Madame Claudine Girard. Lapping up the tall, and not so tall tales she was telling her. In a matter of minutes, Ginny had learned a local song, and the proper double air kiss greeting.




In fact, she was completely charmed by the whole culture and couldn't wait to tell Ambrose. Looking about, she noticed he was missing, and frowned.




"He is in the cellar," Noelle replied, "having a nectar tasting session with a few other tourists. Let me escort you down there. perhaps you'd like to try some yourself?"

What the heck, thought Ginny, why not?

"O-kay."

However, things weren't going so well for Ambrose. Not sure which ones to choose from, he'd picked a random bottle from the racks.






Pouring out a few glasses for other tourists who were arriving, he sat down and had a taste, but suddenly his stomach churned.




"Don't feel so good," he blurted out to another local, one Jolene Montaque, "I think that nectar's off. Taste's weird."

"Tastes fine to me," she replied, grabbing a glass, "you Sims aren't used to vintage like this. Try another."




"Um, I'd... better not...." he belched, feeling acid in his throat, "where's the nearest bathroom, I'm going to be sick."




Just then, Ginny arrived escorted by Noelle, and stopped dead when she saw Ambrose's pale sweaty face.

"You okay there sweetie?" she asked stepping forward.




"I'm *burp* fine," he replied, his voice a little wobbly, "just *burp* peachy. Oh by the way, your nectar is off."

"Mais non!" Noelle blanched, "it can't be. We spent thousands on it to perfect it."

She turned to Jolene.

"Which nectar did you offer him?"

"He picked it himself, from over there." she pointed to a shelf in the corner.

"Oh, non, non,"wailed Noelle, "he wasn't supposed to choose those ones.... they're a special blend, for my special clients!!"

Ginny frowned.




"Special... clients?"

"Ah oui, we have a really excellent client base of vampires who we cater too. And THAT stupid woman has offered your husband some apple plasma nectar."

"Um, plasma.???"

"Oui."

"... as in ... BLOOD?"

"I am so sorry."

Virginia turned to the unrepentant woman, holding the glass in her hand.




"You KNEW about this?"

"He chose the nectar himself. I didn't force him to drink it."

"I hope you're happy,"Ginny countered nastily, "you've made him ill. And possibly ruined our honeymoon in the process."



"Ooh, look, I'm married!!!" Ambrose blundered, obviously delirious after his encounter with plasma - and not feeling at all himself.

Jolene just shrugged her shoulders and walked off.

"I am sorry," Noelle replied sympathetically, "that's Jolene, she doesn't care much for tourists."



Ambrose gave out another belch, then headed straight for the bathroom behind him.

Honeymoon at Champs Le Sims - Part Two, Arrival

It was 8am when the taxi pulled up outside 111 West Southbank Boulevard and Ambrose and Ginny got out. With bated breath, Ginny waited for Brosie's reaction to her choice of venue.




He looked around and smiled.

"It's .... perfect!" he said beaming, "you can see the Eiffel Tower from here!"

Sure enough, peeking over the hills in a hazy shimmer, was the silvery grey spike of the tower itself.




Ginny hovered near to the noticeboard and cast a quick glance at the flyers all pinned there.



"Hmm, any idea where we should go first sweetie? There's a note here recommending a lot of places to visit. Want to try one out for good measure?"

"Just get our suitcases into our room and lead the way honey."

Ginny reeled off a few places of interest including the following:

Champs Le Sims Nectary
La Gallerie d'Art
The Catania Cafe
The Town Square
Rose Campground
Lake in the Hills
Forgotten Burial Ground
Eastern Hills Cemetery
Alexis Relics Shop
De Goncalves General Store
Chateau du Landgraab



"Hmm, we've only got a couple of days here," Ambrose said, rubbing his whiskered chin, "so we'd better make the most of it. The campground doesn't sound at all appealing. Besides, we've already got our accommodation right here. And we could pop into the shops and stores just before we go home ... for souvenirs. Plus, we can always come back, if we like it that much."

"So, what's it going to be?"

"The Nectary sounds like an interesting place to visit. So why don't we start there? Apparently it's got a great distillery, and some nectar tasting sessions too."



"Any idea how to get there?"

"Easy, let's hire a couple of scooters."

Honeymoon at Champs Le Sims - Part One, The Brochure

With the wedding over, there was only one more thing that would set this whole thing off....
... the icing on the cake so to speak.

And that was the Honeymoon.

Because the wedding had been set in the late afternoon, Ginny realised it wouldn't be feasible to book the travelling arrangements for the same day, as it would mean frantic packing, securing the house, tidying up after the party.

Oh and the fact that one never knew just how long these parties went on for. If it was a lousy one, a matter of a couple of hours, then it fizzled out. A really great party, and the guests would get to the point that they were having such a great time, that they didn't really want to leave.

They hadn't really planned any specific destination, although Ambrose did mention a couple of time that he really fancied a 'culture trip' to Champs Le Sims. Because he'd given Ginny free rein on how much money she spent on the wedding of her dreams, she thought it fitting that she give something back. And booked a couple of days away at Champs Le Sims.

Besides, it would also be a great conversation piece to brag to all the kids, once she reached the Teacher stage of the Education career.

She'd been looking through all manner of brochures, visiting travel agents on her days off, even surfing the 'net to find a perfect place. And finally found this gorgeous little bed & breakfast she'd fallen in love with.




Nestled in a lovely little hamlet that was easy to find and easy access to most of the amenities and shops, 111 West Southbank Boulevard boasted a turn of the century mock Tudor building.




With a spectacularly 'Olde Worlde' style communal sitting room, complete with a really impressive stone built rustic fireplace. Perfect for those long romantic evenings when the weather turns bad and there's nothing else to do.




Separate games room. Ideal for Ambrose, because of his passion for the noble game of chess.




Kitchen/dining area, great to grab a bite to eat and share adventure stories with other travelling Sims.




An ornamental gate led into a low maintenance enclosed garden. Great for security, plus it's ideal for kids to play in without any adult supervision.




The bedrooms on all levels, although sparsely furnished, all were complete with en suite bathrooms.




Ginny was mightily impressed with the overall floor layout, upstairs and down, that she booked immediately.




So, just before the sun started rising over the horizon (they had an early morning flight booked), Ginny made a quick call to check see if the taxi was on it's way.




Then, as soon as it pulled up, they both grabbed their suitcases and headed off to the airport, and Champs Le Sims. For a nice romantic, if not adventurous few days away.



It was an overnight flight, so they would arrive at their hotel, around about 8am, all refreshed and eager to start their adventures.