The bright sun and clear skies hinted at a summer day. The cool, crisp air reminded us that snow could arrive at any moment. The contrast was striking and set the tone for adventures. We traveled to a small, old village near the water. Our first mission was to visit a shop keep about some spectacles. This is not the same shop keep as last week’s adventure. Today’s shop keep caters to those of a more artistic style. Tim go this last pair spectacles there and I was keen to see what options they had for me.
Alas, it was not to be. The shop keep is moving their location, and the shop was closed for the move. While frustrating that our primary task was a failure, we took comfort in the fact that there are several quaint shops in the village for us to explore. It also gave us the opportunity to stroll leisurely through the pathways and chase the pikmin we are always searching for. Pikmin hunting is not for the lazy as we must venture to find the pots they hide in. Then we must carry them around before they will grow from the pot. Planting flowers helps this process, but it still takes time. If you wish to help with the capture of pikmin, you can find all the information on the website.
Our first stop in the village was at Alice’s. Alice is a curious child with a rabbit that has trouble telling time. The rabbits issue aside, she has the most wonderful macarons and hosts a wonderful tea. I love visiting Alice, and we took some macarons for the road. Next door to Alice’s sweet and charming tea shop is her haunted book shop. A dark place that never fails to have interesting things locked away in the cabinet of banned books. A chill runs down my spine whenever we enter the place and I never know if it’s from the ghosts or the excitement.
By now our stomachs were empty, and getting cranky, so we made our way to one of the eateries. Unfortunately, the eatery was not open yet, so we stopped at another favorite shop nearby. The Cloak and Wand is aptly named. It has a wand selection that is rivaled by only Ollivander’s in London. They used to have a lovely dark arts section, but I think the creatures that perused that section got out of hand because it’s now holds gentler creatures. While the halfling had a discussion with the person in the fireplace, I looked through the books and other items available. I was tempted to order a potion to quell my stomach, but Random sent a message that the eatery was open.
The eatery is another of those contrasts that seemed to be the theme of the day. From the name, I would think it was an herb shop. There are roses strung across pink walls in different shades of white, red, and pink, giving the place a garden feel. It offsets the spice level of the Asian based dishes that are served. The halfling and I shared a bowl of soup that could easily feed three or four people. Grayson and Random ordered sushi, while Tim prefers the pad Thai. He orders it at a level 2 so I won’t pick from his plate.
After lunch we walked the rest of the village, passing a shop with gear for one’s familiar and few other things. In our travels, we tried to locate where the spectacles shop was moving to, but we could not find it. Maybe on our next visit, we will see where they went.