French wine and Belgium chocolates
Trip Start
Aug 23, 1996
1
144
559
Trip End
Ongoing
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Rouen, France
Sunday, November 21, 2004
The train trip across, is quite unspectacular. I have always believed that they made a few errors when they opened the tunnel. Maybe incorporated a few windows in to the tunnel so at least you could look at something other than the car in front and behind. Once off, there was a mad rush driving through France on the other side of the road. Always a fun way to start the morning. We headed over towards S.T.Omer. We were going here as the Nazis had built a bomb base for the V2 rocket and as much as the Allies tried, they could never blow this place up. So, as we drove closer to it, it stood out like dogs balls. It was huge. We parked up and paid to go in. Now we had seen this on TV and it looked impressive the tour that you do, well, it was pretty crappy actually. It was amazing that it was still here, but the Nazis never got to use this base. Was it a waste of time ??? Not really, but it was overpriced. We jumped back into the car and drove South. We drove for a couple of hours and then we hit Rouen. This was the place that Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. It was a lovely old town with a huge Cathedral by the name of Notre Dame !!!!! All around this, was the old town. Most of the buildings were covered in half timbers. We went down to the spot where Joan was barbecued, I did suggest starting a fire and putting a few snags on, but Lucy and her mum were not up to it !!! Back on the road, we had another long drive as our hotel was in a town called Saint Quentin. Then it started rain, and then it started to sleet. We made it, grabbed the room, went into town and looked for a restaurant. We walked around, and in this one horse town, there was not much open, so we found a bar, ordered some food and drinks. Having been in Paris the previous week, I thought the beer would have been cheaper, it wasn't, still, I drank it. Such is life
Up in the morning, we had another day on the road. We headed towards Lille, going through the Somme area, WW1 battlefields were all around us. Many a cemetery we went past. We also saw loads of piles of potatoes, as it was potato season. Oh what joy. Once in town, we had brunch, walked around and then, realising there really was not much here, we headed to Ieper. Lucy had not been here since 1998, and she was looking forward to a return. Realistically, all there is to see in Ieper, is the Cathedral, the Cloth Hall and the Menin Gate. So we did all three, had another climb over the gate, up onto the ramparts. I really must come back and watch the last post being performed here, and then into a chocolate shop, where you could try before you buy, or in Lucy's mums case, steal as much as possible, ask for a box, and then give it to someone as a gift !!!!! Onwards we moved, and we had one last place to get to. Brugges. The most touristy town in Belgium, or possibly, all of Europe. Everytime I go there, I hate the place. Its full of bloody cobblestones, and finding parking is a nightmare. Once done, its ok to walk around, having to dodge the tourists taking photos and such, and then move onto the chocolate stores. We did this, had dinner, and I had to get out as it was driving me crazy there. Then we had to find our way out. This is a nightmare in itself. The road signs are crap and it is as if they are trying to make you stay. We did get out, we hit the motorway and headed for Calais. A quick stop at the hypermarket to stock up on wine, and then it was time to leave and go back to the sunny shores of England. Overall, it was a fun weekend, but can't wait to leave here again
