2008, Last Day

Day twenty-fifth 25th June
.
Once off the ferry, the traffic out of Hull was much better than last year (no bad traffic jams), but unlike last year we were not in a rush to get the twins school, as the are now full time and we didn't have to pick them up until 15:00.

So we though we would make a visit to the Humber bridge for photos, the car park at the visitor centre was deserted when we arrived, so we parked and wandered up to the bridge.  It was just as big as I remembered and I got loads of photos, by the time we got back to the car park it was getting busy and the cafe was open.  So we got a full English breakfast.

 

This is a my tip if you are ever on the ferry back into Hull, if you can wait for breakfast, get it at the bridge visitor centre cafe, it was good, cheep, not crowded and served by friendly staff.  Plus you can have longer in bed on the ferry.

2008, Day Twenty Four, Bruges

Day twenty-four 24th June

Shame but this morning we had to leave and head to the ferry and home but we did have all day to visit Bruges.  Straight onto the N466 to the A10 and off towards Bruges, missed the turning we wanted into Bruges and wasted time getting back to where we wanted to be.  We parked up a the Carrefour we used last year, we intended to have lunch there but in the end just bought the ingredients for sandwiches, and lots of beer.  Next, also like last year, we parked up further down the road in-between Lidl and Aldi and got more beer and wine.

Then we parked up on the ring road and walked in to the centre, through he Kruispoort (Cross city gate), for the rest of the afternoon.

 

We had a very good walk and even tried to get onto one of the many canal boat trips but by then it was too late.  Eventually we had to make our way back to the van and then on to Zeebrugge, we left the centre by the Gentpoort (Ghent Gate) but had to wait for a barge to pass along the canal first.  On the way back to the van we passed a type of vertical lift bridge I had never seen before, the main spans, two large cylinders, turned to wind up the footpath deck beneath (see the photo). 

 

We had to fill up with fuel and make a final stop for beer in Blankenberge, where we usually go on the way home.  So from the R30 (the ring road) we headed anticlockwise to the N371 and N31 to Zeebrugge and then back along the coast to the supermarket (we could have just stayed on the N371 but hadn't checked the map properly).

Once settled in on the ferry I went on deck to take photos in the port, then back in the cabin, we watched a film on the laptop, had sandwiches and beers before going to the bar for the rest of the evening.

 

As last year, I even bought beer and wine from duty free, not like we didn't already have enough but they were on special offer.

2008, Day Twenty Three, Ghent

Day twenty-three 23rd June.

Mick and Bren are off for the ferry home and we are heading to Ghent in Belgium, unfortunately only for one night and not the three we had originally planned.

To get to Belgium and Ghent we had to head back towards Compiègne on the N31 to get onto the A1 north as far as Lille. We then took the A27 to the A17 and A14 for Ghent, this bypassed Lille as we did not know what the roads there would be like. The GPS took us off the A14 early but the road it took us on (the N60) was straight to the R4 anyway, we turned off onto the N466 then followed campsite signs

Ghent

Camping Blaarmeersen

Zuiderlaan 12, 9000 Gent

Web Site

Booked in and got a hardstanding pitch (needed my passport to book in, fist time for years), the site was very waterlogged, it looked like there had been a lot of rain around here. Could not find the electrics for ages it was in the bushes and took two leads to reach, the sockets were numbered a throwback to the days when the electricity was metered (as most sites we visited last year).

Went back over reception to find out about the busses to the town centre, they leave from outside the site every half hour and the cheapest way to get tickets, was from the machine at the bus stop. You get off the bus outside Mcdonalds in the centre of town and the bus back is from the opposite side if the road. We were in the centre for 14:30 so we had plenty of time for a good look round and it was nice and sunny and hot, which was lucky as in our rush to get there we had not taken warm cloths, umbrellas yes but no coats.

On arrival in the town centre we were a bit peckish, so I suggested that we walk around, find a chip shop or van and just get chips and mayonnaise, we are in Belgium after all.

Well we walked round the whole town centre for an hour and a half and didn't find one, by this time we were famished, so we got a chicken baguette each and sat in a square to eat them.

They were very good and as we were sat close to a small bar we popped in for some beers to wash them down (we had Dentergems Wit, Haacht Witbier & Orval).

After the nice refreshing beers, we continued our rest our feet by taking one of the many boat trips, the one we chose would drop us back off at a bar with dozens of different beers. The boat trip was very informative and had some great views, I took loads of photos, especially of the many bridges we passed under.

At the end of the tour we didn't have a drink, but continued with our walk, we only had one day to see all of Ghent centre and we could have a drink latter. We walked towards the river and passed where the confluence of the rivers Scheldt and Lys used to be, before it was blocked off when canals were built but there are plans to reopen this old channel.

It was a gorgeous day for walking in the sun but the heat does take its toll and we needed a sit and a drink eventually. We were lucky and managed to get a seat on the busy terrace of the Bierhuis, on the banks of the river Leie.

The choice of beer was amazing but I knew what I wanted, a Kwak, with the special glass and holder. Dot had a Blanche De Bruxelles and thankfully it does not taste of what the picture on the label implies.

Suitably refreshed, we walked back along the river, eventually found a frits and mayo seller and had to have some. Then it was back into another bar on the river for another couple of beers, a Ename and another Haacht, Witbier.

After this we went up on to the bridge to get the often seen photo of Ghent but I left it too late, the sun had gone down too far and the wind had started to ripple the river, oh well, always next year. By now dot was getting cold, as I mentioned before, in our rush to get there we had not taken warm cloths, so went to get the bus back to the campsite. We had just missed one, so popped into the bar opposite, just to keep warm you understand. As we were there we had a beer anyway, the beer we got was a Belgian White from the USA, didn't expect that.

Back at the site we had something to eat and as it was still early, we walked back over to the site bar but even though it was early, it was about to close. We did manage to have one drink though, Dot had a Bruges and I had a Maes, just because I hadn't had one before and I will not be having one again.

2008, Day Twenty Two, Berny-Rivière

Day twenty-two 22nd June

Last day for Mick and Bren and we set of to visit another Château, but this time to one we knew was there. On the way also a nice quiet country road, we stopped to take photos of a bridge over a canal and also some long shots of the Château.

The castle was bigger than I thought I was going to be, we drove up the hill and in through the castle gates and followed the signs to the car park. There was a village inside the castle with bars and shops etc, we decided we would try and walk around the castle walls, then make our way back to the village main square for a drink.

It was very hot and it took about an hour to walk around the castle walls, quite a big castle, a lot of it has been restored recently and it looks good.

We made a friend on the way round, a young goat followed us for about half the walk, if we hadn't come to a gate, I am sure the goat would still be with us.

At the end of the walk we were very, very hot, it was just after 12:00, the bar in the square was open, so we had to have a beer (Pelforth blond) to cool down. After the beer we had another quick look around the village, found an Aire but I am not sure we could get the van through the entrance into the village. Then it was a rush back to the site the watch the French F1GP from Magny-Cours in the van.

Sunbathing all afternoon, we had a BBQ for supper, Mick had his horse meat and we all had to have a bit, it was just like beef. Spent the rest of our last night with a few beers by the van.

2008, Day Twenty One, Berny-Rivière

Day twenty-one 21st June

Three weeks into the holiday and loving it, are we homesick, no we are not, I struggle to understand the people who go on holiday and are then glad to be going home.

The plan was to move on to Belgium today but as the weather was good and the area interesting, we would stay on there until Mick and Bren had to leave for home in two days time.

So today we checked out where there was a proper market, in a big town and set off to Soissons, we took the back road from the campsite rather than going back out onto the N31. This was a much quieter drive with plenty of nice photo opportunities along the way.

Once there we found a parking place and set off towards what looked like a cathedral, hoping the town centre and market would be close by.

For once we were not disappointed and found the market straightaway, we did pop into the cathedral on the way passed, to listen to some fantastic organ music that was streaming from the huge front doors. Outside the cathedral a stage being set up for some sort of concert and we made a note to find out what was going on.

In the market we split up into two couples and arranged to meet back up in an hour, Dot and I soon wandered away from the market and looked around some of the larger department stores.

I also needed the toilet (must be my age) and we couldn't find one. By the time we got back together the market was just about finished and we all set off to find the river and somewhere for a sit and drink. Mick had bought some stuffed olives and got a free bottle of beer with them, strange though, it was a Sagres from Portugal.

As the market was being cleared away, workmen moved it to setup yet another stage. We headed downhill, usually this works when looking for the river and it did this time, we also found a nice friendly bar (with toilet). Stages were also being set up here by the river and there were barriers for closing the roads. After a couple of Hoegaardens we set off to find the tourist information office, to see what was going on.

It was in the square where the market had been and the stages were for a music festival that night, with all types of music from classical to rock. It would have been a good I idea to come back and join in but we could not find out about busses and a taxi was very expensive. So we just went back to the site for a night by the van (it was the next morning when we realised we could have taken the van back to Soissons and slept in it there).

In the supermarket on the way back to the site, Mick eventually got some horse meat, I was not even keen on having it in our fridge.

2008, Day Twenty, Berny-Rivière

Day twenty 20th June.

Today we checked out where there was a local market and set off towards Pierrefonds, about eleven miles away. We used my GPS and it took us all over the place to get there, it didn't help that me and Mick would stop to take photos along the way. When we did eventually arrive it was a small village and there was no sign of a market anywhere, in fact the whole place looked deserted. We drove round looking and eventually decided we would drive on to find somewhere else and then, round the corner as we were leaving the village we came across this

and headed back into the village to have a look. We parked up next to the castle and at its base we found the village centre and a very small market, he market wasn't worth visiting but the castle (Château de Pierrefonds) certainly was. We took two minutes to look round the market stalls and then had a walk around the rest of the village, a very pretty place, we took loads of photos.

Couldn't decide what to have for dinner, do we get something from the shop to eat in the square or do we try a cafe or restaurant. While we were thinking about it we passed a place with an outdoor seating area in a garden with a BBQ going, it smelt great, so we went in. We had a very nice lunch in the sun with great views and a couple of beers (Kronenbourg (Mick the driver, had cola)).

 

After lunch we though we would have a walk up to the castle and if if didn't cost too much to get in, have a look round. The main entrance was closed and we were directed up a steep hill to the side entrance we almost didn't bother but the girls wanted to go see. When we got there there was no price list but we asked some people coming out and it was free entry, so we went in.

There were signs dotted about, all mentioning Merlin, then there was a notice to say filming was in progress for the TV series Merlin, we assumed it was French, so it wasn't until we returned home and looked it up on IMDB, that we found out it was for the BBC.

What a fantastic castle, of course it looks so good as it has been rebuilt, the first castle was built in the 12th century, in the 15th century it was rebuilt and then demolition was started in the 17th Century. Demolition was too difficult, so not a lot was done, it was then it was acquired by Napoleon and finally restored during 19th century.

We spent ages wandering around the castle, most of the big rooms are open to the public and there were a couple of art displays to see but eventually we got tired and headed back to the car. Not a bad trip out, considering we had no idea this castle even existed, what a great find, we would recommend it to everyone.

It is a big shame that next year, this place will be overrun with new tourists from the UK, all wanting to see Merlin, it looks like it is popular in the summer anyway. I am glad that we got to see this beautiful, peaceful village and magnificent castle before that happens, it will not be the same again.

Back at the site Dot and I ventured over to the pool, the outside pools were closed and the indoor pools were very full and noisy, also not very warm. So we didn't stop in the water very long and headed back to the van where we had a pleasant evening in the sun with a few beers.