Biscuits, chocolates, beer before au revoir Pug

Left Arras and travelled to our Belgium Home Exchange, via a stop at Le Quesnoy. 

Le Quesnoy is a walled French village that the NZ troops liberated on 4 November 1918, 5 days before the armistice. They scaled the walls using ladders and ropes and took the German troops by stealth, and whom mostly surrendered after the initial resistance. No villagers were injured but NZ lost 122 men in the assault. It was one of the last hostile actions of WWI.

The village has not forgotten with NZ names on many streets: Rue des All Blacks, Avenue des Neo-Zealandais, Rue des Helen Clarke etc. Also welcome signs in shop windows….

The moat and ramparts where the NZ'ers managed to climb using a single ladder, and the memorial now on the walls.

Arrived at our Home Exchange, a new (3 year old) house with an upstairs apartment, in a village area in a very rural setting. We met our hosts Dirke and Joske, after being given all the instructions and workings of the house (hi-tech light switches which we never got the hang of) they left in their camper with 2 grandchildren for a week long holiday in France.

We drove 35 minutes to find an open supermarket as on Sunday most are closed. Luckily found one so lunch, dinner and breakfast sorted!

Belgium slice #1

Went to Waterloo this morning, around a 45 minute drive, the site of Napoleon’s battle against the combined English/Scottish, Prussian and Netherlands forces. The museum was excellent, although it is a little hard to keep track of all the battles of Europe. Anyway it seems like Napoleon started off with good intentions to rid France of the nobility attitudes and ownership. Things were going well and he started expanding France’s borders and took an army to Prussia and won that battle, but got caught by winter storms as he returned which resulted in a combined loss of a lot of his troops. 380,000 men died and 100,000 captured. As such he was exiled as a failed leader then but came back in early 1815 accumulating an army as he travelled north through France.

The 1815 battle at Waterloo was between Napoleon’s France troops and Wellington’s troops (a combined UK, Netherlands, Prussia force). The British forces won the battle but there was a combined loss of over 40,000 men in one day!!! Lets just repeat that.... 40,000 in one day!

Hence we reach the end of our war touring.... there endeth the lesson (in futility), we hope?

Parked at the nearby train station and caught a train into nearby Brussels, easy.

Brussels was busy, busy with tourists. Found a bakery for lunch then began to wander and into the main plaza, or Grand Place, we picked up on an English speaking, free, walking tour that was underway. Thought we would give it a couple of stops but the guide, Paul, was so entertaining we stayed for the whole 2.5 hours. A big group of around 30, quite a lot of Americans. The tour stopped for a beer to replenish the soul, and re-hydrate as the temps were in the high 20’s. Whilst we didn’t learn the specifics of buildings or age/architects etc we did find out about the Belgium’s proud history of comic book characters (such as Tin Tin, The Smurfs). Also lessons on Beer, chocolate and fries (individually rather than all together as a meal, although??) seemingly each being their national dishes.

 Most photographed tourist spot in Brussels... boy pee-ing....

A smurf... or two...

A great way to look around, finishing off at the plaza beside the palace, we wandered back to the train station via the palace and cathedral, finding dinner before catching a return train back to the car at Waterloo.

Belgium slice #2

A bit of a slower day, blog update and onward trip planning. Fantastic WIFI in the apartment, but it turns out to be the last time for over a month that we can find time and/or adequate WIFI to do any blog updates, just busy enough!

Bikes were left for us with lots of bike roads and maps, so off we went through undulating farmland and villages. Roads were signposted with various routes for cycling, walking and horse riding. It was all starting to get confusing so after an hour we turned around and retraced our steps… didn’t want to get caught out without lunch a long way from home!

The villages in this area seemed deserted and unlike Italy or France, where every village has a bakery and small stores, there didn’t seem to be any commercial activity except a few cafes who also seemed to be shut. Certainly a less inviting feel to the towns, with the red brick houses which appear quite bland with little or no flower pots and few people about apart from some very fit looking road cyclists. We saw some coin operated dispensers for apples, apple juice and fresh bread on the road sides: the Belgium version of honesty box stalls without the honesty factor. Arriving back we met the neighbours who promptly offered us their e-bikes, and eggs!

Typical Belgium rural scene near our home exchange base

In the car to find a closer supermarket and then back to the homework. There are numerous walking trails marked close to our house so we took a walk through the woods nearby, seeing a couple of wild fallow deer unfazed by human’s wandering past.

Belgium slice #3

Drove to Ghent, a 45 minute drive in a different direction, a bit cooler today and with rain threatening we stopped for a fortifying coffee and meringue, decadence!

We met up for a walking tour along with 25-30 others, mainly Americans. Ghent had just finished a 10 day festival, Gentse Feesten, which is a free series of concerts in various locations around the city. It brings in over 500,000 people over that period so the town was still in clean-up mode, stages being dismantled and rubbish collected. Not such a good look but the city still stunning just the same. Ghent is located around a canal system with many pretty buildings dating from the 1300's, an early hub of trade.

A lot of work has gone into preserving this look, an example being a large and ultra modern hotel built behind a restored facade, completely a surprise when you walk through the door.

First brick building on left is facade of Marriot Hotel.... step through the door to discover .... 

The tour covering some of the quirks of history, and once again beer, fries and chocolate. A good look around then after a plate of fries with the recommended Stovis (beef stew) we retraced some of the tour route for a second look and then back to the car. A gorgeous city.

We headed from Ghent and back to Ypres, about an hour away, to again attend the 8 pm daily tribute at the Menin Gate. This time the Bournemouth Marching Brass Band as well as the buglers. Maybe a bit less haunting than the bag-pipes but a very moving tribute just the same. An hours drive in easy traffic saw us back home... shows how small the country is really.

A sad and fraught farewell....

Packed up and on the road for our last day with Pug. A straight forward drive towards Paris and with heaps of time we stopped at Royaumont Abbey, an Abbey and Chateaux just north of Paris. Caro had read a book ("In Falling Snow" by Mary-Rose MacColl) where this complex had featured as a WWI hospital, all female staffed and supported by the Scottish Women’s League (fictional story but factual as far as the timing, hospital and staffing).

The Abbey has had a few uses over it’s time and now has accommodation and a conference centre. Original portions date from the early 1200's, and it is a stunning building in lovely grounds. A relaxing stroll around before dropping down to Charles de Gaulle airport and the car return.

Got to the airport area just fine, but then it turned to custard somewhat… we had a lot of trouble and swearing to find our car drop off point as GPS kept taking us to the start of the named road with no through route to actual required destination. With all the traffic one got caught in the flow like water down a bath plug meaning we couldn’t dither so we went past, and though the short term drop off points of, Terminal 3, 1, 2 and 3 again until on the 3^rd approach to Terminal 3 Noel managed to spot the yard we were heading for.

It was then a very quick transition for ourselves and bags from car to shuttle, so no long loving farewells to Pug, just a quick photo of our 2 month forlorn, but thankfully unblemished, companion with it’s sad (or perhaps gleeful?) headlights glancing our way. We can happily say the Peugeot 308 is a great car.

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So close to clocking 10,000 km in our 2 months, should have gone round the airport terminals some more!

Shuttle dropped us at train station within CDG, very lucky to get a particularly helpful lady when buying our train tickets so ended up with a week long unlimited travel card for the use of trains, buses, subway for around the same cost as the one way train ticket was going to cost us. We are headed to Pontoise on the outskirts of Paris to catch up with Gauthier, our French exchange student who we 12 month hosted 9 years ago.

A change of trains at Paris Nord station to arrive at Pontoise about 6:40 pm. Gauthier met us and luckily his apartment is about 5 minutes walk away from the station. Pontoise is a lovely town with a medieval cathedral, chateaux and walled fortifications along the Oise River. Gauthier has given us his bedroom which is nice.

Out for dinner, a bit tricky as some restaurants are shut (being summer many Parisians go on holiday including the business owners) and a band playing in a plaza overlooked by 3 restaurants all full of concert listeners. Found a Vietnamese restaurant which was perfect.

The last time I saw Paris...

Gauthier was away to work by 6:45 this morning, whilst we were on a later schedule! We went into Paris for the day and followed a self guided walking tour downloaded from a travel blog. We walked about 12 km in all, starting at Paris Gare de Lyon station we walked to the Bastille monument and along a side canal of the Seine river which had many house boats moored.

We weaved our way around picturesque city streets, including passing city hall, before getting to  Notre Dame. The cathedral is totally walled off and is now, after the recent fire, a construction site. Lots and lots of tourists in that area, then over the Pont Neuf bridge to leave the Isle de la Cite, on which Notre Dame sits. Once we had crossed back over we wandered along a flea market to the Louvre.  We didn't go into the Louvre, we had visited 30 years ago so deemed it not necessary. Also lots of tourists so didn't look appealing!

Passed the Louvre Pyramid, through gardens to the Place de la Concorde before making our way onto the Avenue des Champs-Elysee's getting to the shopping part of the avenue which was heaving with people, both tourists and also locals heading out for the Friday night.

A look from across the road at the Arc de Triomphe, a lot of people under it and on the viewing platform at the top but seemingly one has to take your life in your hands and pick a moment to get across the 4 lanes of speeding traffic to get there as there does not appear to be an underpass. Too tired to risk our lives we took a photo and continued our walk to the Eiffel Tower.

Lots of people milling around the entrance as well as souvenir sellers and buskers. The entrance is the operative word as the tower is fenced off with a Perspex barrier, to get in we assume you would have to got through a bag search and pay an entry fee. 31 years ago it was all free to wander beneath, so we didn’t try as the queue was long and it’s just not the same!

Back to Pontoise via the Metro and train, great service and very easy to use. Gauthier cooked us dinner, Chicory bulb/leaf wrapped in ham and served in a Blanc Meil (a white sauce), very nice!

The joys of having a local guide

Saturday morning and another nice, and hot, day saw us at the Pontoise market which was smaller than normal as everyone is on holiday, including many stall holders! It was mainly fruit and veg, one cheese, one bakery, two meat stands and a few clothes stalls. Gauthier buys from the market each week. A walk to the town viewpoints then lunch back at the apartment using the lovely fresh produce reaped from the market.

In the afternoon we headed into Paris, walked up to Sacre-Coeur Basilica which was teeming with tourists. It is also known as the place of art, with so many caricature artists touting for trade… apparently it is ‘the’ place in Paris to get one done. Also artists painting and selling their work, crazy busy.

Wandered down the hill and away from the main throng of people (particularly tourists), still busy but more locals. Stopped for a drink in an old arcade bar then went to Grevin Museum, which is a wax museum not unlike Madame Tussaud's. Firstly lots of famous French actors, singers, poets then a history lesson from Mary Antoinette through to modern day Mr Macron, as well as various world leaders. Trump, Obama, the Queen etc. Well know musicians such as Elton, Mick Jagger, Micheal Jackson, Madonna etc. It was fun and we got our chance to offer useful opinions to those that may need it, or not....

Continued on past St Paul's and the Green Park area into another area full of restaurants and pubs, which was ideal for dinner. Pizza not particularly French, but good none the less. Then the Metro and train back to Pontoise.

Meri Beaucoup, Ravi de vous recontrer Paris

A slower morning, after all it was Gauthier’s weekend off after a very busy week at work, before we took the 10 minute drive to Chateaux Auvers Suroise, an Italian built Chateaux overlooking the Oise river. It holds art exhibitions but we just wandered around the grounds, very pleasant. Back to G’s for lunch and final pack before catching the 2 pm train to get us to the Euro Star station and bound for London. It was fantastic to catch up with Gauthier on his home patch, and having him host us was so special, the only thing we got wrong was our timing didn't allow us to meet his parents.... next time!

The Euro Star terminal, part of the Paris Nord station, was very busy. Getting there with nearly 2 hours to spare before departure we thought we had heaps of time but by the time we queued through immigration (French and UK) and security checks we didn’t have much time to spare in the ‘holding pen’. Facilities certainly not big enough for the numbers going through. Channel tunnel here we come… the tunnel was being built in 1989 so didn’t exist when we were here last, so we just had to travel through it.