Magic! (photos and holiday)
As always we like to make most of our trips across the channel and as we were booked in for our favourite show of the year at Wings & Wheels, Ursel in Belgium - we packed as many sights/visits in as possible! I am not sure if you could do justice if you visited any more sights without it turning into an ‘American’ trip where they do two countries a day. We didn’t have anything planned until Barry played us a podcast that he had saved for us to listen to whilst on our first official visit to his new flat in Cambridge. The gist of it was, that Belgian Bier was fantastic (we know) and the best place to get it is where it’s brewed in Orval. Our visit this summer had just found a ‘theme’ and we were hoping to find a few more ‘trappist’ biers to savour.
We arrived in Dunkerque on a Sunday morning - not a good day for shopping in France! As we would need bottled water and a few French sundries to tide us over until Monday, I surfed the net for supermarches open on Sunday and found ‘Ed’ a small store in Loon Plage on Rue de Gravelines which is not more than a kilometre from where the boat docks. A very basic shop, but water was bought at 105 cents for 6 x 2litre bottles (bloody cheap eh?) Didn’t fancy the look of much else, so saved our euros for our planned shop the next day.
Our first Abbaye to find the bier, was Chimay and although we found billboards telling us this was the home of Chimay, we did not find the abbey and toured round the small back roads looking for it. We have since found out from the internet that it is south of the village at Abbeye de Scourmont and will have to set out to find it at a later visit to Belgium. We stopped off at the village of Hastiere where nearly all the townsfolk had brought out their bric-a-brac to sell on the pavement. One big jumble sale by the looks of things and off we went to the big dam named Barrages de l’Eau d’Heure.
After an overnight stay at the dam - we awoke to a puncture and proceded to change the wheel and find a garage to repair the hole or whatever. After visits along the main road to larger towns we were kindly pointed in the direction of Anderlues where a new innertube was fitted with no bother. The fitter threw the old one away with disgust and we didn’t bother to ask him what caused the ‘flat’ As long as we had our tyre fixed we were happy to be on our way - well after a bit of shopping at the local shop. The new innertube cost no more that 27 euros which is on par with English prices.
Orval Abbaye was to be our next venture and we arrived for its opening early on the Monday morning. We realised we would not be granted a trip round the brewery as this has to be booked in advance and on special ‘open’ days, but a visit round the ruins of the old abbey and the shop would do us fine. After taking photos of the ruins we visited the shop to decide what we would like to take away with us! Gareth and I were drawn to the glass display cabinet where the biggest bier glass ever was displayed and both secretly had thoughts of owning it. We decided on a case of six bottles and two handsome glasses in their own boxes and as I took my bag off my arm to sort out the euros - my brand new camera fell on the stone floor. I was very upset and left the shop to check it out. Of course, the screen had gone blank, the flash had broken and with no view finder to use - it seemed a hopeless case. Gareth could hear that it ‘clicked’ and seemed to take a picture, but of what - who knows. I didn’t want it to spoil the holiday and told Gareth that I had nothing to lose if I took ‘magic pictures’ all the holiday. Feeling a little sick still, but of a better ‘frame’ of mind (ha ha) Gareth told me that he had thoughts of buying me the large Orval glass in the cabinet as a present but due to the little accident with the camera - did not trust me to get it back to England in one piece - especially as we still had most of the week to drive about. I was quite happy to leave it at the 2 glasses and six bottles, but gave the Orval Cheese a miss as it came in 1 kilo chunks and would have gone off in the heat. I took my first magic picture of Gareth giving me a wondering look to see if I was OK and the next was of our purchases being ably carried by GC back to Heidi. This was the first of my careful handling experiences in Heidi. Throughout the week we added to our ‘fragile’ load and not one more thing got broken.
Carrying on the Bier Theme, we visited Dinant which is home to Leffe Abbey and its Bier (although it is now brewed at the Stella Brewery in Leuven) the Dinant Fort and also Monsieur Sax the inventor of the most recent wind/brass instrument, the Saxophone. The town was sparkling in the sun as we walked to the Abbeye and on the way back we crossed the dam to take a short cut back to our parking place outside the railway station at Dinant. We also noted that the Leffe glasses were 3-50 euros in the Del Haize supermarket, but declined to buy them. More magic photos were taken (was I wasting my time? who could tell and I was enjoying the freedom of the missing viewfinder/screen) To be honest, what did it matter any more - they either looked like something or they would get deleted at home.
Following the Meuse River we found a nice place to park up for the night and then visited the Fort de Vaux where the French were holed up at the end of the war with only one carrier pidgeon left to let the outside know that the gas was slowly killing them. A valient surrender saved their lives, but what of all the other forts round about? Whilst looking through the soldiers’ unsavoury quarters, we were plagued with Eyeties and squeeky camera bags - we could hear them coming and it was very annoying - didn’t it annoy it’s owner? (obviously not) From here, we re-traced our drive back down the road the monument to the members of the resistence, where a crater shaped hole has been left as is, to mark where bodies were burnt on a pyre. This is the area where many monuments have been erected and we were hoping to see a few on our travels through the area. The memorial of Verdun was visited and the looming shape of the Douamont Ossuary (Ossuaire) lay in the distance to visit next - where many soldiers from the war have their graves. If we had more time, a walk through the trenches where the soldiers fell, should have been in order.
Through the fighting many small hamlets were destroyed and these are all remembered in this small area with small monuments and notice boards. We managed to visit Louvemont and Ornes which brings a chill to the bones when you see the old photographs of what was and then see that absolutely nothing but the spring water outlets and grassed over rubble are left.
Gareth thought that a trip to a lake on a hot day was in order, as the whole of France was shut down for a public holiday. Which one it was, I do not know - but it was the wednesday in the middle of August - the 15th I have just reckoned back. We made our way to Lac de Madine and on every village corner a householder was selling ‘Mirabelles’ which we looked up were a very small variety of yellow plum/damson. I did want to stop and buy, but a very cautious Gareth said ‘beware - think of the toilets!?’ After finding out there was an admission fee to look at the lake we headed straight off and found a more interesting sight in the Butte de Montsec, an American Monument up a small mount. You might find the Yanks a bit OTT but this monument was definitely worth the size they made it. The white stone stands out from the greenery at the top of the mount and can be seen for miles. We also got a free view of the lake before making our way back down to the village of Saint Mihiel where much fighting had taken place during the war.
Zig-zagging across towns that we had already passed through, we visited the town of Givet and hoped to see the fort there. As it was a working French fort for modern warfare, we were not able to gain access, so Gareth found an even more exciting place to visit!!! I have always wanted to visit a grotte and the Grottes de Nichet in Fromelennes fitted the bill. We had to wait in the searing heat for our guide to take us into the subteranean depths to see many sights!? That is if you have a keen eye for the imaginary lions and other animals outlined by the guides red penlight pointer thingy. I welcomed the cool dank air as we descended many a carved stone step and I wondered how the woman in the silk-ribboned espadrilles was faring on the slippery surfaces. I stifled many a giggle as we had to ‘imagine’ many an animal to plump out the visit of this very small set of caves. Gareth had to remind me (with a nudge) that my giggles could be heard echoing round the caverns. ‘My treat’ he said as we exited with the sun still warm on our backs. We handed in our English crib sheets as the guide only spoke ze French!
A bit of culture (viticulture) on the ‘green’ scenic route that led to the vineyards of Moet et Chandon and the like, was next on our mysterious magical tour. This was as we travelled through the village of Epernay and onto the smaller ‘white’ roads that wind through the wonderful sights of fruit engorged vines - row upon row into the distance. Gareth managed to get a photo (magic) of a cluster or two from Heidi’s window as it was impossible to park up and get out. I was expecting white grapes, but they were dusky purple! Each row had the champagne nameboard at the end of each row and famous names abounded.
As this holiday was so ‘off the cuff’ I didn’t keep a log and not sure where each visit sits within the week, but I do know we also went to Chateau Fere which although in ruins, is a truly wonderful sight and photogenic and many more magic photos were taken (bloody hell, I do really hope these photos turn out) In the parking area where Heidi waited for us, was a purple haze of heather (heidi) and a small bunch was lightly picked to renew the bouquet we keep above the mirror in the cab. We were going to renew it when we popped into the Netherlands, but it didn’t look like we were going to have the time this holiday. As we made our way out of the winding back roads, we found ourselves in a farm? The road had literally ‘run’ out and I had to beat a hasty retreat as the farm dogs and cats ran riot round us. This was the second time signs through villages had misled me and had to guess a route through and it won’t be the last either.
On past trips to see Paris-Roubaix spring bike classic, we have often passed the fortified village of le Quensoy and thought to visit it this time by driving through the town gates and parking in Station Road. Thank goodness we did not venture any further into town as ‘as usual’ they were digging all the cobbles up and only with danger could we pass the workers. On the way to the village walls and the walk round it - we spied a small shop and as always, I was on the look out for either glasses or bier. We found some very cheap Leffe glasses and took them straight back to Heidi to pack away in cotton shopping bags? Couldn’t find anything else! Proceded to our walk and took a few photographs of the town and the New Zealand Plaque on the fortified wall.
One more day left and shopping was on the agenda as once we arrived in Ursel for the military show, we would not get another chance as it would be Sunday again on our day of return without shop or the cheap diesel. After a visit to Abbaye Vauclair which lay in ruins we made our way back to the shops in France for a last frenzy of buying. We found an Auchan at Douai (Noyelles-Godault) where we stocked up on our favourite smoked garlic, Oude Brugge cheese, Maredsous cheese, of course Leffe and Ch’ti. Found some special bier packs with added glasses which were a present for Barry who had been ‘Poly sitting’ (Gareth’s Pussy) Coconut creme puddings and a few pains au chocolat etc were a ‘must’ and we set off to our appointment with the Belgians at Ursel. Show report to be written by Gareth.
Better just say that my magic photos were the best holiday photos I have taken !
from a very fat Lorraine - au revoir!
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