carolh Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 hi there Monday 4th June 21.55 local time - Charles and I are at an aire in Binche - Belgium. I am using someones unsecured wireless network!!! Friday evening - We had a good journey down to Dover, the crossing to dunkerque was uneventful, cold and damp though - we drove over to Ypres as planned and booked into the campsite there - 10.50 per night including electrics. The sun was shining so out came the chairs and we fell asleep for a short while, after yet another cup of tea we got the bikes out and cycled into town - had a good wander round, couple of belgian beers (hic) and then to the Menin Gate for the Last Post at 8pm. What a lovely town Ypres is, we went on a Salient tour on Sunday, goodness that was an eye opener - all those military cemeterys - all those soldiers killed in the 'War to end all wars' they are still digging up bodies now, everytime a new building or barn is built they unearth more skeletons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 another bit - lost in sending We are off to Bastogne early tomorrow, should be there by 11am, for a good mooch round. then off to Luxembourg on Wednesday all being well. You might hear from me again, if I can get another connection, the weather is warm and sunny! Carol and Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 5, 2007 Author Share Posted June 5, 2007 Tuesday 5th June local time - 21.31 well another good day, we travelled to Bastogne from Binche in about 3 hours with a stop for breakfast en route. The weather is still good, plenty of sun and a fair amount of cloud too. The journey was good, but the main roads here in belgium are very busy and the road surface is atrocious!! all precast concrete with big pot holes! We spent the afternoon exploring Bastogne and visiting museums in the town. Tomorrow 1st thing we are visiting the Bastogne Historical Centre just out of town and then heading east to Diekitch for the night and then down to Luxembourg. Don't know when we will get into France :-S but sometime I expect here is a pic of Charles and I just enjoying a glass of red - at about 7.30 pm till the next time - didn't expect to get a connection tonight, but there you go! Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Lucky you carol enjoy it! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 6, 2007 Share Posted June 6, 2007 It really isn't fair sending pictures like that to people who have to work!! It sounds as if you do at least some of your travelling the same way we do - half a day on the road, and half exploring where you've landed. Driving all day is OK if there's somewhere distant we really want to get to, but 50/50 makes for a more relaxing trip. Glad you're both enjoying it. Tony & Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 here we are again Camping Kockelscheuer Luxembourg Ville Friday 8th June local time 16.06 The weather is still good, lots of sun, and its hot, very hot, this keyboard is all to pot not what i m used to letters in the wrong place - be good for you Michele LOL We stayed two nights at ingeldorf - lovely campsite on the river Sure - now we are south of Luxemourg Ville. Going onto Verdun Tomorrow - lets hope the weather stays fine. Well thats it for now, no pics this time as its the pc in the camp site reception but only 2 euros for half an hour till next time folks take care Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 :D :D :D bring it back with you then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 :D :D :D bring it back with you then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 11, 2007 Author Share Posted June 11, 2007 lac du der chantecoq - Champage-ardenne Local time - 16:50 Hello again After Luxembourg where we only stayed one night - we travelled down to Verdun and visited the Battlefields on the north bank of the Meuse - oh dear, what a place - the weather was glorious, we saw some sights there - talk about the blasted heath - it has been forested now, not like round Ypres where it is agricultural land. The monuments the French ave raised for their dead are immaculate. We stayed at Les Breilles in Verdun, lovely little campsite, and partook of all the facilities! including the bar/restaurant on Saturday nght as it was Charles's birthday. Explored Verdun yesterday and went in the Citadel - that was an experience - has anyone else ever done the tour there? And this morning up and off again in glorious sunshine and headed for St Dizier and this Aire. It's on the banks of the lac and I am using a wifi connection at the tourist information centre here - so can use my laptop and all the keys are in the right place (lol) We have had some rain, at Luxembourg it rained for a couple of hours in the evening, and yesterday, two short sharp showers. Well that's about it for now, pics coming up the ossuary at Verdun and Charles and I just an hour ago as we were looking around here. best wishes to you all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 16, 2007 Author Share Posted June 16, 2007 Well here we are again – we are on a campsite for a swim and shower and to do the washing! We are at Le Pin Parasol – on Lac Jauney – west of La Roche sur Yon. Since the last update from the Aire at Lac de Dur Chantecoq we have stayed at 12th Tuesday night - Neuvy Pailloux – wild camped behind the salle de fete – (with permission – we could not find the aire! No sight seeing – just travelling! 13th Wednesday night – Oradour Sur Glane – got there early – and found the aire with no problem, but the borne was in bits! Visited the Martyred village – what a memorial – there was not a german camping-car at the aire! Weather nice, but some cloud, but that night the heavens opened and thunder and lightening! And it poured down for hours and hours – real heavy rain, glad we were not on grass. 14th Thursday – We stopped off at Confulens for a visit – lovely medieval town then onto the Aire at Chef Boutonne – another lovely town – the aire was clean and quiet and in a nice location, and it rained heavily again for a couple of hours – but by 9pm it had cleared up for a while and I went for a walk – the pic is of the sunset last night – ‘red sky at night – shepherd’s delight! Or ‘red sky at night – shepherd’s hut’s alight! – It rained again heavily in the morning, but we got on our way by 9.30am up to the Vendee. We have had a good journey today – done just over 100 miles today – through the most atrocious weather, but in between the deluges the sun has come out. We have travelled in total to now 1,090 miles – next stop Aire on Ile de Normoutier – then we will start heading back up towards Dunkerque – with a 2 night stop at Amiens on Thursday and Friday night – and then marina at Gravelines on Saturday (after the shopping at Auchan) – ready for the ferry at 8am on the 24th. bye for now Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 30, 2007 Author Share Posted June 30, 2007 Well after a week at work, the holiday soon pales into the past! We had a good time, the weather was ok, we never had wall to wall sunshire any day, sunshine and clouds the first 10 days and then the weather started to deteriorate, the rain never stopped us doing anything, mostly it rained at night or when we were travelling - only once did we decide to go out for a walk all waterproofed up and that was at L'Epine on the Ile de Noirmoutier and it was cold and wet! and the wind was blowing hard! but by tea time the sun had come out and I was sat on the beach reading. We stayed for the following nights 8 aires - cost 7 euros 4 wild 10 campsites - 120 euros the bornes did not work at 3 aires We travelled just under 2,000 miles - home to home. We stayed at Ypres - 2 nights on a campsite no frills but for 10.50 euros a night it was fine. Aire in Binche - borne totally wrecked and had been for some time. Campsite in Bastogne - nice and clean, mostly statics but ok. Ingeldorf 2 nights - Camping Gritt - the most expensive at 15.60 and that was with the acsi card - right on the river with a cycle track to Ettlesomething one way and Diekirch the other. Luxembourg Ville - Kockelsheur? 1 night quite full, just 2.5 k south of the city. Then Verdun for 2 nights - acsi again - another good site. Aire - Lac de dur Chantcoq Wild at Neuvy Paillioux - could not find the aire, asked in the chemist and were told it was ok to park behind the Salle de Jeux - so we did. Aire at Oradur sur glane - borne in bits! Aire at Chef Boutonne - lovely and quiet Camp site - Le Pin Parasol - Lac Jaurnay - weather not good, so travelled on - but lovely site and indoor swimming pool - used Freedom Camping voucher. Wild - Ile de Noirmoutier - to the right just over the bridge - at the Ile de Yeu ferry Aire - L'Epine - Ile de Noirmouter. Campsite 2 nights - Domaine des Ormes just south of Dol de Bretagne - all singing and all dancing - but the sun was shining so nice to swim and sunbath and get all the washing done and dried - touring cheques. Aire - Ouistraham - just past the ferry at Belle Riva Aire - Honfleur - 7 euros inc electric Campsite - La Bien Assize used last touring cheque from last year. Wild - Carpark at the marina at Gravelines before the 8am ferry at Dunkerque. then home in torrential rain up from Dover. We never did get to Amiens - but are planning that for Sept/Oct - when we were at Ypres we were introduced so to speak to the CWGC and when we got home found that Charles grandfather who was killed in 1918 is buried at Potziers military cemetary about 20 miles east of Amiens. I took over 600 pics, I has taken me an hour and a half this morning - copying them from the laptop to my main pc - have got some here for you :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted June 30, 2007 Share Posted June 30, 2007 Hi Carol, Just picked up your interesting journey - we did somewhat similar last year. Regarding the aire at Binche - how was it? We tried to find it last year and ended up on a large rather grotty car park where we found the service box in bits. In the end we continued to the Mons camp site. Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted June 30, 2007 Author Share Posted June 30, 2007 the aire was as you said - a grotty car park and the borne in bits - we stayed cause it was late and we had 3 artics for company and the police patrolled all evening (we were on waving terms after a couple of visits) - I was all for moving onto the local campsite - but Charles wouldn't he said it will be ok, and it was. But we were off at the crack of dawn, I wandered round Binche in the evening - fair sized town, but just run down - shame really. you can just see us on the left behind the white recycling bin, in front of the artic nice to have the big boys for company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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