June 2018 – WorldofWills

Middelburg

So, having found Belgium, and been delighted by it, we continued on to the Netherlands, as per Plan A. ….Andrew had a couple of campsites earmarked, and, after a spot of diversionary routes around the town, we arrived at a small campsite, where no-one was at reception, nor was there any response to ringing the bell, so we toodled off to option 2. This turned out be a site run by the council, and what a place! OK, it was a tad “open to the elements”, i.e. damned breezy, but the facilities were top-notch- Villery and Boch toilets, no less, and everything was spotless. The campsite also had a fresh bakery delivery each morning..the cheapest and best croissants so far, this trip!

We biked into town, with some help from a local, who spotted us with a map…”follow me” she cycled ahead, giving us a potted history of her town as we followed…how nice was that? We soon found out her civic pride was very understandable. Middelburg is a very charming town, with a lovely feel to it. There are several grand buildings, including many residential, and as our informal guide had told us, they had been flattened in WW2 and rebuilt to the original style. The central Market Place is a hub of activity, though sadly we narrowly missed the weekly market there. We were able to do our own tour of the town, by bike, punctuated by some stops for liquid refreshment…well, it was still very hot!

You may recall, Andrew had spilled beer on his shorts in Ghent, well, he added to his laundry toll in Middelburg…some ice cream melted from his “Totally Nuts” ice cream cone, onto the same shorts, and…oh, the indignity, a pigeon shat on his shoulders in the Market Place. It was still a fantastic place to visit…we will go back one day, and he’ll get his revenge on that pigeon!

Click on the photo below to see some of our Middelburg photos…g’wan, you know you want to!

A day out in Brussels

A Day of….Cycle, Train, Walk, Bus, Bus, Train, Cycle..oh, and of course plenty of beer.

Wanting to see Brussels but not wanting to move to a closer campsite and travel in from there, we decided to stay camped in Ghent for an extra day and do a day trip to the city. Trains for Brussels departed every 15 minutes from Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station, which was only about 10 minutes by bike from our campsite. We bought the tickets the previous day and on Wednesday morning we cycled to the station, locked the bikes and caught the next train. We were in the big city by 11 o’clock and after a swift look around the Cathedral we boarded the Brussels city sight-seeing bus. We probably spent around 2 hours on the two bus tours, one taking us through Northern Brussels via the European Parliament and Commission building complexes, the other taking us out to Atomium, the Royal Palace and the Basilica.

We found old Brussels by ourselves after the bus tours had finished, and marvelled at the old buildings in the Grand Place. One attraction we were keen to see for ourselves was the famous Manneken Pis statue. We walked miles in the scorching heat looking for it, but we knew it would be worth the effort. Eventually we found it. Err, no, this statue was a real disappointment. It is a stumpy 2ft tall at the most, and certainly not worth the walk. Oh well……

Ghent/Gent

Ghent or Gent, it’s all the same place, a really neat old city in the Flanders region of Belgium, about 40 miles east of Bruges. We arrived at the Blaarmeersen playground (stadium) amidst an international yoof football tournament and the place was absolutely crammed with football teams. Thankfully, Sunday, our arrival day, was the last day of the tournament and by mid afternoon the thumping music had stopped and it was much quieter. Our chosen pitch was good, and the facilities were well maintained, though there was some road noise. Families of bunnies invaded every day…they were quite confident among us humans. Andrew’s threats of an air-rifle seemed lost in translation.

We ventured out on bikes mid afternoon to take a look at the city in the afternoon sunshine. As elsewhere in Belgium, cycling is the way to go, and it was very easy to find the city centre, where we also found a secure, covered cycle park, which was well used. Sitting outside a bar, Andrew managed to lose half his beer onto his shorts, thanks to a sudden gust of wind..as in it was a very breezy day, not a reference to Andrew’s digestion!

Talking of which, we’d arrived almost out of food…forgot the Continental “shops closed on Sundays ” convention…oops…so we found (via Google Maps) a Lidl, and we stocked up with – beer and wine (of course) and a range of other items, it’s amazing what a pannier and a rucksack can hold!

Ghent’s best kept secret is…..their Tourist Information office…we wandered, following the “i” signs…never quite finding it..eventually, we stopped for (another) beer, and asked the waiter…”under the bell tower”, says he..huh, nope, it had been moved to the near the castle….hidden in a corner of the square…blink and you’ll miss it…we did, several times!

Overall, though, Ghent was a wonderful city to visit, it has a real buzz to it, with many interesting churches to visit (yes, a few Euros to light some candles). Some beautiful architecture to admire, and picturesque views of the old city.

Click on the photo below for more images of Ghent.

F****** Bruges (as per the film)

It’s been on the Bucket List for a while, since we first saw the film…”In Bruges”, so it was an obvious destination for the Wills Belgian trip. At Camping Memling, ..Automatic Check-in! We managed it OK, just before the “Full” sign went up, phew! We bussed into Bruges a couple of times, before cycling in on the 3rd day. Had we known just how easy the bike ride was, we’d have ditched the bus sooner. It’s refreshing to see that cyclists seem to take priority over other road-users, a bit un- nerving till you get used to it!

Bruges is picture perfect, with its waterways and cobbled streets. We saw the sights, and topped it up with a really informative bus tour of the town..at a touristy price, but worth dipping into the budget.

The photo opposite shows the Belfort in central Bruges, click on the photo for more images

Prices were generally high in Bruges, but we found a reasonable set 3 course menu, where A indulged in a bunny rabbit dish…no bunnies were harmed in making my beef casserole…and Motown was being played in the restaurant…fine by me! For a bit of culture, on our last day, it was off to the Groeningemuseum, where there was some very interesting art, including some Van Eyck, and the weird and wonderful Bosch. Andrew, of course, has his own take on the religious art….we did a lot of walking around, including spotting some film set locations…Bucket List ticked! I may not mention it, but in every town, I go into at least one church, and pay my Euro (max. spend) and light a candle…A usually mutters a bit, but I have to do it!

Wipers

We took the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais…then, shock horror…drove through France, to reach Belgium! Fiona managed a couple of hasty photos of the Belgium signpost…then we were on to our first non_french destination- Ypres, or Wipers, if you prefer…

We arrived at our first campsite…luckily Andrew had reserved a spot, it was getting rather busy, due to (we later found out) a huge motoring rally which was hitting town..The pitch was quite roomy, and there was a very handy pathway to the town. First stop was the Menin Gate, quite a stunning monument, both in its size, and the endless list of names on it….all those souls lost during WW1, without a “proper” grave…and all those wreaths, stating “we will never forget” and nor should we.

The photo below is of the Menin Gate, click on the photo for further images taken around Ypres.

Feeling the need for some Euros, we went on an ATM hunt….eventually finding an ING bank, which allowed us €200..woohoo…time for some drinks! In fact, we opted to eat in town..and what a great decision that was! Andrew chose the “scampi in garlic butter”….NOT yer normal deep fried scampi we find in any pub in the UK…no, these were the most succulent king prawns, in a wonderful garlic butter…A has died and gone to heaven! I had a steak, which was also very good, but it wasn’t quite as outstanding as the scampi. After a few drinks and coffee, we were ready to hit the streets and wander more.

Next day, we saw some more of Ypres, including a few hours spent at the In Flanders Field Museum in the town centre. Well, I admit, I had to escape to the Ladies for a few minutes, to wipe my tears….it was the bit where chlorine gas had been deployed, and the accounts of soldiers almost ripping the skin from their faces, in agony…..man’s inhumanity to man….just horrendous…I returned to the exhibits, and continued. Wow, what a museum that was! Well worth the entrance fee…so much has gone into showing what the Belgian people went through…

Home to camp for dinner, then out to experience The Last Post at Menin Gate….a ceremony carried out every single evening at 8pm…a kind gent from Arkansas invited me to stand in front, so I could see things better…(short arse moment) and we got chatting..he too has a Motorhome…a 40 footer! He asked if we tow a car behind our Moho…different world! The ceremony was very moving, with the Last Post, and a few people walking through to lay wreathes, to add to the many, many already there. The crowd is asked for silence, and no applause. Soon, its over and we disperse. Drinks in the main square..which will soon be filled with the Rally stands, and exhibits.

Off on a new adventure

We’re off on our holidays again, with differences….a whole 4 weeks available to us, and we’re going via the Channel Tunnel instead of car ferry. (Quite a bargain, thanks to Tesco Clubcard deals) We spent the first night at Canterbury Park and Ride, here they have a Motorhome Aire..other councils, please note! Having been very impressed by the cathedrals at Winchester, and more recently York, we were keen to see how Canterbury compared. Well, we don’t know, as a.) the exterior was largely covered by scaffolding, and b.) having arrived late afternoon, the £12.50 entrance fee didn’t seem good value..we’d only have about 30 minutes for a whistlestop tour. Unlike the aforementioned cathedrals, you can’t wander round the outside here…only a glimpse without paying the entrance fee…so Chaucer’s tales etc. will have to wait for another visit. Instead, we had a lovely meal at Cote Brasserie, and did some people watching. We had a few drinks at the local (to the Park and Ride) pub in the evening, before our Eurotunnel trip next day.
Here is the best (free ) view of what is acclaimed as a beautiful building.

The best view of Canterbury Cathedral you get without shelling out the £12 or so.

Now it’s legal

Another nice sunny day in Fareham, these two have been very lucky again with the weather. This time Steve and Laura have their marriage made legal, and Laura gets the marriage certificate to prove it. Although they were dressed a little more casually than at the main event, they both looked good and were both far less stressed than at their wedding back in May.

Matt and Ritchie were there as formal witnesses for the marriage, with Tom and Kira, Fiona and me there to share the joy.

Click on the photo below to see a selection of the photos I took at the event: