Happy 30th, Sophie!
After another good night's sleep, we wished Sophie a very happy 30th birthday! She had enjoyed herself immensely so far, and we were hoping for another great day, visiting Ypres for lunch and a wander about. She had left her cards and gifts at home to open this evening, rather than bring everything with us.
Our checkout time was 10:00am this morning, but we were up, showered, dressed and packed well before that. We did a final sweep, followed the departure instructions left by Margot, who had popped in to say a brief hello last night, and we were off. The weather was looking promising, and we hoped for a little sun and blue sky!
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| Hopefully, we will be back! |
The long, straight roads of Belgium
We took the A16 towards Calais and the traffic was lighter than normal. We kept forgetting it was Easter Sunday! Soon, we had passed Calais and the ugly, industrial outskirts of Dunkirk, and we were in Belgium. The road signs were Flemish with lots of double letters, Oostende, for example! Ypres became Ieper, and we turned off onto the N8, a road that was undergoing construction work.
We had been travelling for nearly an hour, and I needed a coffee, so we found an area of wasteland next to a petrol station and pulled in. I parked overlooking flat, arable farmland with ugly concrete barns dotted about. Sophie had made a flask of coffee and had packed the remaining pains with a couple of breakfast bars. We sat and enjoyed our coffee while staring at the flat countryside. It had become grey again, but thankfully, it remained dry!
Restored by coffee, we set off towards Ieper. The road was long, very straight, but uneven and uncomfortable to drive on. The smooth, pothole-free roads of France were a distant memory! Every so often, we came to a village strung out along the road, and we marvelled at the difference between Belgium and France, which was so close. Some of the houses were beautiful, though, and they were all neat and orderly.
It didn't take us long to get to Ieper, and we followed signs for parking near the Menin Gate. The town was quiet, and we were able to park for free in a residential area next to a river. Sophie found a bar on her maps app, so we crossed the river on a wooden bridge and walked along a path that led to a stone tower. We climbed a steep flight of steps and found ourselves overlooking the river, with trails leading off in different directions. Several families were out walking, and a couple of them said hello. What a lovely, friendly place!
The bar that Sophie had found turned out to be firmly closed, so we walked towards the main square in search of a drink before lunch. Ahead of us was the large, imposing Menin Gate, a war memorial dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who had died in the First World War. It was beautiful and something I've always wanted to see. Sophie had first visited with her school when she was about 14, and had experienced what it was like in the trenches on a freezing day in February. I just wished we had longer to explore.
Leading away from the gate was a main road with numerous shops, bars and restaurants. We entered the first bar we came to, called St Arnoldus, which was advertising twenty-five beers on draught! It was a long, dimly-lit bar and we took a seat near the entrance. We all chose different beers - a whisky-infused beer for Keith, a beer brewed in Bruges for Sophie, and I had a local dark beer called Wipers Times Dubbel.
Just after we sat down, a British couple arrived, and we got talking to them. It was Keith's accent that prompted the conversation, as they were from Middlesbrough. It was lovely to sit and chat, nibble tiny balls of Wotsits-type puffs and relax.
However, the time was getting on, so we paid our bill and set off along the street towards the huge main square. This was also used as a car park and was surrounded by beautiful Flemish buildings.
Ieper was a gorgeous town, and one I hope we'll return to. Sophie and I both fancy a break in Belgium, visiting Ieper again, Ghent, Bruges and Dinant. The Belgian specialities - beer and chocolate - are right up our street! We went into a shop selling chocolates, beer and gifts, and I bought Keith a new Le Chouffe glass as his other two had been broken.
We found a restaurant right on the square, and although the prices were a little steep, we didn't have the luxury of time to wander about and look for somewhere else. The restaurant was called Vivaldi, and we took a table right at the end of the dining area.
Sophie wanted to go home and have a Chinese takeaway this evening, so we didn't need a huge meal. I opted for a salad with cheese croquettes, and both Keith and Sophie chose croque madame toasted sandwiches with an egg and a side order of fries and salad. We all drank the dark local beer I'd enjoyed in the bar.
The food was delicious, and my dish had every type of salad vegetable I could think of, as well as some I wouldn't have expected, such as asparagus and green beans! I helped out by eating some of the crunchy, hot chips, and we agreed that it had been a great meal with a friendly ambience.
Back to France
After paying the bill, we wandered around the gorgeous square and admired the buildings. I just wish we could have stayed longer and explored more. Walking back to the car, the streets reminded me of Bruges, with a similar architecture and atmosphere.
We recrossed the river and walked past a large group of people enjoying a picnic in the sunshine. By now it was warm! Back at the car (which I noticed was filthy and covered in a large dollop of bird poo), we put directions for Calais into Jeeves and set off.
Our journey back to the motorway was a lot different. We drove through Ieper and out into the Belgian countryside, passing through a large industrial area with a dual carriageway that reminded me of roads in the US! We then turned off onto a road through arable fields and farmhouses, and suddenly, we were in France again!
We spotted a petrol station and decided to stop and fill up, but as usual, I took the wrong turning, and we ended up in a part that had been closed down! As I drove out behind the station, we briefly went into Belgium again (the car lets you know when you cross a border!).
We gave up on the petrol, both here and at an aire we came to on the motorway, where signs said we had to pre-pay before filling up. We certainly had enough to get home, and it was cheaper than in France. Very soon, we were near Calais and the Shuttle terminal. We were a little early and were offered the 3:54pm train, which we accepted. I think we should have gone straight through to passport control, but we all needed the loo, and I wanted to buy some chocolates for work.
I had them in my hand, about to go and pay, when Keith said there was a last call for our train! I dropped the chocs back onto the shelf, and we dashed back to the car! We then had a queue to get through both passport controls, and the UK official was lovely, asking Sophie why she was travelling on her birthday. Indeed! We should have stayed another night!
Homeward bound
Amazingly, we were the last but one car on the train, and we settled back in our seats for a snooze during the crossing. Back in the UK, the roads weren't busy, and we made good time home, taking the same route as Friday.
Just after we arrived home, I saw Isla, who was about to feed the cats. They had behaved for her, and Mooney was in the conservatory when we went into the house, much to Sophie's delight! No sign of Gomez, though!
We unpacked the car, put some stuff away and ordered a Chinese takeaway. Sophie then opened her cards and gifts, and we sat and relaxed. We all agreed it had been a lovely break, and we would love to go back to The Whispering Pines again one day!
Sophie was delighted to get Gomez in later in the evening, and he cuddled up to her as a welcome. I think both cats had missed us while we were away and the creature comforts of the rest of the house!
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