Christmas on the River

For the first time for many years, we had found ourselves with no plans for Christmas.  I am sure my sister would have invited us, but we didn't want her to feel she had to, so we were pro-active and booked a lunch-time cruise on the Thames, leaving from Westminster Pier. 

On Christmas Day, of course, there is no public transport in London, but one can park, so we drove up to Westminster and found a parking-space behind Westminster Central Hall, about ten minutes' walk from the pier.  Boarding was supposed to start at 11:30, but when we arrived, about ten minutes earlier, they had already begun - and we were glad we had not been much later, since the queue behind us swelled to alarming proportions!  In fact, there were three boats making the cruise.

We had booked a window table, and, once our ticket had been checked, were escorted to it with a glass of sparkling wine.

  As soon as we sat down, our first course - a salmon mousse wrapped in smoked salmon and served with salad - was brought to us, but the boat did not leave its moorings until the scheduled time of noon.

The boat headed down river, under the bridges, past all the sights.  There was a singer-cum-commentator who did a fantastic job telling us where we were.  Many of the other people on the boat were tourists, from the United States and elsewhere.  We were able to spend time up on the deck, but it was too cold and dank to linger for long.  The next course was soup:

and once we had got past Tower Bridge

the main course of roast pork and all the trimmings (there was a vegetarian option, but we hadn't ordered it) was served, and then the pudding, which was some kind of straciatella cheesecake with a very nice fruit compote on the top. 

By this time, we were at Greenwich.  The boat paused at one of their piers, presumably to take on fuel, and went down the river nearly as far as the Thames Barrier.  Then it turned round and came back past the O2

 the Cutty Sark,

 the Shard

 Shakespeare's Globe,

 the Millennium Bridge

 Tate Britain,

 the Oxo Tower

 and, finally, the Houses of Parliament. 

Then the boat docked back at Westminster to end a most enjoyable cruise.  And then, because we could, we drove around part of Central London where one normally can't because of the Congestion Charge, and  saw the lights in Regent Street (we thought they were wasps at first, but it turned out to be angels!) and the big department stores.  And so home, and a much-needed nap!

France, 20 December

I dashed into the Carrefour this morning to get a baguette for lunch and some yoghurts for supper, and thought, suddenly, while I was in there that all was not quite well inside.  Sadly, I was in for a tummy-upset, and by the time we got home (which we did, very quickly and easily), all I wanted was the loo and my bed, in that order!  So no Christmas concert for me, and probably no Christmas meal with the Daughter, either.  Ah well.  At the time of writing (21 December, evening) it is passing, but not the end to the holiday one would have hoped for!

France (was Belgium), 19 December

So the big question was, what to do today?  We decided to pay a return visit to Cambrai, a town we had liked very much on a visit some years ago.

The Satnav took us straight there, although it was horribly foggy most of the way, and we were able to park just outside the Hotel de Ville, in a square where there was a Christmas market. This, however, was not open, but we saw from posters around the town that it would open at noon.  So we went for a walk, and found the Cathedral and the Porte de Paris, the big fortified gate that is all that remains of the city walls.

Then we walked back, stopping at a bakery to get bread and patisseries for lunch, and I bought some of the eponymous "bétises" (humbugs) for The Boy, who has just discovered Astérix and they are mentioned in Astérix and the Banquet.  I was robbed, actually, as they were half the price in Carrefour, but never mind that now!

Although it was well past noon, the Christmas market showed no signs of opening, so we went on.  We had hoped to park up by a canal to eat lunch, but when we got there, it was Authorised Vehicles Only, but we found an empty car park not far away.

Then it was quite a long drive back to Cité Europe, and after a cup of tea we did a huge shop, mostly Christmas shopping, and by the time that was put away, it was time to go and eat at the local Buffalo Grill. After which we drove round to see the Christmas lights in Calais, which are lovely - leave Oxford Street standing, never mind the ghastly eyeballs they have in Brixton. We got a bit lost on the way back, but the Satnav got us back ok!  And, such is the way of things, it is at least 10° milder now that the heating is working!

Belgium (now France), 18 December

What a difference a day makes!  This time yesterday, we were shivering in bed, clad in our warmest pyjamas, bedsocks, jerseys or bed-jackets and hot-water bottles, and taking what felt like forever to warm up (although once we had, we were very warm and snug!). Now we are sitting round the table in our day clothes, vaguely thinking of heading off to bed.  Yes, the heating has been fixed. It was, as we suspected, the thermostat, and the man showed us how to do a temporary fix should it happen again!

However, the place (recommended to us by the farmer's wife where we had spent the night) didn't open until 2, so we went into Sedan and did a bit of shopping and had lunch, and the SW went to have a quick look at the castle there - I found just walking round the supermarket reminded me too vividly of yesterday's fall - and we then had to think what to do next.

We could have resumed our itinerary and gone to Mons, as planned, but it would have been dark by the time we got there, so no point, really. So we came to the aire in Landrecies, where we have stayed before (the place where the fishermen talked all night, and where we stopped for lunch and found we'd forgotten the picnic table), and parked up for the night. Tomorrow we will revisit Cambrai before heading to Calais and a massive Christmas shop!

Belgium, 17 December

Not a good day!  We realised last night that the heating is kaput, and it is very, very cold here!  The hot water, thankfully, is still working - had it not been, we would have had to go to a hotel - but we were also low on water and seem to have spent much of the day searching for some.  Including one campsite which may or may not have been open, but it was the lunch hour so reception would have been been closed anyway.  I walked down a slope to see if I could see them, slipped on my way back up, and fell heavily. No real damage but it hurt and I was very shaken.  Grazed left palm and bruised right knee.

We have ended up back in France wrapped in rugs and hot-water bottles, at a France Passion place which was able to give us water, and now that we have eaten, we'll be getting into bed very soon. The trouble is, I want to knit, but my hands get just too cold!  I hope tomorrow we can find a service place and then can enjoy the last 48 hours of this holiday - I'd really rather be in a hotel right now. 

Belgium (and Luxembourg), 16 December

We were very late indeed this morning, not helped by the Swan Whisperer's going for a run, so it was not far off lunch time by the time we set off. First stop was a small supermarket for the day's groceries, and then the SW wanted to visit a lake formed by a dammed river at Esch sur Sûre, so we went there first, and then came back to Martelange through a beautifully snowy landscape.

We got diesel at the Aral station at the Luxembourg price of €1.04 a litre. In fact, the whole of the Luxembourg side of the road was lined with petrol stations - at least 10 - all the same price, and many of them with off-licences attached (I assume booze is cheaper there, too).

We then decided to visit the abbey at Orval, which was lovely - you could only visit the ruined abbey, not the modern one, of course, but it was still well worth visiting.  There was a film about the life of the monks, but sadly I fell asleep and missed most of it!  Then we were getting cold - and, to be honest, one muddy green space surrounded by stone walls looks very much like another, even if one was meant to be the refectory and the next the chapter house.

One could buy both beer and cheese, but not taste them first, and from the video we saw of it being made, it looked a little "hoppy" for our taste, so we didn't.

Then a drive cross-country in the dusk to our parking place for tonight, where again there are two other motor homes. I thought there were services, but only a loo emptying place, no water or waste water. We have plenty for tomorrow, though.

Belgium, 15 December

The Swan Whisperer's 67th birthday. We had a very leisurely breakfast, and didn't set off until about 11:00.  We told the Satnav not to use motorways, a decision I, at any rate, soon regretted as it took us up over the hills on very twisty roads and a few hairpin bends. We changed our minds, and told it to take us on the most economical route, which does tend to avoid motorways.

The Swan Whisperer said he didn't think Belgian villages were as nice as French ones, but I thought we went through some very nice ones. We stopped in Aywailles to shop (me), including a couple of delicious mini buches de Noël to serve as birthday cake,

and have coffee (him), and then drive on over the hills to a little town called La Roche-en-Ardennes which the SW wanted to see. En route, we noticed the snow line was about 450 metres, but the weather was quite nice - until, that is, we parked up in La Roche-en-Ardennes for lunch, at which point it started to rain!

The SW, undaunted, went out for a walk while I had a nap, and then we drive on to Bastogne, at which point it started to snow. The last 20k were a bit of a nightmare, as the snow was settling fast and it was getting dark. We didn't quite dare to park up where we first thought, as it was down quite a steep slope, and how would we get up if it froze overnight?  But there was another one nearer the town which has no prohibitive notices, and does have a Christmas crib, so we have parked up there.

This meant we could walk into the town to eat, in a rather expensive restaurant on the Luxembourg side of the road, but very good. We had fizzy wine to start with, then he had salmon followed by chocolate mousse and I had petit salé aux lentilles followed by a sort of ice-cream sundae, with walnuts!  Very good.  And so, as Pepys would say, to bed, as it is far too cold to sit up although it has stopped snowing and I don't think it's freezing just now.