Christmas Markets, 4 December 2023

Clermont-en-Argonne

I had just got off to sleep last night when the fridge started beeping at us plaintively to tell us we were out of gas! So the Swan Whisperer got out of bed and went to change the gas, but after a few minutes, the fridge beeped again. So I got out and reset it, but then of course I was lying awake waiting for it to start beeping again (it didn't) and then wondering whether the Swan Whisperer had relocked the door when he came in (he hadn't), and whether I needed a wee (I did). So it was about 4:30 am before I finally got off to sleep. French time of course, but even still. 

However, it had not frozen overnight, although it was very cold. But a blast of the central heating meant that it was warm to shower and dress (I refused to get out of bed until it had been blasting for several minutes!). We had breakfast, although it was raining so hard that the SW declined to go for a run or even to go and fetch croissants. Nevertheless, it was about 10 before we finally used the services and set off.

Our first port of call was the local Auchan, where the SW got diesel and more gas, and I did a shopping. I'm sure that place is six times bigger than it was when I was last there. One nice thing is that I got a new loyalty card last time I was there, and it is on my phone, and I was able to use it for scan'n'shop. They have a rather clever system whereby you return your scanner to a slot outside the paying area, and then when you get to a till, you rescan your card so it knows who you are and what you have bought. I did have to have 3 items checked, which was just a random check,  probably because I hadn't used the system before, but that didn't take long. 

By then, the SW was back, although he had parked round the other side of the complex, so I had to go back through the mall to get to him. Thank goodness for Google location sharing services, as when I zoomed in, I could see exactly where he was, and I didn't have to phone him and try to work it out from his description. 

Then it was a long, dreary, wet drive along the A26 - over 300 km of it. We did stop for lunch, but that was all. I slept in the morning, but after lunch did a bit of knitting while trying to find some music to listen to that wasn't boring. 

We have, as I thought been to this aire before, one winter's day when we were in desperate need of services and couldn't find any that were not locked out of use. Although we haven't used them this time, we know they are there, plus also showers and loos should we wish to use them. 

I tried to do a bit of a workout as I hadn't had much exercise, but it was cold and wet so I only lasted 5 minutes! But that breath of air was glorious and I felt the better for it. The SW has barely left the WoMo today, escept to use the services and to buy gas. Unlike him, but the weather has been so very horrible. 

However, because we have electricity here, the WoMo is lovely and warm. It won't be tomorrow, as we don't have any services where we plan to park up, but hey. We can go to bed early! 

I was just about to make a chickpea curry for supper - I mean, to the point of getting out the vegetables and spices - when I suddenly realised that one thing I forgot to pack was cooking oil! However, I had bought a ready-meal of kidneys in madeira sauce, which we both love, so we had that with spinach folded through it, and a potato-and-leek mash. Followed by those lovely French compotes with cream on the top. Delicious. I will get cooking oil tomorrow and we can have the curry then, unless we ďecide to eat at the Ecomusée. 

I suppose that if I were nice I could see whether we can stream Mastermind and University Challenge to our television. That, after all, is what VPNs are for. So nice not to have to go to bed more-or-less straight after supper, which we do have to when there isn't electricity. Gas is not finite, and it's a bore when it runs out in the middle of the night. Oh, and the SW has repaired his reading-light, or rather, installed a new one, so clever of him! So that's good, when we do go to bed early. 

Tonight's photo is of the bowl I bought last Holidays, very cheaply, to use as a mixing bowl when required and to mash potatoes in, as we didn't really have anything suitable. We could use the bottom of the steamer, but then you have to decant the water somewhere (it's not a good idea to put it down the sink as it makes the grey water reservoir smell even worse than it already does). 

Christmas Markets 3 December 2023

So we are off on our annual trip to the Christmas markets of Europe.  This time, we are going to Alsace, which we have done before and are looking forward to doing again. 

I was preaching this morning, so we couldn't set off until after that had happened, and by the time we got away it was about 11:45. It was a very smooth run down to Sussex - we had got the first 25 minutes or so of the journey just going down to church - and we arrived there just after 1. After a delicious lunch of soup (made by my mother), bread and cheese (supplied by us), we loaded up the WoMo and set off. We were away shortly before 4, and arrived at Folkestone just on 6 pm, to be offered a crossing an hour before our booked one. And in the event, we were loaded on to the one 90 minutes earlier, which was terrific. 

Even so, it was past 8 pm, French time, before we were parked up in the aire at Calais and cooking pasta and (pre-made) sauce for our supper. 

It is a bit colder here than it was in the UK, but not by much, and just as wet! The forecast for the UK had been horrible - snow and freezing rain - but in the event it was much milder than it had been. All the same, because the heating in the church I was preaching in had failed, we were really quite chilled. I am looking forward to curling up in bed with warm pyjamas and a hot-water bottle! 

I didn't take any photos today, so here is one of a ginger monster that I took yesterday on my way to tai chi! 

Early autumn holiday, 8 October 2023

Of course, when you actually want to wake up early, you don't stir until the alarm goes off at 07:30! So it was a bit of a rush to have breakfast, start packing up and be away shortly after 9, but we managed it.

It's about a 45-minute drive to Cité Europe, where I did a dash into Carrefour for the things I hadn't been able to get yesterday, and then we went straight to the terminal. We were offered a crossing 30 minutes earlier than the one we'd booked on, but I'm fact it was only 15 minutes earlier, which was as well given the length of time it took to get through passport control, etc. We only had to wait in the holding pens for about 5 minutes.

After which it was a smooth run to no 6, which was expecting us to a very delicious Sunday lunch, as my nephew and his partner were there, too. They all went out for a drive round the woods while we packed up and cleaned the WoMo, and then it was time to go delayed by the Swan Whisperer'leaving his phone on the WoMo and having to rush and retrieve it.

We got back to London about 7:30 or so, unloaded the car (the eggs got dropped, so supper was an omelette!), did a bare minimum of unpacking, and so to bed. 

Early autumn holiday, 7 October 2023

The last full day of our holiday, sadly. Still, it's time to go home.

We bade our hosts farewell, buying some more of their utterly delicious yoghurt while doing so, and then headed into a nearby town to do a Last Shop, only they didn't have citrus tea or the extremely delicious chickpea salad that we enjoyed and I'm not sure what it contained (I think parsley, lemon and garlic, and perhaps a little olive oil, but wouldn't swear to it) . So if there is time tomorrow I want to pop in to Auchan or Carrefour or somewhere similar. Not the end of the world if there isn't time.

After this, we drove to the beginning of one of the more famous "pavé" section of the various cycle races, especially Paris-Roubaix, the Pavé d'Arenberg, where we also had lunch as we had timed it well! 

We decided the aire in Calais was too soulless, not to mention too expensive, for a Last Night, so we decided to go to this very nice aire in Esquelbecq, where we have been before. No sign of the peacock, though!  It's about 45 minutes from Calais, so we'll have to get up betimes (we can, when we have to!). 

I had been asleep on the drive over, and the Swan Whisperer wanted to "rest his eyes" (ahem!), so I went out for a short walk in the immediate area, which is indeed as nice as he said it was last year! He did similar when I came back, although I'm not sure where he went. I went to the local convenience store, but they didn't have what I wanted, alas. Also looked round the church and the brewery (its shop, not the actual brewery). Photos on Facebook, as per. 

Early autumn holiday, 6 October 2023

Chèvrerie La Bêle Fontenoise

The Swan Whisperer went for a run this morning, and then after breakfast just sat; I thought he was recovering before heading for a walk round Rouen, but he said he was waiting for me! Miscommunication rules!

Anyway, we thought we would drive down to Chamery via a village called Chigny-les-Roses, where we hoped to be able to empty the loo. We couldn't find the services, alas, but we did find a France Passion place, where I might suggest we spend the night on a future trip. It's all very well driving through Champagne, but I'd really like to get a chance to taste the eponymous wine, and this doesn't seem to happen!

However, we arrived in Chamery a few minutes later, and, for some extraordinary reason, it occurred to the Swan Whisperer that as well as putting €2 into the machine, he could press the button - and the services worked! We have only been going there for the past eight years...

Anyway, we then decided to go to Epernay, rather out of our way, but we decided we'd like to visit a museum about champagne. Unfortunately, when we got there, there was nowhere to park, so we had to come away. After which we rather thought "sod this for a game of soldiers!" and drove up here, to this goat farm near Cambrai. This is brilliant! 

We went into the shop and bought some goat's cheese - I tell you, you haven't lived until you've tasted goats' cheese stuffed with chestnut puree, it's lush! The very friendly people told us where to park up, and then said we might want to go and watch the milking, which should happen about 6:00 pm (it was actually a little later). 

It was more than just watching the milking; the goats have to be milked in shifts, and the farmer spent the first shift showing the children (there was a group of young families who had come to shop and stayed to watch) where the milk came from, and encouraging them to squirt their mothers with milk direct from the teat! And showing them how they put on the clusters and so on. Interestingly, goats are much cleaner than cows, so he can milk them in his everyday clothes and doesn't have to wear rubber aprons and boots, like you do with cows. He also didn't wash the udders, or disinfect the clusters between goats, although he pointed out that the milk went straight to the dairy from the goat without coming into the open air in the meantime, and the clusters are disinfected for at least an hour after the end of milking. 

Once the first lot had finished and been released, he rather dismissed us, so we came back to the WoMo and have been there ever since. There are two camper-vans here as well as us, one Swiss and one German. 

We had some of the goats' yoghurt with fruit for supper pudding, and it was delicious - I shall buy some more tomorrow before we head on! 

Early autumn holiday, 5 October 2023

Reims

Well, I don't know what happened last night, but we both forgot all about Compline, and I was asleep before 9 pm! Slept really well all night, too!

This morning we went  for a walk round Troyes, which was lovely, although rather longer than anticipated as the way we thought would be a clever way back to the WoMo was longer than it looked on the map. Still very enjoyable, though. We did stop for a coffee, which was delicious and a much-needed rest.

Once we had got back to the WoMo, we headed off to Reims via Chalons-en-Champagne, where we stopped for lunch and to do some shopping. At Reims, the woman at the hostel said the site was full, but I asked her to let us in anyway to use the services. Sadly, the drain for the loo is blocked so we weren't able to empty it, but we could empty the grey and take on fresh water. And there was just one space left in the aire, so we grabbed it! The SW has, of course, gone for a walk, but even he had a nap first, although he says it's because his phone needed charging! I expect it did... 

Early autumn holiday, 4 October 2023

Troyes, Champagne

A very frustrating day! The Swan Whisperer having said it wasn't worth going into Is-sur-Tille, we didn't  bother, but once we had cleared up breakfast and used the services, we headed on. Now, what we hadn't realised was that if you turned left out of the CCP, rather than right as he had done last night, it was a much better way into town, pavements all the way, 100m from a convenience store - and the town itself, from that angle, looked quite nice and I should have liked to have visited it. But too late, too late, so we drove cross country, first to the Lac d'Orient, where the SW went for a walk, and then on to the village where we had hoped to spend the night.

It really was a lovely drive, though - beautiful countryside sprinkled with pretty villages, and we both really enjoyed it. We stopped at a big and very empty Auchan for shopping and lunch.

But when we got to the France Passion place where we had planned to spend the night, nobody was home and it was totally not obvious where to park. We waited for over an hour (having a cup of tea while we waited) and then came sadly away. Probably as well for my purse, as they sell alpaca wool and so on... The Swan Whisperer found this car park in Troyes, where we are parked up next to what I think is the Seine.