STRESA OR BUST

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September 2009


A MINI TRAVELOGUE
by Brian William Carter


CHAPTER ONE

I’m not sure whose idea it was. My wife, Janet, mentioned that as it was our fifth wedding anniversary in September, it would be nice to revisit our honeymoon destination of Stresa on Lago Maggiore in north-west Italy. Well that set the old mental wheels whirring into action, and I reviewed my imaginary list of things to do (we all have one), and there it was, number three, between visiting New Zealand and a cruise round the Norwegian fjords. Drive across Europe.
This seemed a perfect opportunity to tick this one off the list. Now, I have driven in Europe before, but not to any great extent.
There was the day trip in January 1998, when Janet and I took advantage of a special offer to use the Channel Tunnel, and duly drove my red 1987 BMW 327i convertible to Folkestone. Having walked round the hypermarket and had a cup of deliciously strong coffee in Calais, we decided to drive east along the coast. Our first stop was Dunkerque. Now, I don’t know if there is such a thing as early closing on Mondays or a French national holiday in mid-January, but the town was deserted, and the shops were shut – perhaps they had all evacuated! So, unable to find any liquid refreshment, we drove to Bruges where we did manage a couple of hours wandering around, and enjoyed a savoury crepes lunch. We returned to Calais in due time only to be asked by Customs to pull into the search area. They appeared quite surprised when they found an empty boot.
Then there was the occasion in February 1999, when Janet’s brother Mike asked me to accompany him to their place in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca in south-east Spain. The plan was to fly to Alicante, then drive his Seat Cordoba back to Hemel Hempstead. We spent four days at his place enjoying a surprising heat wave (up to 100f) for that time of year. Then the journey home via eastern Spain, during which I drove for about two hours. It turned out that my eyes were better for reading maps than his, so that was the end of my driving stint. Our first overnight stop was on the outskirts of Barcelona, where we managed to find a cheap B&B; the only slight drawback was that the room contained one double bed! But it was quite late and we were too tired to look elsewhere, so we took it. One of us got a good night’s sleep, while poor old Mike had to listen to my renowned snoring! His lack of sleep began to manifest itself at breakfast when he tried to request eggs in his limited knowledge of Spanish. Having thus far failed to communicate, I tried to help using French by saying ‘oeufs’. This produced exactly the same shrug of the shoulders from the waitress. At this point Mike stood up and did what I can only describe as a ‘Norman Collier’ and flapped his elbows up and down while making a clucking sound!! “Ah pollo!” she shouted, thinking that we wanted chicken for breakfast. At this point someone from a nearby table, who had enjoyed the unbilled cabaret, explained in perfect Spanish what we would like, and we duly ate a hearty breakfast! It was one of the most entertaining impromptu games of charades that I have had the pleasure to witness! The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. Our second overnighter was in Carcassonne, where we had some time to wander around this very interesting walled city. Then a full day’s driving through Paris to Calais; then the ferry to Dover and onwards to Hemel Hempstead.

My most recent stint of driving on the wrong side of the road occurred over the Mayday Bank Holiday weekend of 2008, where Janet and I had booked a two-night city break in Bruges. We drove to Dover in my black 1998 Jaguar XJ Sport and caught the ferry to Dunkerque. This was followed by a fairly straight forward drive to Bruges where we stayed in a very nice hotel overlooking one of the canals. The weather was wonderful and wandering around the city was fascinating; plenty of photo opportunities, or ‘Kodak moments’ as I prefer. The journey back was equally uneventful.


CHAPTER TWO

So, back to the Italian Job.
Now came the planning. For this I needed a large scale road map of France, which I duly purchased in Halfords (£12), along with a pack of headlamp adaptors (£8). I already had a small scale map of Italy which I thought would be sufficient.
The first thing was to plan a suitable circular route, preferably avoiding toll roads. Having looked at the map I decided to take the Seacat ferry from Dover to Boulogne and return on the ferry from Dunkerque to Dover. But when? The whole journey revolved around us being in Stresa on our anniversary of September 25th. It was about this point during the planning stage when I had my romantic inspiration. Five years earlier we had honeymooned for ten days in the Grand Hotel Bristol, room 260, overlooking the lake. I wondered if this room was available. So I went online to the hotel’s website where it appeared that rooms were in short supply, and would cost upwards of €500 a night for a lake view; about €250 for a mountain view at the back. So I decided to write a letter (NOT an email!) addressed to the hotel manager explaining the situation. Well, about a week later I received an email from the hotel offering us our old room at the very reasonable cost of €185 a night. I immediately accepted and booked us in for two nights, the 25th and 26th. Result!
The next few days were spent poring over the map planning the outward journey. I eventually determined the route, the mileage and the appropriate overnight stops. For these I had gone online to the Campanile Hotel website and booked us in accordingly, which was relatively easy to do. If all went according to plan there would be three stopovers in Rouen, Moulins and Annecy, arriving in Stresa on the 25th which meant leaving home on the 22nd. I duly booked the LD Lines Seacat, departing at 12:30 BST arriving in Boulogne one hour later at 14:30 Central European Time (CET).
The trip back would be through Switzerland stopping overnight in Lausanne (Novotel) and two more Campaniles in Reims and Lille, before catching the Norfolk Line ferry from Dunkerque on the 30th. The overall mileage was estimated to be around 1750 miles.
Having arranged all this in early July, I then put the paperwork and my thoughts to one side for the next couple of months.


CHAPTER THREE

September duly arrived and one of my first tasks was to arrange for our blue 2003 Toyota RAV4 GX to be given the once-over by our local dealer, Steven Eagell of Milton Keynes. Apparently they do a half-hour free inspection which flags up any problems. The subsequent report indicated 7 greens, 5 ambers and no reds. I reviewed the five ambers and duly replaced the front nearside tyre and the rear wiper blade. However, there was not much I could do about the clutch pedal being heavy, and the other two items could wait for the next service. I checked the tyre pressures and the usual stuff under the bonnet: dipstick, brake fluid, radiator level, power steering fluid and screenwash. I emptied the rear compartment of superfluous stuff making sure there was a red triangle in the car kit. I placed two hi-vis jackets behind our seats. Janet had made up an extensive first-aid bag marked with a suitable red cross. The car was now ready.
Monday 21st September: D-Day (departure day) -1.
Having checked the weather forecast, we spent the day packing and getting the house ready for our eight day absence. I went to bed that night with mixed feelings – excitement, anticipation and apprehension.
Tuesday 22nd September: D-Day
Our ferry was due to depart at 12:30 BST and we had to be there at least an hour beforehand. I estimated at least a two-hour journey meaning we should leave home by 09:00. We arose early and prepared a picnic bag containing suitable refreshments. The house was put into ‘shutdown’ mode, timers were set, the car was loaded and we set off at 08:45.
It was a beautiful early autumnal day as we headed for the Leighton Buzzard Road to Hemel Hempstead, then onto the southbound M1 briefly before taking the M25 clockwise, over the Queen Elizabeth Bridge at Dartford, then exiting at J3 onto the M20 to Dover via Folkestone. There were no major holdups and we arrived at LD Lines checkin at around 11:00; 130 miles.
(see photo 'Dover')

The crossing was due to take an hour; arriving at 14:30 CET. Loading of the Seacat started around noon and was soon completed due to the fact that it appeared to be less than half full. The first problem was announced by the captain saying that as one of the engines is out of commission it would be a slower crossing than usual; the second was a delay of 20 minutes leaving Dover. Both of which resulted in our docking in Boulogne exactly one hour later than scheduled!

Armed with my spreadsheets of planned routes and several prints of Google close-up maps, Janet successfully negotiated a route out of Boulogne south onto the D940 where our first planned stop was to pay a visit to Le Touquet. At just after 4pm and twenty-two miles later we arrived on the sea front where we parked in a pay-and-display area. I went over to the machine and tried to insert €1, but the machine refused to accept it. After trying a couple of times a kindly gentleman came over and explained something.
Now, the last time I studied French was at Pinner County Grammar School in 1964! I sat the ‘O’ Level exam twice and narrowly failed both times!! The second occasion I was part of an elite group of five in my class being taught by a French lady named Miss Comte, who was so convinced that we would all pass the exam that she said she would give up teaching if we failed. I wonder what happened to her.
Anyway, back to the pay-and-display machine, where I gathered he was indicating that parking was free. All I could say in response was “Merci beaucoup, monsieur” about three or four times, ending with “Au revoir”.

(see photo 'Le Touquet')

We strolled around for about twenty minutes and having got a flavour of the place we hit the road again. Eventually finding the D940 again we continued south to Eu, then onto the D925 to Dieppe, where we had planned another break, but because we were an hour behind schedule, we drove onto the N27, A151 then left onto the A150 into Rouen for our first overnight stop.

We arrived in the city around 19:15 and all we had to do was to find our Campanile Hotel. I had printed a few close-up maps of Rouen to assist in this task. It’s quite amazing how different it all looks in the real world! The hotel is situated in Mont St Aignan in the north-west, and having driven around fruitlessly for what seemed like an eternity, trying to follow the maps, we were no nearer finding Mont St Aignan, let alone the hotel! Eventually I saw a signpost pointing to Mont St Aignan and followed the direction looking for any indication of the hotel. No such luck. But we did come across a ‘you-are-here’ street map of the area, and I tried to memorise the route. Well, soon the road looked completely different from my memory, so we started to drive aimlessly around the area, with me getting more and more frustrated, until Janet spotted a small Campanile sign on the side of the road. I did an illegal U-turn on an empty road and followed the direction of the sign. After a few more wrong turnings, we eventually found it and parked at 20:10, much to our relief!

It was too late and we were too tired mentally to think about exploring the city, so we checked in, freshened up and enjoyed a meal in the restaurant. We were in bed by 22:00.
Day 1: 269 miles.


CHAPTER FOUR
(see photo 'Map 2')

Wednesday 23rd September: Day 2
We arose around 07:30 CET and after about half-an-hour were ready to leave. We decided not to partake of the continental breakfast on offer at €9 each, so I paid the bill and we departed around 08:15 on another lovely sunny day.
Now, if finding the hotel was difficult then trying to find our exit route was proving just as frustrating. Despite the close-up maps and my directions it took over half-an-hour to come across a suitable road, the E46/E402 (why roads on the continent have more than one designation is still a mystery to me), which was not the route I had chosen (N15/D6015).
I vowed there and then that if I were to embark on such an adventure again, the first thing I would buy is a SatNav!

We eventually returned to our preordained route at Val de Reuil and took the A154 south where it became the N154 at Pinterville, via Evreux to Nonancourt where we had a mini-break. This was a parking area containing toilets and a couple of concrete picnic tables.
(see photo 'Nonancourt')

Having filled our flask with hot water at the hotel before we left, we both enjoyed a hot drink and a snack, and of course, made use of the facilities.
About twenty minutes later we were on our way again, turning left onto the N12 to Dreux, then back on the N154 via Chartres to Allaines Mervilliers, the D954 to Artenay then the N20 to Orleans, continuing to Lamotte Beuvron, where it became the N20/D2020 to Salbris.
(see photo 'Salbris')

Here we stopped for lunch, buying a fresh cooked chicken quarter at the local Carrefour and partaking of a coffee at a nearby cafe.
We then carried on to Vierzon taking the N76/D2076 via Bourges to St Pierre le Moutier, then the N7 to Moulins for our second overnight stop.
This time, finding the Campanile Hotel was relatively easy, and we checked in at 17:30. We then went for a walk towards the town centre, not realising just how far from that we were. After about half-an-hour we still hadn’t come across any places of interest, so we selected a circular route back to the hotel. Here we enjoyed their ‘Plat du Jour’ at €8.70 and a glass of wine.
We took this opportunity to reflect on our journey so far, and both agreed that up until now the French countryside resembled East Anglia but much bigger, in that it was extremely flat and the roads very straight – not that interesting for the driver!
Day 2: 278 miles.


CHAPTER FIVE
(see photo 'Map 3')

Thursday 24th September: Day 3
We left the hotel at around 08:45, again bypassing their breakfast, found our way back onto the N7 to Toulon-sur-Allier, then left onto the N79/E62. The early mist had dissipated into yet another sunny day as we drove through Charolles, passed Macon onto the N79/D1079 to Bourg-en-Bresse.

We then picked up the D979 which took us through some spectacular scenery to Nantua where we decided to stop for lunch. We popped into this rather smart-looking hotel called Le Bistrot and enjoyed a relaxing casserole.

(see photo 'Le Bistrot')

This town is situated on Lake Nantua and is surrounded by a beautiful backdrop of high cliffs falling into deep blue waters.
(see photo 'Lake Nantua')

There were quite a few ‘Kodak Moments’. We spent a very pleasant hour-and-a-half there and were reluctant to leave, but leave we must.
We took the N84/D1084 to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, then the N508/D1508 to Annecy where we had booked yet another Campanile Hotel, and after several wrong turns, circuitous routes, misdirections and total bloody guesswork we found the cul-de-sac in which the hotel was situated and checked in at 16:25. Oh for a SatNav!
I had heard that Annecy was well worth spending time in, so after unloading our cases we drove into the town centre (in the rush hour!) and eventually parked adjacent to the large lake. The town did not disappoint.

The views across the lake towards Mont Veyrier were breathtaking producing several Kodak moments.

(see photo 'Mont Veyrier')

The same can be said walking up the promenade either side of the River Thiou, which resembled a mini-Venice. There were too many inviting restaurants to choose from, and after much oohing-and-aahing we plumped for L’Esterel, an Italian ristorante with riverside tables. Here we enjoyed an excellent meal; Janet had a lasagne and I chose spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread, accompanied with some red wine. Delizioso!

(see photo 'Annecy')

We reflected on the day’s journey which was much more interesting than the previous two days. The roads were a lot less straight, the countryside had plenty of ups and downs and the scenery was captivating; definitely a driver’s day! We then wandered round some more and Annecy looked just as attractive lit up at night.

We returned to our RAV4 and thought we remembered our way back; did we ‘eck-as-like! After a few more circuitous wrong routes (where’s that bloody SatNav?) we arrived back at the hotel at around 10pm.
Day 3: 190 miles.


CHAPTER SIX
(see photo 'Map 4')

Friday 25th September: Day 4
Our fifth wedding anniversary! After we exchanged very romantic cards, we set off about 08:30.
I was really looking forward to this leg of the journey, because it seemed very mouth-watering on the map.
So, we drove down to the lake, continuing on the N508/D1508 along the western side of Lac d’Annecy through St Jorioz to Ugine where we were due to turn left onto the D1212 to Chamonix. Unfortunately the road was closed for repair, so we followed the detour along the D109. This was the type of road I wanted to avoid, because Janet is not comfortable with hairpin bends and this road was nothing but! So I drove with extreme care and at a sedate speed, pulling into lay-bys whenever a vehicle approached from behind. However, it was an ideal opportunity to insert a self-made CD ‘Selection 3’, track 12: “On Days Like These” by Matt Munro, which as you will no doubt know, is the opening music of “The Italian Job”. This road was about nine miles long and took about twenty minutes to complete during which I was aware of two differing emotions: the thrill of driving on such a twisty road, but cognisant of Janet’s feelings.

We joined the D1212 just south of St Nicolas la Chapelle and just a little further along we drove into Flumet where we stopped to take a breather.

After about twenty minutes we continued on the D1212 via St Gervais les Bains (Ricky’s birthplace?) onto the E25/N205 to Chamonix Mont Blanc. We found a suitable spot to pull over and take some photos of Europe’s tallest mountain, permanently topped with snow.
(see photo 'Mont Blanc')

The next part of the journey took us onto our first toll road, the ‘Tunnel du Mont Blanc’. The cost was a staggering €33.20, but once inside you couldn’t help but be impressed with the sheer engineering feat of creating such a tunnel under the Alps. There are several things to be aware of when driving through the tunnel: vehicles are instructed to maintain at least 150m between each other, or two blue lights; the minimum speed is 30mph and the maximum 45; it is heavily monitored by cameras. Driving too close to the vehicle in front could cost up to €135 in fines or even your licence; failure to observe the speed limit could cost between €90 and €750! The tunnel was opened to the public in July 1965, although it looks a lot more recent, and is 7.25 miles long. An expensive, but worthwhile experience.
Having safely negotiated the tunnel, we exited into sunny Italy onto the autostrada A5 at Courmayeur where, after a few kilometres, we drove through the first of several tunnels en route to Aosta.
It became apparent that when confronted with a mountain or large hill, the French build roads up and over them, whereas the Italians bore through them; much quicker but less scenic.
After about 40 miles we stopped at a petrol station in Pavone Cavanese where we shared a pizza – well, when in Rome... We then continued on the A5 to La Mandriotta, turning left onto the A4 to Navara, where unfortunately I exited one junction too soon. So, instead of heading north along the SS32, we were heading in the same direction only on the SS229! Turning right at Momo we eventually entered Oleggio where we picked up the SS32 to Villaggi, then the SS33 to Arona which is at the southern tip of Lago Maggiore. It was on this stretch of road that we experienced our first rainfall, albeit fairly light.
Nine miles further on we drove into Stresa, through the town, and into the car park of the Grand Hotel Bristol overlooking the lake.
(see photo 'Grand Hotel Bristol, Stresa')

Day 4: 225 miles.
First stage completed at 16:10!
To Stresa: 962 miles.


CHAPTER SEVEN

We approached the reception with a little trepidation, as our reservation was conducted over the internet there is always the nagging doubt that there will be no room at the inn! But all was well. We were registered, and allocated our old room 260 as promised. After I moved the RAV4 into their underground garage, we took the lift to the second floor and entered our room. All the memories from five years ago came flooding back; the well equipped bathroom, the spacious king-sized bed, the balcony, but especially the view of Lago Maggiore – breathtaking!!

(see photo 'Lago Maggiore')

We then did something that we hadn’t done for three days – unpacked!

Janet suggested that it would be a good idea to relax in their large indoor swimming pool. It is quite an interesting walk through the hotel along a corridor lined with showcases; the corridor starts with a slight downhill stretch to a left kink where it then goes uphill to a set of steps into an atrium with a few doors leading off; one of which takes you down to the changing rooms and into the pool area. After a few gentle widths, we then spent some time in one of the two Jacuzzis – very invigorating!
After showering and ‘tarting’ ourselves up, we took a stroll into town where we sought one of our two favourite eating places, Ristorante Fiorentino.
(see photo 'Ristorante Fiorentino')

Here we toasted ourselves on our anniversary, then enjoyed a delicious fish meal in excellent surroundings. It was good to relax, knowing there would be no driving tomorrow!
Afterwards we spent an hour or so wandering round the streets of Stresa; it hadn’t changed much.

We then returned to the hotel bar for a cup of real Italian coffee, then back to our room for a well earned rest.


Saturday 26th September: Day 5
We awoke to a rather dank day; very disappointing after all the sunny weather we had experienced thus far! Anyway, at least it wasn’t raining at the moment, so we donned our waterproofs and walked into the main town square. Janet remembered the cafe where we had a sort of English breakfast five years ago, so we chanced our arm and sat down. We ordered coffee, eggs and bacon. After a few minutes they duly arrived: tasty Italian coffee and a plate of two eggs and two slim bacon rashers – nothing else! I don’t think Little Chef need have any sleepless nights!!

After our hearty breakfast we made our way down to the lake where we chartered a boat which took us to Isola Bella, one of the three Borromeo Islands in this area of the lake.

(see photo 'Isola Bella')

We then spent a couple of hours rediscovering this picturesque island, with its myriad of stalls, alleyways, shops and places of refreshment.

We stopped for a drink at one of the pavement cafes, bought a couple of trinkets from various stalls before we caught the same boat back to Stresa.

We strolled around the town for a while, taking photos, window shopping and generally reminiscing. After a light lunch, we decided to take to the water again and bought tickets for the ferry to Pallanza, which is on the opposite side of the lake, visible from our hotel room. It was quite a long and relaxing trip, as the ferry called at Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori (the second Borromeo Island), Baveno (a couple of miles north of Stresa) and Isola Madre (the third Borromeo Island) en route.
(see photos 'Isola dei Pescatori' 'Isola Madre' 'Pallanza')

As it was our first visit, we planned to spend some time touring Pallanza, but having failed after half-an-hour to find anything of interest, we caught the next ferry back to Stresa!
We then made our way back to Grand Hotel Bristol and enjoyed more coffee in their bar.
We then relaxed in our room for an hour or so, before getting ready to visit our second restaurant of choice.
This was the Taverna del Pappagallo (The Parrott Inn), which is an authentic Italian ristorante near the heart of Stresa which reminded me of the Tardis: small frontage but very extensive interior.

(see photo 'Taverna del Pappagallo')
Being a Saturday evening it was very busy inside, but instead of turning us away, they asked us to wait a few minutes while they prepared a table for two. The waiters were working their socks off, but the service was very attentive, and fairly promptly we received our house red wine and delicious spaghetti bolognaise. There was a wide choice of dessert which was equally devoured.
Afterwards we meandered back to the hotel for another coffee, then up to our room where we prepared for an early start tomorrow.


CHAPTER EIGHT
(see photo 'Map 5')

Sunday 27th September: Day 6
We checked out of the hotel and there were no surprises on the bill – the prices were exactly as quoted in their email in July!
We loaded our baggage onto the RAV, drove out of their garage, said ciao to the Grand Hotel Bristol and turned left onto the SS33 heading north. We then joined the E62 via Domodossola and Iselle to the Swiss border, then up towards the Simplon Pass.
(see photo 'Swiss Alps')

The weather up to this point had been sunny and warm, but the further along the pass we drove the cooler it became. However, the views of the mountains more than made up for the chill; quite spectacular. At its highest point, some 2000 metres, we stopped at an interesting looking inn.

(see photo 'Simplon Pass Restaurant')

It was a circular tower surrounded by a lower, wider building, all painted pink! I had parked on the other side of the road and had decided to climb a small hill to take a photograph. I explained what my plan was to Janet, and asked her to “Do the honours”. This meant that while I was clambering up the terrain, would she mind making a couple of hot drinks using the thermos flask that we had filled at the hotel. As the temperature had dropped to a chilly 7C, and that there was a cafe with a warm interior opposite, my wife implied that standing outside was not her preferred choice! Not quite in those words!! My ‘brownie points’ had just gone into negative equity. However, once inside, we both enjoyed a most wonderful three-egg omelette and a very welcome coffee.
Afterwards we continued along the E62 through Brig, Sierre and Sion where we joined the N9 to Martigny and then all the way to Montreux where we parked at around 13:15.

(see photo 'Montreux')

We strolled along the walkway abutting Lake Geneva (or Le Leman) enjoying the afternoon sunshine and warmth; plenty of ‘Kodak Moments’. The highlight for me was having my photograph taken alongside a statue of my music hero, where part of the plaque states:
FREDDIE MERCURY
Lover of Life - Singer of Songs
1946 - 1991
Queen acquired the lakeside Mountain Recording
Studios in 1978 and Freddie’s strong links with the
town continued until his death. He appreciated the
kindness and discretion of the townspeople and
Montreux became a haven for him, his second home
and the setting for his final work.
(see photo 'Freddie Mercury')

We found a bench overlooking the lake where we had a bite to eat from our own supply. We then hit the N9 again with views over the lake on our left.

Some half-an-hour later we reached Lausanne, and then what seemed another thirty minutes, we managed to find our Novotel in Bussigny at about 16:15.

Day 6: 163 miles


CHAPTER NINE
(see photo 'Map 6')

Monday 28th September: Day 7
Another fine morning greeted us as we found our way easily onto autoroute A1 heading north. After about 15 miles we branched west onto the A9 which soon became the E23/N9, which took us past Ballaigues in Switzerland, onto the E23/N57, across the border, through Jougne in France, then into Pontarlier where we stopped for a short break. We then pressed on past Besancon, onto the D67 through Gray to Longeau-Percey, turning north onto the N74/D974 to Langres.

We then took the N19/D619 via Rolampont to Chaumont before turning right onto the N67 where 45 miles later we had another break in St Dizier. After which we took the N4 to Vitry le Francois, then the N44 to Chalons-en-Champagne, all the way to Reims, where the traffic was brought to a standstill by the police to allow an army convoy of tank transporters to negotiate the streets.

(see photo 'Reims')

Having eventually found the Campanile hotel in north Reims we checked in at 16:40.

Reflecting on the day’s journey, it was clearly a more picturesque and a better drive through this part of France than the first part of the outward journey.
Day 7: 279 miles


CHAPTER TEN
(see photo 'Map 7')

Tuesday 29th September: Day 8
We awoke to more lovely weather on what was due to be our penultimate day, which turned out not to be! We chose to forgo the €9 petit dejeuner as usual and made our way north onto the D966 which took us 47 miles to Vervins, then the N2 to Maubeuge where we stopped for wee while after having completed 83 miles. We continued along the N2 which became the N6 when we crossed into Belgium, then on to Mons. Here we joined autoroute A7 heading westbound before turning northwest onto the A16 to Tournai, then west again along the A8, which became the A27 once we’d driven back into France, for what was to be our final destination for Day 8, namely Lille.
We wanted to allocate enough time to explore this city thoroughly; as it is one of the Eurostar destinations it appeared to have a lot to offer. Anyway, we arrived around one-ish, found somewhere to park (eventually) and then set off to capture Lille on my Canon 350D (a retirement present to myself when I left Kodak after nearly 41 years back in May 2005).

(see photos 'Lille 1-2-3')

We came across many interesting and unusual buildings, statues, shops and architecture in general, and I was just thinking that this is quite a picturesque city, when it happened.
We were strolling hand-in-hand along a pavement next to a busy street, when we stopped at a set of traffic lights. I was vaguely aware of someone standing on the kerbside to my left, when he suddenly bent down and picked up something from the gutter. He held up what appeared to be a man’s gold wedding ring. He showed me the ‘hallmark’ inside and placed it over his finger, but it was much too big. He then offered it to me in a language that hinted of eastern European. I naturally refused, but he insisted, implying that, as it didn’t fit it was no use to him – at this point I should have heard the first warning bell! So I took it, thanked him for his generosity, and walked on. He followed close behind, and after a short while he hailed us, so we turned to face him, and he had is hand outstretched, palm upwards, presumably asking for some money for food. I explained that I was English and didn’t understand whatever language he was using, but it was fairly obvious what he wanted. So, I dug into my pocket, took out the ring and tried to thrust it into his hand, but he refused to take it. Now I wasn’t sure what he would have done if we just turned and walked away, but I didn’t want to risk an unseemly incident in a foreign country, bearing in mind that, whenever I’m abroad, I always act as though I am an ambassador for Britain. I therefore decided to delve into my pocket where I keep loose change, leave a few Euros behind, and then show him that all I had was about €8. I gave him five, which apparently wasn’t enough, so I passed over another two. Still not satisfied, he also wanted the last coin on display, at which point my wife said “We have to eat too!” and we both then did turn and walk away. He didn’t follow.
I said to Janet, “What an unusual scam, I can’t believe I fell for it!” But it was convincingly executed.
A little while later, we approached another set of lights where there was a gentleman waiting to cross, and standing next to him was a woman of eastern European appearance. As we walked past them, she suddenly bent down and ‘retrieved’ a large golden wedding ring which she immediately showed to the man. If my French was any good I would have walked up to him and explained what was going on, but I didn’t. Je regret!
I still have the ring, but I haven’t had it valued; what do you think it’s worth? Fifty, sixty, seventy pence?

Anyway, we continued sightseeing for a while and then started to feel a bit peckish. Jan said she fancied a savoury pancake, so we looked around for cafe that sold crepes. We soon found a very nice establishment where we both enjoyed a chicken and mushroom pancake topped with a fried egg, accompanied by a coffee for Jan and a beer for me.
(see photo 'Beer & Crepe')

It was after devouring this tasty dish when I had a thought (a rarity I admit). I suggested to Jan that, as we had seen what we wanted of Lille, and rather than ‘kill’ another three hours or so before booking into the local Campanile, what did she think about the possibility of travelling home tonight? She was all for it, if the arrangements could be made. So, we left the cafe and walked back to the multi-story car park, dug out the paperwork for the ferry from the back of the car and gave Norfolk Line a ring. Spoke to a bloke in their admin and I asked about the possibility of transferring our ferry booking from tomorrow at 14:00 to this evening at 18:00? He said that was no problem, provided we could arrive at the port in Dunkerque an hour before sailing. The time was now around 15:15, so I confirmed the booking, which cost £25 for the amendment. It was about 60 miles to the port from where we were, so it was certainly do-able.
We then exited the car park, and after about 15 minutes of wrong turns, bad signage and missed lanes, eventually found our way onto the A25/E42 all the way to Dunkerque, before turning left onto the A16/E40 then right onto the N316 to the ferry terminal. We arrived around 16:30, and the chappie in the booth had already been notified of our arrival. As we had plenty of time, we ventured up into the refreshment area and ordered a couple of teas. I then managed to telephone Campanile headquarters and cancelled our Lille reservation for that night, with no charge.
The ferry left on time and about two hours later duly docked in Dover at around 19:00 BST. We then made our way to the M20, then anti-clockwise onto the M25, through the Dartford Tunnel and then stopped for petrol. We resumed our journey without incident and arrived home at about 21:45.
Day 8: 342 miles
From Stresa: 784 miles
Whole trip: 1746 miles


CHAPTER ELEVEN

So, what did it all cost and was it worth it?
The overall cost was £1635, of which £800 was hotels, £255 petrol, £90 ferries (including £25) and £450 in Euros.
But was it worth it? You bet it was! The experience of driving in Europe was brilliant. Some of the scenery was spectacular. The weather was pretty much perfect. All the planning and online arrangements bore fruition: ferry places were reserved; hotels expected us; and all done with a click of a mouse!
On the minus side: driving round in circles in a couple of cities was very frustrating, so investing in a SatNav would be paramount next time. Also, Janet found at times that her role as map reader, spreadsheet scanner, street name identifier and photographer was far from relaxing. Plus, I should have allowed more time to spend exploring some of the places where we stopped.
But all in all, I would love to embark on another driving experience across Europe, maybe in my BMW? Who knows!

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