Honfleur and better days

 We picked up a rental car for 4 days and drove to Honfleur on Monday afternoon. First had to battle with suitcases to the Avis rental at Europe Lille rail to find they had upgraded us to a huge Volvo SUV. Seeing it I trudged back to the desk to fight for a smaller vehicle. Eventually got a smaller Citroen SUV that was very welcome in finding our way through the narrow streets of Honfleur after a nervous drive along 130 Kph toll roads. Reintroduced to the fun of rattling change to pay the numerous tolls.

All calmed when we found a car space and our cute hotel right in the centre. A couple of glasses of rose on the harbour front was followed by me finding the same restaurant we had lunch in 12 years ago. Got the last table for dinner for an enjoyable evening.

Tuesday involved walks all through the little alleys and cobbled streets with the half-timbered houses. Nice seafood lunch followed and after a little rest we head back down to the harbour for a light refreshment. Things are looking up 🙏

Old Lille and F-ing Bruges

 Friday night and Saturday had Lille jumping as the French take the weekend seriously. We discovered the older part of Lille on Friday night and an incredible “eat street” with all manner of dining styles that included an “Australian Pub” that did nothing for us.

Friday we ate in a cute little Mexican restaurant followed by a Thai restaurant on Saturday night. On our visit back in 2009 there were very few restaurants that served anything but French food. Fortunately we have been doing a lot of walking to wear it all off.

On Sunday I decided that the best way to get to Bruges was to hire a car for the day, as trains were limited and went via Brussels. They were hugely expensive too.

The visit to Bruges turned out to be a disaster however. It was crowded with tourists and the weather was very unfriendly with an arctic blast almost knocking you off your feet. We walked all over a very picturesque town (if you could see past the crowds). We escaped for a very late lunch in a restaurant with an open fire!

On returning to the car I discovered a 40 euro parking fine as I had made a mistake in paying the fee with my card, as all instructions were in Flemish? Suitably unhappy we stopped to replenish the fuel before dropping the car back at an Esso on the highway.

The machine rejected my card and a nice family guy tried to help. Again it refused my Visa, so I went inside and paid some cash. Upon getting back to Lille I found my card had been charged 350 euro at the service station! I can only think that the attendant had accessed the card, so I’ve had to freeze it while waiting bank instructions.

The joys of travel……… f..ing Bruges!

Lille

 Lille

Lille is the 10th largest city in France, where Paris dominates, but the first impression on the descent into Paris and the train to Lille is that the country is largely rural. Large fields in rotation with the yellow canola prominent and small villages featuring a church spire are the dominant feature of Picardy.

Lille centre is cobbled, pretty and ancient spoiled only by occasional piles of rubbish and the aroma of ancient sewage systems. We have enjoyed walking from our little very-French hotel close by the main square. Eating out involves walking from one restaurant to another checking out menus. This game can occupy several hours as there are literally hundreds nearby.

The highlight on a cold, drizzly Friday was a visit to the large art gallery where a special exhibition on Monet was in residence, before sharing a platter and a pichet of rose for lunch. We have acquired French sims for our phones now. An attempt will be made to get to Bruges and Ghent over the weekend.

 Well the journey is finally underway and we have settled into our room in Lille somewhat worse for wear after 34 hours of travel. Such is the price for living in Australia.

Our travel started promising enough with Katie, Will and Bronte coming with us to the airport and taking our car back home. Check in with Vietnam airlines was quick so there was time for a drink with Sandy and Al before take off. 

Premium Economy seats were very roomy on the 787 on the 10 hour leg to Hanoi. Food and wine was the economy offering but service was efficient. Problems came with the longer second leg to Paris as the A350 crammed extra rows into the Premium Economy section. Less width and legroom wasn’t conducive to sleep when we needed it. Nor was the sound of so many people coughing. Now hoping the flu and COVID shots come to the fore.

Charles de Gaulle airport provided us lots of walking and a train trip to get to the customs hall to be confronted with huge snaking lines of people. Luckily, our Oz passport gave us access to a faster lane avoiding a long process. 

After farewelling Sandy and Al we had another long walk and wait for our fast train to Lille. We were disturbed by another long line of people trying to get on trains to Paris. This is a few months out from the Olympics, so it doesn’t augur well.

We’ve now had a good walk around the centre of Lille and a lunch at a very popular Italian restaurant (I know we’re in France) before checking in. A short nap has us ready to try to get into the time zone before an early evening.