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Heading in to France at Lille

I write this as I reflect on what has been a whirlwind few weeks. I am not sure where the time has gone since a) we left home in Perth, and b) since we left family and friends in the UK.

I had promised you that I would write and post shorter, more frequent blogs. My bad. In between exploring new cities, towns, and villages, I have not found time to sit down and compose my thoughts. A bit of downtime, a cold Kronenburg 1664, and a strong wifi connection has me once again sitting at the laptop.

Lille and the old town

We have spent our time since we last spoke, exploring the best of the wine regions, east of Paris. Leaving Belgium we entered France by train, disembarking in Lille at the Gare Lille Flandres. We weren’t in Lille for the wine, but for the culture. The old town is a delight and we had a couple of fabulous days exploring. Lille wasn’t on our radar when back in Australia planning this trip, so thank you Colin for the recommendation. 

It was in Lille that we had our first taste of steak in France. Ordering “saignant”, bloody, we both had the onglet, a speciality of the house. Steak cooked to perfection, with a mountain of frites. Paired with a local red wine, this was the perfect evening.

Talking of radars, we didn’t have much on when we left home in Perth back in mid June. As with the whole trip so far, we are making it up as we go along. As of the last count, since leaving home in Perth, we are up to country number seven. With our trusty guide book, and a sense of adventure, we look at places that may be good to visit, and move on. Leaving Lille, and looking at the map, the answer was obvious. 

Anyone for Champagne?

The Champagne region is famous for, well, champagne. As you will know, there are many pretenders, including Prosecco from Italy, and Cava from Spain, but there is only one champagne. A protected region, only sparkling wine made from grapes grown in Champagne can carry the prestigious moniker. 

Reims was our first port of call. The largest town in the Champagne region. With a population of 184,000 (ish) it keeps its small town feel. The streets surrounding the centre ville are clustered with champagne history. Not to mention the many champagne houses (read mansions) that line the streets. We passed Krug, Veuve Clicquot, and Louis Roederer on one short evening stroll.

It was in Reims that we had our first champagne tour. Booked into the 14.30 tour at GH Mumm. Walking into the air conditioned reception, who would have thought that there are 25kms of tunnels under our very feet?

The Caves of GH Mumm

It was into these tunnels, caves in official parlance, we all walked, following the very informative guide who walked us through the history of this illustrious champagne house. Set up by German brothers (hence the non-French sounding name) in 1827, GH Mumm now produces over 8 million bottles a year, and exports all around the world. The “cordon rouge”, red slash of colour is now recognisable in all corners of the globe. I know the world is round, but you know what I mean!

If you can’t spend all your time in champagne houses in Reims, then the next best place to be is the Notre Dame cathedral. Completed in the 14th century, “Our Lady of Reims” cathedral has to be seen to be believed. It is huge. Breathtakingly large. The scale of the place makes one wonder how clever people must have been, in the 14th century, to construct a place of such magnificence. What tools did they use? How did they get to such heights? How did they move such large pieces of stone? The mind boggles.

Epernay, Champagne Capital of the World

Maybe a glass of champagne will help? And after Reims, where do you head? You move to Epernay, of course. Only separated by 29 kilometres, Epernay truly is the capital of the Champagne region. Where else do you have a street called, “Avenue de Champagne”? Described by Sir Winston Churchill as the “most drinkable address in the whole world.” I wouldn’t disagree.

Strolling along the Avenue de Champagne you pass Perrier Jouet, Pol Roger, Moet and Chandon, Mercier, De Castellane, and many others. Champagne you may never have heard of. Produced and sold locally, but with all the quality of the big names you see in your local bars and restaurants. For our next tour of a champagne house, we were going classic.

Moet (pronounced with a hard “t’ as I am sure you all know) and Chandon has been in Epernay since 1743. Originally just Moet, under the control of a family of Dutch origin (hence the hard “t”) brothers, the Chandon was added in 1833 when a brother in law joined the company. A lot has happened in the intervening years and over the next hour and a half we got to hear about it, as we toured the rather chilly cellars.

Moet and Chandon alone has over 28 kilometres of underground tunnels beneath Epernay, surpassing even GH Mumm in Reims. Walking through them you get a sense of the scale of the operation. Cellar after cellar is stocked full of thousands of bottles of champagne. We even got to see some of the workers down there as it is a working production site. As with all good tours, this one ended with us getting to sample the goods. This time we got both a classic, and a rose champagne. Sante.

The Food of France

Drinking is half of the equation. Eating, is the other. And we have had some great food whilst crossing through France. Trying to eat the local dishes, I have had beef bourguignon, Flemish stew, and SO MANY baguettes. I also wanted to try the steak of the day in one town but Mrs C drew the line at me eating horse. Yes, cheval is still very popular in restaurants across France. Maybe I will order it when she isn’t looking. I am very intrigued.

Where next for us?

If you are following our journey through our daily Instagram photos (explore_with_fran), you will know that we are ahead of the blog. By a few towns and cities. For the rest of you, with no idea where we have been so far, watch out for the next update where we will discover amazing Dijon, be very pleasantly surprised by Lyon, and head into the south of France, discovering a little about Vincent Van Gogh.

A bientot!

Water, water, everywhere

When you discover that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, you are not surprised when you find a gem around every corner. Designated a world heritage site, the seventeenth century canal ring around the city of Amsterdam was designed for a specific reason. 

Amsterdam was founded around 1250, with the building of the Dam, in the Amstel river, that gives it its name. In the golden age of the seventeenth century, more canals were built for the burgeoning world trade, of which Amsterdam was at the heart. The canals allowed for the thousands of small barges that carried goods to and from the various parts of the trading world.

On Leaving the UK

We arrived in Amsterdam after spending the best part of six weeks touring the UK. Catching up with family after the COVID experience everyone has had was wonderful. And we chose a longer time period just for this reason. Well, it wasn’t totally altruistic. We also wanted to have time to explore the UK as tourists ourselves. We were fortunate enough to have visited London and the Cotswolds as I have previously written about. 

Leaving the UK the only plan we had was a flight to Amsterdam. If COVID has taught us all anything, besides greater cleanliness, is that long term plans are about as much use as the paper you write them on. Our “plan” was to get into Europe and then avoid airports as much as possible, using the excellent network of trains that criss-cross mainland Europe. 

Amsterdam, Said with a Knowing Wink

Amsterdam comes with a certain reputation. Mention the city and there are a number of responses. Predictably, there will be smirks and knowing nods, pertaining to the city’s famous red light district. Now a tourist site in its own right it does have to be seen to be believed. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “window shopping”.

There is also the side of Amsterdam that could keep you on a permanent high. Brown cafes and coffee shops are so called to distinguish between espresso houses. The latter where the only high you will experience is due to the caffeine. So, what would you go to a “coffee shop” for? Whilst not strictly legal, the use of cannabis and marijuana is permitted in these establishments. Smoking not your thing? Try the space muffins. If you want to lose a night of your travels!

Cruising the canals of Amsterdam

The water is the best place to see Amsterdam from. The canal cruise we took allowed us perfect views of the amazing architecture of the city. Gliding through the canals you get a sense of the scale of the city, and a thought of how much work must have gone into the creation of all those waterways. 

Our days were spent wandering the streets. Breakfasting by the canals. Sipping early evening drinks in one of the many bustling squares. And marvelling at how many cyclists there are. When someone tells you Amsterdam takes cyclists seriously, they are not kidding. Dedicated bike lanes separated from the traffic. No mandated helmet laws. Large bike parking lots. This is a city that does cycling right. 

Three days later we were back at Amsterdam Central train station, boarding a train to Belgium. This is how easy travel is within the Schengen area, the visa free zone within the EU. Why anybody would want to purposefully opt out of this arrangement is beyond my comprehension, but this blog is not about politics.

Brussels and Bruges

It is about travel, and we were travelling to the beautiful city of Brussels. The Grand Place, or Grote Markt, has to be seen to be believed. A vast open square, with gargantuan gothic buildings encircling it. Stand, stare, and wonder how these magnificent creations survived the World wars. We sat at a pavement cafe, ordered cold beers, and took a few moments to savour the experience.  We were lucky enough to catch the last days of the market square floor being covered with a decorative flower arrangement. A very impressive sight and one that increased the crowds.

Much like Amsterdam, Brussels has a lot to keep tourists happy. Plentiful food and drink, with some of the greatest beers in the world. The monks certainly knew how to brew. On the food front, I couldn’t go past a bowl of moules and frites, finished off with a gaufre (waffle), freshly made and drenched in chocolate, strawberries, and cream. Lucky that we were doing around 30,000 steps each day. Our legs were crying out for rest but our bellies were thankful for the exercise.

Historic Bruges

A short one hour train ride from Brussels, Bruges is the ideal day trip. Walking the one kilometer from the train station to the centre ville, you immediately start getting a sense of Bruges. Small, old buildings on cobbled streets, leading you to the main square, dominated by the 13th century belfry. The belfry, and Bruges historical centre are World Unesco Heritage sites.

And with such beauty comes the price that places all over the world are once again having to struggle with. Inordinate amounts of tourists. Figures from 2019 show that almost 9 million a year visit this small town. The local mayor described Bruges as becoming “like Disneyland”, and that “it was time to pull up the drawbridge”.

Whilst we are undeniably part of the problem, as we are two of the multitudes that march every hour from Bruges train station into the centre of town, I don’t know what the answer is. Tourism brings in lots of cash and jobs for locals into the economy. I suppose the question is, where is the tipping point?

On to the travel budget?

Whilst I am on the subject of food I know that a few of you have been specifically waiting for us to move to our “travel budget”. I can confirm that we are now tightening our belts and have even started having cheese sandwiches for lunch. I am sorry to report that these are not dry, but full of flavour and delicious. They go perfectly with a bottle of chilled water. Pizza by the slice is also very popular with Mrs C.

Onwards, to France, and the Champagne region

And the travel budget may need to be paused, ever so slightly, as our next destination is France. Starting in Lille for a few days we will then head in to Champagne, visiting the towns of Reims and Epernay. We have already booked a couple of tours of the champagne houses and their famous caves (cellars). Keep tuned for the next instalment.

Salut!

Is it too early for a cream tea? Said no one ever. A cream tea is the little sister to the traditional afternoon high tea. Something we are very partial to and a topic I have written about previously.

For the uninitiated, a cream tea involves two warm scones, preferably just from the oven, strawberry jam, and lashings of clotted cream. Now, here is the key point. Clotted cream. Not whipped. Clotted. Cream so thick it could be mistaken for ice cream. And a cream tea is not a cream tea without clotted cream. 

But why am I making such a fuss over the cream that comes with our scones? Because, despite having many, many high teas in Australia, I have yet to find one that does clotted cream. I mean, what is so difficult about clotting cream? In truth, I don’t know. Maybe I should investigate. There has to be some reason that “traditional” high teas in Australia are just not, well, all that traditional.

What is definitely traditional is the part of England called The Cotswolds. Situated about an hour from London, and three hours south of our native Yorkshire, The Cotswolds are deemed an “area of national beauty”. And walking around it is obvious why. Cottages dating back centuries. A pub reputed to be the oldest in England. Rolling green fields, hemmed in by dry stone walls. 

We recently spent a glorious three days exploring The Cotswolds.. And cream teas are something that quaint little tea rooms in The Cotswolds do well. Extremely well. 

With excellent cream teas, and so much history and beauty, I am left scratching my head as to why I have never visited The Cotswolds previously. I spent the first forty years of my life living in England, and saw much of the world. Ten years living in Australia and now I start exploring England. Better late than never. And what better place to start than the historic Barnsley House and Spa. Built in 1697, Barnsley House has been run as a hotel since 2003. 

We had two nights in room 5, up in the eaves of the main building. Carrying our bags up the flights of old wooden stairs, creaking with every step, you immediately start getting a sense of the place. Our room was huge. A vestibule. Large bedroom to the left. And a very impressive bathroom to the right. Complete with a sumptuous free standing bath. I had my afternoon already planned out. 

Downstairs in the hotel is the “Potager” restaurant, a word I later learned is French for “kitchen garden”. And wandering around the garden, I came to see where the name comes from. A garden replete with herbs and vegetables, no doubt destined for the kitchen. We had an excellent dinner in the restaurant, with Mrs C proclaiming that her lamb was the best she has ever had. I have to say, the steak I had was tremendous. 

Breakfast both mornings was also in the restaurant. Imagine my delight when we came down on the first morning and I saw that the menu included a “full English”. If you have ever visited England you will be familar with what a “full English” is. The fact that it is traditionally served with black pudding is an added bonus.  An acquired taste, black pudding is something I love and can’t get a good version of in Australia. Who would have thought something made predominantly with pigs blood could be so hard to come by?

By day three we had departed Barnsley House and checked in to the Wild Thyme and Honey, a boutique hotel in the tiny village of Ampney Crucis. Attached to the excellent Crown pub, we ended up debating whether to cancel our onward plans and stay longer. It really was that delightful. 

And if I thought I had hit the gastronomic highs at Barnsley House, they were just about to go into orbit. Dinner at the Crown pub was a “luxury fish pie” so good I decided that if I ever find myself on death row, which I sincerely hope I don’t, I now have a new “last supper”. Packed with all kinds of creatures from the sea, and a hard boiled egg squeezed in, and topped with Duchess potatoes, this fish pie for one could have fed a family. It fed me, and I just about managed to roll out of the restaurant.

The rolling had changed to walking by the morning and we spent our final hours exploring the tiny village. As with our whole stay in the Cotswolds I was blown away by the houses, the cottages, and the overall look of the area. Never has the word, “wow”, been so overused.

It may have taken me 50 years to finally visit the Cotswolds. I will not be waiting quite so long next time. 

When we last chatted, I was telling you about the travel mishaps we had. The ones that had happened in the first week. And I am glad to report (as at the time of writing) that we have yet to suffer any new inconveniences.

What I can tell you is that we have made it to England. For the first time in three years. We took our time in getting here since leaving Perth. Taking the chance to call in at a few favourite travel spots. And visit a few new ones.

Explore With Fran

For any of you following our journey on Instagram (explore_with_fran), and if you aren’t, what are you waiting for?, you will have seen some of the sights and places that we have been lucky enough to see. Noosa and Brisbane in Queensland saw us soaking up the sun, and sampling big city life. Hamilton Island had us living the life of luxury, with qualia cementing its reputation as resort of choice for those special occasions. 

The Lion State

Singapore again showed me why it is one of my favourite travel destinations. A city state country that runs like clockwork. Efficiency and cleanliness are by-words that describe the Lion State. We stayed in a different location for this visit, right in the heart of Robertson’s Quay. On the river and a little more refined than its upstart neighbours, Clarke and Boat Quay. 

And whilst I am talking of refined, I must mention the Champagne High Tea we enjoyed in the impressive surroundings of the Raffles Hotel lobby. From the high tea, we had a walk to the very “insta worthy” Atlas Bar, for gin and tonics. In a bar that looks steeped in history, and very redolent of the 1920s, we sat back in quiet grandeur, reflecting on a very impressive afternoon.

First Time Dubai

Leaving Singapore, I got the chance to add to the “countries I have visited” list. As the taxi screamed down the freeway, I was convinced we were going to die. Never have I been so close to a car in front, at such speed. I was left to ponder, “would I have enjoyed Dubai had I survived this taxi ride?”

We did survive the taxi ride, somehow, and we really enjoyed our four nights in Dubai. We were joined by Dave and Jane and it was great to catch up over some fabulous dinners, the most notable being at Hell’s Kitchen, in the hotel. Alcohol prices in Dubai have to be seen to be believed and thankfully we had the foresight to pick up a bottle of wine and a small bottle of whisky in Singapore airport.

A phrase I used a lot when we lived in Perth, was “hotter than hell”. When my weather app told me that the temperature in Dubai “feels like 55 degrees” I had to do a double take. This really was hotter than hell. It was the most oppressive heat I have experienced and the swimming pool was the perfect place to cool down.

We certainly cooled down a few days later, when we landed at Manchester airport in the evening. Yes, this is supposed to be summer, but is it. Really? What are guaranteed are the long evenings. With the sun not going down until around 9.30pm, my body clock is needing to do a reset. It is hard getting to sleep whilst it is still light out.

The long days are allowing us to have long morning walks, and days catching up with friends and family. Through the pandemic, everyone has had a tough couple of years. We have been away for three years. A long time to be separated from family. Until we decide on what the next stage of our travel plans look like, we will make the most of being back.

Embracing life

Travel is sometimes mistakenly, in my opinion, seen as running away. I have a different perspective. Of course I do. I see a decision to travel as a decision to run towards life. To embrace it. Travel is life. With all life’s ups and downs. Life is a rollercoaster. Life is described in Buddhism as suffering. We need to learn to accept. And move on. And so with travel. 

Undoubtedly, travel brings many highs. Seeing new countries. Experiencing new cultures up close brings a perspective you just don’t get if all you are ever exposed to is what you have always known. 

Travel opens your eyes to the fact that we are all the same. We are all human. All seven billion of us. Yes, many of us have different beliefs and values, and that is what makes the world so interesting. 

Travel Stories

So, making a decision to travel is making a decision to embrace all life’s uncertainties. Any traveller will tell you that the most interesting stories they have, have come out of adversity. Something that feels terrible in the moment and then makes a great story to tell a few years later over a few beers. 

I expect to have these ups and downs. I just don’t want to have them all in the first week. One week into our travels and already we have had our fair share. Starting on the first day we left Perth. 

Every Travellers Nightmare

We were stood around the luggage conveyor belt waiting for my bag. We already had Victoria’s. And we checked them in together. Mine won’t be long, I assumed. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. We waited until the airport had almost completely emptied. 

No bag. With a flight out of Brisbane the very next day, this was not the way we intended to start our travels. What was even more surprising was the queue at Qantas passenger services. Of other customers whose bags had not turned up. And from other flights. I have since read that this is a problem that is starting to blow out of control for Qantas as they suffer the ramifications of all those redundancies they made. You reap what you sow. 

A nervous night unfolded with us frantically searching for places in the Brisbane CBD that opened early the next morning, allowing me to pick up some essentials before flying out to Hamilton Island. Essentials such as underwear, toothbrush, deodorant, shorts, and a couple of t-shirts to wear.

Through dinner I got the phone call that brought much relief. My bag had been found and was being flown to Brisbane. I would be reunited with my life possessions early the next morning. Which in itself turned out to cause more anxiety. 

With The Clock Ticking Down

The bag was due to arrive early in the morning and yet we had to leave at 10am to head back to the airport. By 9.30am I still didn’t have my bag but I had tracking on my phone that showed an icon of a little van driving around Brisbane, dropping off orphaned bags. With minutes to spare it arrived at the hotel, and we were off again, with all our bags in tow.

Little did we know then that our next travel mishap was only a few days away. Laying around the pool at qualia, on Hamilton Island, we reflected on an amazing few days in paradise. Excitedly looking ahead to the next stage of our trip, four relaxing days in Noosa. A farewell champagne preceded an air conditioned ride to the airport. An airport we found ourselves stranded in all day.

Unexpected Cancellation

Our plane arrived in from Brisbane, on time, and then developed an “engineering problem”. Being the small island that Hamilton is, there are no full time engineers on the island. This was an issue. A big issue. That only got worse. After four hours of no further updates we were suddenly told to make our way outside where we were to collect our bags and we were being bussed to the ferry port.

Yes, my friends, we were leaving the island by boat. To Airlie Beach, almost a couple of hours away. From there, we knew that another bus was waiting for us to transport us to Mackay airport, ANOTHER two hours away. Whether we were staying at the airport, or getting on a plane, none of the frustrated passengers amongst us knew. And the Qantas flight crew travelling with us, who were supposed to fly the plane to Brisbane, weren’t saying much either.

Finding Mackay On A Map

By now, the sun had set, as had our hopes of making it to Noosa this evening. We had to ring and cancel dinner plans, and call to move the hire car to the next day. It was only en route to Mackay that our Qantas travel app suddenly showed us as checked into a flight from Mackay to Brisbane, that evening. But we had nowhere to stay in Brisbane. This was the worst possible outcome for us.

After much searching, and a few telephone calls, Victoria found us a budget hotel. And when I say budget, think broken lifts, and missing light bulbs, budget. That said, when we finally got there, just before midnight, we were just glad to have a bed. Somewhere to sleep, and put all memories of the day behind us.

How Travel Brings Perspective

The day was not what we had planned when we woke up that morning, but isn’t that just like life? We don’t always know what the days are going to throw at us, and yet the sun always sets, to rise again the following day. We take what learnings we can and share our gratitude that we get to start all over anew each day. And the new day brought Noosa, a tropical paradise a short drive from Brisbane.

We are hoping that the trip does not bring anymore dramas, at least for a while!

Leaving Sydney

Monday, March 23, 2020, was the day we left Sydney. The day we were due to embark on our travel sabbatical. Two years of saving. Allowing us to explore new countries, and to immerse ourselves in different cultures. We didn’t spend as much as we expected.

We got as far as Perth before the world closed in on itself. Countries took a protectionist approach to the burgeoning pandemic. Borders were closed to everyone but citizens of each country. Even within countries, such as here in Australia, borders were closed internally, creating mini countries within a country. It was a very strange time.

116 weeks later, some 813 days, we are once again packing up all our possessions, our life, and having them carted off to storage. This time we are doing it on the west coast. We could either say that we are just starting our travels, or we could reframe it as, we are now two years into it.

Leaving Perth

Either way, things are getting real. Again. We are down to a backpack each. And a day bag. The things in there are slightly different from two years ago. Newer, but we have had to apply the same minimalism. And it is hard. Difficult. Deciding what to pack when you could be away for 12 months. Living through different seasons. 

It may be the season of summer in the UK, where we will be spending our first large stint of time, but summer in the UK means something very different to summer elsewhere. So we have to be judicious with what we pack. A great tip I read many years ago, when embarking on long term travel, was to lay out all the clothes you think you need, then pack half of it. Easier said than done, believe me.

A Simpler Life

Although, once done, it does make travelling so much easier. No encumbrances. A couple of bags that hold everything you have. No space for trinkets and souvenirs that only gather dust once you are back home. A fruit bowl that looked “interesting” in the dimly lit market. A miniature camel that has no place in your lounge at home. No, none of that. 

We will be taking our bags and our first port of call will be Hamilton Island, in Queensland. The trip we had booked for my 50th celebration, last Xmas, and which got cancelled due to the aforementioned border closures.

A few months later than planned but we will be staying at the Qualia resort, something we are very excited about. Time to decompress after the last few weeks of arranging, packing up, and cleaning. Leaving a rental in Australia is rather intense if you want your bond money back. Then there are all the utilities to cancel. A virtual mailbox to find. The list goes on and on.

Qualia, here we come, eventually

The only thing on my list when we hit Qualia will be a dip in the pool and a cocktail, or three. And yes, before you remind me, we are travelling, not on holiday. So we have to reset our expectations, but for the first part of this trip we have agreed to a “holiday” budget. The hotels when we travel will have significantly fewer stars. If we can even afford a hotel.

Until that time, we intend to kick back and enjoy ourselves. Starting with a strong coffee at Perth airport.

I will be sure to let you all know how we get on.