Month: October 2022

What’s not to like about Belgium, a nation obsessed with chocolates and beer. In Bruges there’s even a street almost entirely devoted to the sale of the stuff, and sitting outside a cafe sipping beer while watching the world go by seems to be a national pastime. We’ve only had a few days in the country but we’ll definitely be back!

Bruges, with its cobbled streets, canals and medieval buildings, is a very, very attractive city. It’s also very popular with tourists so even in late October there was a lot of tour groups walking around. A canal surrounds the old town, and indicates where the city walls would have stood. The large gates, which lead into the old town, are the only reminders that Bruges was once a walled city.

The Silver Machine landed at Camping Memling, about two miles from the centre of Bruges. It’s a nice little site with a new toilet block and possibly the best free wifi we’ve come across. It also has a self check in machine which was a new one on us!

The weather was unfortunately a bit mixed when we were in Bruges and we needed the brolly for our first walk into town. Although it’s two miles to the centre, the edge of the old town is only about a mile away and we enter it through the Kruispoort.

You can’t miss the row of four windmills in Park Kruisvest just off to the right. There were apparently 26 windmills in Bruges, mainly for grain, but also oil and water. Sint Janshuismolen continues to operate and has stood on the same place since 1770. The ladder up to the door was a bit of a white knuckle climb, but it had to be done.

The Markt is the grand central square in Bruges and most of the ‘top ten’ attractions are all fairly close by. We found though that it’s a real pleasure no matter where you walk in the old town and you would really miss out is you just stuck to the highlights.

We went out for a few beers on our last night in Bruges. The nearest pub, the Bauhaus, was just through the Kruispoort about a mile away. It turned into a great night as the barman turned out to be a larger than life character called James who came from Girvan. His mate who also from Ayrshire came in with his girlfriend and Shawn from Australia who was sitting next to us also got drawn into the conversation. So if anybody is planning to visit Bruges in the near future, if you could smuggle in some square sausage for James he’ll be your friend for life!

Tonight we are sitting in the Silver Machine, parked up in the aire at Camping Gravalot where the adventure began waaayyy. back at the end of August. It does seem like a long time ago. We’ve been here for two nights and we catch the ferry back to the UK tomorrow.

We went out for some Moules et Frites at the Cafe de la Tour last night to celebrate the end of another trip….and it really has been an excellent adventure.

Germany turned out to be much more impressive than we expected. The landscapes around the Mosel and the Rhine were stunning and the towns and villages on the Romantic Road were truely amazing.

We headed to Italy as an afterthought, chasing better weather if we’re honest, but we’re really glad we did. The northern lakes are of course renowned for their beauty, but really have to be seen to be believed. In addition there was so much to do in each area we visited, we could easily have stayed a lot longer.

We’re going to take our time heading home so we don’t plan to be in Insch until next Monday. We’d just like to finish by thanking all of you for reading our blog and for the kind comments. Unbelievably it came up a couple of weeks ago that we’d reached the 100 post mark since we stared our travels. It might sound daft but it is kind of reassuring that there are people out there actually reading the blog.

According to the Yiddish proverb: “Man plans God laughs“. Well he must have been having a good chuckle on Monday Morning. When we went to bed on Sunday we planned to head for the Mont Blanc Tunnel and onwards through France with five carefully planned stops. By the time we got up on Monday morning we were heading for Calais through Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium and France.

Why? Well luckily, the Times reported that morning that industrial action at oil refineries in France had caused fuel shortages at the pumps and the situation was deteriorating rapidly. We had absolutely no idea.

When we left Orta San Giulio, we decided we’d drive through straight through Switzerland and stay the night in an aire at Colmar a French city, just across the border near Basel. A journey that would take us about six hours, including stops.

Needless to say the journey through Switzerland was stunning. On wonderfully constructed motorways we sped along valleys with mountains towering over us, past lakes and through some amazingly long tunnels. We entered Switzerland at Lake Lugano, left at Basel which is right on the Border, and passed many lovely alpine towns and villages in between. Sometimes it’s really good to be forced into a change of plans it seems. Maybe the last laughs on us after all.

We didn’t arrive in Colmar until mid afternoon, but this still gave us enough time to explore, at least part of, the city. It also meant that, to make best use of our time, we should just have our supper somewhere in town.

Colmar is Capital of the Alsace Wine Region, or so it says on the town’s sign as you arrive. It’s near the German border and to be honest you have to keep reminding yourself that your not in Germany as you wander around the well preserved old town.

As we approached the old town, Petite Venise, a beautiful area around the River Launch with colourful half timbered houses, was an indication of things to come. Beyond, the bustling centre, was a joy to wander around. With numerous squares, lined with tempting restaurants and bars, we had plenty of choice for getting something to eat. It was quite a warm evening so it was a real bonus to be able to sit outside, for as it turns out, the last time on this trip!it was only a 25 minute walk back to the Silver Machine which was parked up in a small aire, Domaine du Wolfloch. There are no services at the aire, but it’s only 8€ a night with an additional 2€ for electricity if you want it. Bargain!

The next night, we found ourselves in Luxembourg where the Silver Machine was parked up, once more at Camping Kockelscheuer when the adventure more or less began, waaaay back at the end of August. Goodness it seems like a long time ago. We were only there for a night as a convenient the place to stop, so we hadn’t planned to do anything other than chill.

So today we’re in Belgium, in the city of Namur to be precise, again we’re just here just for a day. We’re planning to visit Bruges next and so we’re nipping on to give ourselves a few days there. It’s the first time we’ve stopped in Belgium in the Silver Machine and we’re really looking forward to it.

The Silver Machine is parked up in Parking Motorhomes Tabora, a free aire less than a miles walk, mostly along the river Sambre, to the city centre. There are eight narrow places and you have to pay for the well positioned service point.

Namur is strategically positioned at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse Rivers. A huge Citadel, one of the largest in Europe, looms over the city, at this point. It really is big. Its probably the largest fortress that we have clambered around and it as much a workout as a tourist experience. In addition to the massive walls and buildings there are 7 miles of tunnels, gardens and a large golden turtle with a man riding on its back looking out over the two rivers. If you’d asked me yesterday what a golden turtle has to do with a citadel in Namur, I would have had to say: no idea. Today? Still no idea…. but it’s quite impressive anyway.

It’s almost a relief to wander round the picturesque old town which lies below the Citadel, on the far bank of the Sambre. It’s cobbled lanes are lined with many bars, bookshops and quirky clothing and furniture shops, possibly reflecting the large student population.

So we’re deviating a bit from the road to Calais and heading to Bruges. We didn’t really pay Namur justice, it’s a lovely city and one which we will definitely come back to. It’s literally just off the motorway and will offer and ideal stopping off point heading in the direction of Germany in future.