Saturday 30th July

Saturday 30^th July – Waterloo

It is never the best of nights when one sleeps in a car park but it was uneventful nevertheless.  Sadly the day was overcast and it drissled on and off throughout.  However it was a great day and we loved it.  The battlefield is in much the same state as it was in 1815 and we could imagine most of the battle as it would have played out.  We waited for our tour guide (Dad!) who was flying in from London and so we headed off to the museum and up the Butte De Lion to have a good look at the battlefield.  The Butte is a huge mound built c.10 yrs after the battle to commemorate the Prince of Orange.  It has 226 steps and had a great view of the battlefield.  We then went into the museum before meeting Dad.

the boys on the Butte de Lion overlooking the battlefield

We set off to the first of four stands and spent a good four hours covering the battlefield.  Dad had gone to great efforts to make it interesting for the boys and they loved it (all but J who layed down and fell asleep on the first stand!).  At least J now knows who Napoleon was!  We even had a run-in with a battlefield tour bus which we met in a small lane.  As we were 4/5ths of the way down the lane I was not inclined to budge – eventually the Belgian driver gave way and reversed but not before descending from his vehicle, gesticulating a fair bit and then shrugging his shoulders!

Coincidentally we bumped in to a squadron leader of the 14/20^th Hussars who had been with me in Gulf War One but was now a four star general working in Mons ( I didn’t know we had any four star generals left!).  He managed to get us into the farmhouse at Hougemont, which was great.

Dad holding forth!

Although the day was great and very interesting (we watched the film Waterloo in the ‘beast’ the night before) it was very sad as well.  The two important buildings of the battle – Le Haye Sainte; was closed to the public and Hougemont is now owned by the Belgium Government and is falling down.  To think that Waterloo was the deciding battle of modern Europe.  It was a battle which incorporated several European Nations – Germans, Dutch, British and Belgians who beat the French.  It has had no money given to it and there have been no new attractions or upkeep of buildings for decades.  It is incredibly depressing walking around Hougemont where even the small chapel has been broken into and the cross which was saved from the flames during the battle – stolen.

the farmhouse at Hougemont

We finished around 3pm and had a quick break back at the carpark before heading to the airport to drop off Dad.  It was quite impressive to have had a tour guide flown in for the day!  We then headed towards Ypres, (which is now called Lepers) where we turned off towards Passendale and visited the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in the world.  It was then on into a small village in Flanders where we set up camp in another carpark.

Friday 29th July

Friday 29^th July – Trip to Brussels

The journey to Brussels was not going to be that long so we decided to have a slow start to the day as the boys were shattered after their trip to Eurodisney.  In fact getting them up in some cases was quite a task.  We did a big wash-up and a bid farewell to Paris although we were very glad to leave the campsite, which was without doubt the worst we had stayed in during our road trip.  Even the Italians had better facilities.  What was worse was the constant expense at every turn.

Our trip to Brussels was pretty uneventful and we managed to get there in 4hrs.  We drove into the centre and parked up before looking up some things to do and finding that there was a fun park and mini-Europe to the north of the city.  We headed off there and went into a car park;  well it wasn’t that simple really as it was a tight squeeze into the car park and then the barrier came down on the winne!  We made it in and I found a space for the ‘beast’.  We were just heading in to the park when three security guards appeared and accused us of parking in the wrong place and breaking their barrier.  We managed to persuade them of our innocence but it took a while and then we had to mend the barrier.  All of which took time.  But in the end no damage was done.

We went around the mini-Europe at vaste expense which will no doubt go to shoring up the EU budget deficit and had lots of pictures taken outside the (mini) sites of Europe.  It took  an hour and a half to go round the site which was followed by supper and then off to Waterloo.  It took us half an hour to get to Waterloo where we camped in a car park.

Thursday 28th July

Thursday 28^th July – Eurodisney

I have to confess to being somewhat nervous about Eurodisney as I thought there would be meltdowns and expense in large proportions.  As it turned out it was a great day with everyone having had fun and we returned back to the campsite for 10 o’clock.

Pictures below:

Wednesday 27th July

Wednesday 27^th July – Paris

A day in Paris and a rather cold and wet one at that!  We started off with the Arc de Triumph and then moved on to the Eiffel Tower.  We queued for and hour for a trip up the tower which Claire sat out before going up to the second level.  Unfortunately the top level was closed so we had to make to with the second level.  To be honest another queue would have been too much!  We then moved on to the Hotel des Invalides, which is the French copy of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, although it isn’t quite the same.  It is a museum, church and hospital all in one; as well as being the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte!

the boys outside the Hotel de les Invalides

Claire went on to the Louvre and bought tickets while we went around the museum so that when we had finished we walked along to the Louvre and went straight in!  After the Mona Lisa and several other corridors the boys were ready for some refuelling so we stopped off at the Café. 

outside the Louvre

It was then on to Notre Dame which was something of a disappointment after all of the Cathedrals in Italy.  Nevertheless it was a magnificent building and the stain glass windows were spectacular.  We then adjourned to a café for an early supper, a glass of wine and some cards.  This avoided the rush-hour before heading back to the campsite.

next to Napoleon’s Tomb

Tuesday 26th July

Tuesday 26^th July – Travelling from St Emilion to Paris

A rather leisurely start which meant we left slightly later than normal.  However that proved to be our undoing.  After we had filled up with water, got lost and turned around the time was around 10:30 before we set off for Paris.  Things didn’t get any better because after about a two hours the engine warning light went on I had to stop to fill up with oil.  Alas that meant that we had to ring Stingray RV and find out how to open the bonnet, ask what oil to put in and then purchase it.  That would have been pretty standard had it not been for the fact that the oil that they recommended wasn’t for sale!!  I had to guess so I live in the prospect of the engine failing at any moment!

The rest of the journey was uneventful until we reached Paris where we got well and truly lost.  Tom Tom was rubbish and we almost found ourselves going around the Arc de Triumph it was that bad.  Almost the same as travelling around Trafalgar Square when we should have been in Wimbledon!!!!  After the purchase of a map, Googlemap and several losses of temper we arrived at a rather grotty campsite at around 8pm.  Roughly in time for bed.

Monday 25th July

Monday 25^th July – Saint Emilion

We had a leisurely start as everyone was tired and it was raining so there seemed little point to being outside.  We were up and out by about 10am where we went off on a wine tour at one of the local vineyards.  The proprietor spoke no English so Chloe from the campsite translated for us.  He was just as you would have imagined a French Vineyard owner to be; big nose, deep voice and an accent that was extremely thick.  Nevertheless he was amusing and informative.  The tour lasted just under two hours and the boys did well to behave themselves, as they were clearly bored.  We sampled some of the local brew and then made a small purchase before heading off into St Emilion. 

Outside the vineyard

By the time we arrived in St Emilion we were quite hungry so we looked around for a reasonably priced restaurant and found one in the heart of the town.  The little cobbled streets were very pretty and if it wasn’t continually raining it would have been quite something.  After lunch W had a meltdown so we headed back to the campsite where we just chilled out for a bit before going for a bicycle ride and some more swimming.

lots of bottles!

Tonight we are going to have a barbeque again and cook (and drink) some of our local purchases.

on the way into Saint Emilion

Sunday 24th July

Sunday 24^th July – Driving to St Emilion

I was hoping to leave at 8:30 but as we woke up at 8:00 that would have been quite an achievement! Nevertheless we were up and away by 08:45 which wasn’t bad.  The boys were great and very helpful.  So we said farewell to Spain and headed off to Bordeaux and St Emilion.

We drove up the coast from Barcelona, past the Costa Brava and up to Perpignon before hanging a left up to Toulouse and Bordeaux.  The Tom Tom said that it would take us 6hrs and with stops and the fact that we were driving a house it took us 8hrs.  The journey up the coast to Perpignon was pretty hairy as it was extremely windy and the beast swayed across the road quite a bit.  Consequently our speed was somewhat limited.

our pitch.

We arrived in Saint Emilion at 5ish and were pleasantly surprised by the campsite.   We had the usual stares from the occupants at the size of the motorhome.  Our pitch was lovely and the facilities some of the best we have encountered.  The boys played tennis and went for a swim and we had a barbeque supper.