Saturday 28 May 2011

France Sep 2010, Day Ten

Day ten 13th Sep

Same routine as last week, about two hours coach ride to the drop off point, the Palais des Congrès de Paris. This time though we knew where we where and even gave directions to others getting off the bus, we headed straight towards the Eiffel Tower where we planned to have our lunch. As we passed a small supermarket we stopped and went in, Dot had seen something in there the last time and wanted another look. We ended up with a small bottle of wine each to have with the picnic, one each, as Dot got a bottle white and I got one of red.

I took a load more photos from the Place du Trocadéro of the Eiffel Tower and even tried to get some arty ones as we walked down the steps passed the fountains.


We arrived too early for lunch so we stayed on the right bank of the Seine, walked along to the next bridge and crossed to the Île des Cygnes, an artificially-created island in the river.

Dot, Île des Cygnes

 This had nothing to do with there being three bridges across the island, honest. At the far end of the island is one-fifth scale replica of the Statue of Liberty, so we walked along for a look, as the island has no roads it is popular this cyclists, joggers, dog walkers and tramps.


It would have been a good idea to have our packed lunch there but it was still far too early, so we headed in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower.


Dot wanted to go up the tower but the queue were still very long and I am still scared of heights so we didn't, I know I should have made the effort and maybe next time I will. We found a bench to sit on in the Parc du Champ de Mars, with a fantastic view of the tower. We had our picnic there and even though there was a sign forbidding alcohol, every one around us was drinking beer or even Champaign, so we had our wine with it.

After lunch we walked through the Parc du Champ de Mars, towards the Military School but the way through to it was closed, for what could have been a fun run the previous day.

Paris, September 2010

From there we made our way along the Avenue de la Motte-Picquet towards the Esplanade des Invalides, it's a lot further than it looks on the street map. We passed another group of tourists on segways, not such a bad idea, Paris is big.

Once there at the L'Hôtel national des Invalides, we had a look round the military museums and church there. As it was still very sunny, it was not a day to be inside and as we left as large numbers of noisy youngsters were arriving, we made a good decision there then.


We then walked down the Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni back to the river Seine at Pont Alexandre III and made our way along the south bank back in he direction of the tower. By now we had already walked about five miles, so we decided to have a seat and a beer. We crossed over the river via Passerelle Debilly, a pedestrian bridge and went into the firs bar we came to, very expensive and very poor beer, only had the one though.


We then walked down the Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni back to the river Seine at Pont Alexandre III and made our way along the south bank back in he direction of the tower. By now we had already walked about five miles, so we decided to have a seat and a beer.


We crossed over the river via Passerelle Debilly, a pedestrian bridge and went into the first bar we came to, very expensive and very poor beer, only had the one though.


You know how I said, that the many Africans selling souvenirs, spoil the experience all around the Eiffel Tower, well they also sell the cheapest souvenir towers, so we set off from the bar in their direction to get some.

These guys are pestering people all day and usually getting nowhere, you should have seen this ones face when we replied, go no then lets have 20 of those key rings.

Then it was back to the pick-up point but not before a Leffe or two, at the same friendly bar we had used on our last visit.

France Sep 2010, Day Nine

Day Nine 12th Sep

Dave and Claire had to get the train from Soissons back to Paris for the flight home, so we thought we could spend some time in Soissons centre before the train. We parked at the station Dave and Claire got their tickets, the train times weren't very good so they would have to leave for Paris earlier than intended.

We walked into town heading for the cathedral, as we had been in 2008, we knew it was in the centre of town, unfortunately, it wasn't the cathedral. We had walked to the ruins of the Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes, didn't notice that last time we were here.

Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes

This was only a short detour we had to backtrack slightly to get into the centre, just as we were having a good look round it started to rain and we had to take shelter in a bar (yes a bar we had been to in 2008).


All to soon though, we had to get back the the station, with the timing of the trains, Dave and Claire would have a couple of hours in Paris before heading to the airport. The train arrived spot on time and Dave and Claire were gone.


We had a slow drive back to the site and took some bridge photos along the way.


Back at the site we popped into reception and enquired as to places on the next days trip to Paris, there was space if we wanted to go. We had a walk on the site, a beer in the lakeside bar, wandered back to reception and booked the Paris trip. The lakeside bar had been improved since our last visit and looked very nice.


Early night for an early start.

France Sep 2010, Day Eight

Day Eight 11th Sep

On the morning at Siblu reception, we discovered that there had been complaints from vans further away than ours, so this indicates the lever of volume from their van. The Siblu reps had been helpful but seemed powerless to do anything about the situation but in my opinion these people should have been thrown off the site for their unacceptable behaviour. So I also then made a complaint to the campsite main reception.

After visiting main reception I retuned to Siblu reception and asked if we could be move to another van further away from the noisy people, again the Siblu reps were helpful but said the only available van was still too close to these people. They said I could upgrade but when I asked if this would be free, they could not answer without contacting the office I even said I would pay and argue later but again they could not answer without contacting the office.

To cut an even longer story short, in the end we moved to a nice van away from the noise but this was not before we had a day worrying about what that night would bring, not to mention having to move all our stuff between vans, more later.

Even after all of this we where out early (I think part of it was wanting to be away from the people next door) and in Chateau de Coucy before 11:00. As we parked up here was a large police presence around the main square, we asked a policeman what was happening and there was a cycle race coming through in about an hour. Well we all wanted to see this but an hour sat in the hot sun waiting was a bit much, so we set off around the outside of the castle walls to pass some time. We left via the la porte de Laon (the Laon gate) and headed anticlockwise, this I knew, was the shaded part of the walk.


When we got to the porte de Chauny (the Chauny gate) there was a small gathering of spectators waiting for the bikes, we asked them when they were expecting race to come through. The answerer was about 20 mins, so we sat on the fence there and waited. 


Over the next quarter of an hour we watched service and police vehicles passing and got cameras ready until the breakaway group of three came passed (see photo for more information), closely followed by a lone rider. It was another 30 seconds before the main group (the peloton) came round the corner and up the hill towards us, I though as they were going uphill it would be easy to get photos, wrong, I should have had the camera set on continuous shoot. Even though it looked very calm and organised in the peloton there was some shoving taking place and I have no idea how they manage to get though the gates. Within seconds it was all over but it did take another minuet or two for all the support vehicles to pass. Then it was back to our walk, by the way, we later discovered it was the 90th running of the Paris- Bruxelles, cycle race (it actually goes from Soissons to Bruxelles).


It only took us another 25 mins to walk to porte de Soissons (the Soissons gate) and the church of Eglise St Sauveur, after the church we looked for somewhere for our picnic. The porte de Soissons has been rebuilt since the last time we did the walk in 2008. 


First thing we noticed was something going on at the cenotaph, quite a few people in the finery and medals and carrying flags. We never did find out what they were commemorating, we even asked at the bar next to where this was happening and they didn't know.

We did however have a beer, it was the bar that was closed earlier in the week and it was the one were we had a beer with Mick and Bren in 2008.


It was while we were having a beer we all realised that with all the bother reporting things to reception and trying to arrange a different van, I had not had any breakfast and it was now about half twelve. So we had another beer each, it was while we where having these I received a phone call to inform us that we had a new van, well away form the horrible people. In a good mood (we were never that down) we went to look for somewhere to sit for the picnic. We sat on a stairway on the walls close to the church and after lunch we finished the last section of the wall back to la porte de Laon where we had started. Here, at the hotel Dot and I had beers at earlier in the week, the people from the ceremony at the cenotaph were having a very boisterous meal in the hotel reastraunt.

Back at the site we got the key for the new van and rushed to move all of our belongings, we didn't have to rush but we did and in the heat it made me feel sick. After a short rest and a cold beer, I felt better and we had a walk into town. The girls stopped on the way down to look in a shop but Dave and I just carried on to the tabac, not for cigarettes but for beers.


I thought Dave and Claire would like to go to the reastraunt for their last evening meal but they were quite happy for me to make meatballs in tomato sauce back at the van. So we moved down to the port area for another beer before heading back. I had wanted to look down there since last time we were here, the bar we chose was a bit rough and I do not think the girl behind the bar knew what she was doing. Claire got the smallest glass of wine I had ever seen and Dot got a bottle of beer with the top on and I had to ask for the bottle opener but we did have a laugh. 


We had a look at he river and the was a Pétanque competition going on we could have entered if we had been a bit earlier. On the way back up to the town we notice memorial plaques on walls from WW2, presumably people shot by the Germans, well that's all we could think it was.

Then it was back to the van for my cooking and a film all went well and the rest all fell asleep during the film. Then a enormous explosion woke them all and frightened the shit out of me.  It was followed by more bangs, we all immediately knew what it was and rushed outside for a fantastic firework display. I am not sure where is was coming from but it was close and it was a full 20 min professional display, very nice indeed, we never did find out what it was for.

We told Dave and Claire that the firework display was all arranged by us for them, if fact the whole holiday was, that we knew the BBC were filming at Pierrefonds and we knew the Paris - Bruxelles was coming through Chateau de Coucy but they didn't believe us.

France Sep 2010, Day Seven

Day Seven 10th Sep

Dave was up early and down to the campsite shop for bread and croissants and had been to the lake to talk to the fishermen, in fact all the others were up before me.

As soon as everyone was ready we got on the car and headed for Merlin's Castle, Château de Pierrefonds. Dot and I had been in 2008 and were looking forward to visiting again. As I suspected it was busier than our last visit but not as bad as I feared with two series of Merlin having been on the BBC, my photos of the Château are my most viewed of all.  Parking was harder than last time but we got a spot close to the market place and set off up the hill to the entrance.

A change from last time is, that it is no longer free to get in, it is now €7.00 each but restrictions on photographing the camera crew and sets is no longer in force.   The filming also means that entry to some parts of the Château are restricted.


As soon as we walked in through the main entrance to the castle, the camera crews were already filming in the central courtyard, there were crew and extras everywhere. We sat and a wall and waited for something to happen but it is all very slow, so we continued with out tour of the rest of the castle.


In the great hall Dave wanted to cross the red tape and have his photo took sat on the throne, but he was dissuaded from doing so. Although he did jump out into a passage way in front of us, dressed in a medieval cloak (it was actually a flag he found in a box in a side room), it seemed to make him very happy.


After doing the full tour we again sat and watched some filming until we got board and hungry. So as we had, had some reasonable food last time we were in Pierrefonds we went to the same place. It was still nice there, sat in the sun but my burger wasn't cooked. Dot's wasn't much better but Dave and Claire's meal looked good.


By now it was hot, so we headed back and went to the campsite pool to cool off and sunbathe. We had food back at the the van and a nice night in with a film.

Then at about 1am when everyone else on the campsite was asleep the neighbours started again and this time they were that loud they woke me as well, it was the third night in a row, we had had enough.

We were all up but the others persuaded me not to go next door to complain but at 2am I walked to Siblu reception to complain and they said they would contact security. Someone did arrive and we heard them ask the people next door to stop the noise but as soon as they left the noise restarted.

I waked back to Siblu reception with Dave but we were told there was nothing further they could do that night. I then confronted these people myself (as they had shouted to me to party or something like that as I passed their van on the way back), they apologised said they didn't know they were being a nuisance and promised to be quiet but the didn't. The noise eventually stopped at about 4am.

France Sep 2010, Day Six

Day Six 9th Sep

Dave and Claire due in today, we worked out the best way to meet them, would be for them to get a taxi from the airport to a town or village along the N2 and we would be waiting for them there. They were not due in until the afternoon and as it was back to being sunny today, we spent the morning sat in the sun reading. After lunch we set off early to the meeting place, outside the church at Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, about 30 miles from the campsite.

As usual we stopped for photos along the way (a windmill this time), even so we did arrive very early, only to get a text to say the plane was delayed by about an hour. Now if you have been to Nanteuil-le-Haudouin you will know that once you have had a short walk, unless you go to a bar, there isn't much else you can do. So after a walk, we got back in the car and headed off to a near by Abbaye, Abbaye Royale de Chaalis.


There was a cafe so we ordered two teas, a pot of hot water and two cups and saucers were brought to our table but no tea. Dot told me to be patient, but tea never arrived and I had to go back into the cafe an ask for some, the waiter was very apologetic and latter we did get a free top up. It started to rain (even though it was still sunny) so we had to move inside and by the time we finished it was time to head back to the meeting place.


We were still early, so in the end we did have a small beer opposite the church, as soon as Dave and Claire arrived though we headed straight back to the site.

As soon as Dave and Claire got settled in we had a walk round the site and a drink in the bar, before an indoor BBQ back in the van.

The Campsite Bar

Again there was noise from the next van that woke everyone but me.