23rd October
2015
Crossing the Channel again
!
The next day, both Fernand
and Bart had to go to work, so we had a quiet day around their house, catching
up on some of our chores on house and computer.
That evening, Fernand took us over to one of the relative’s houses where
we spent the evening conversing with about a dozen relatives in a mixture of
French and English. Several of them only spoke Flemish, so it was not always
easy, but albums of photographs of Janet’s parents and other family made a
centrepiece for discussion, and there was a lot of interest and fun as both
sides of the family caught up on news some 30 to 40 years since some of the
visits.
There was just so much for
everyone to catch up on that we stayed quite a lot longer than planned, and
when Fernand finally took us home, poor Bart was waiting with the supper he had
prepared for our earlier expected return, and he had to go to work early the
next morning ! So once we had eaten, it
was off to bed quite quickly.
Next morning Fernand took
Janet and I into to Brussels to show us around.
We drove in, parked in the centre, and walked past the imposing Stock
Exchange and other buildings into the Brussels Grand Place. This Grand Place is the main tourist
destination in Brussels, and is an impressive site after starting out as a simple
market place. The incredible Town Hall
was built by 1455, and by 1536 the Maison du Roi had been built on the other
side of the square. The Guild Houses
were then built around the square, with the result today of the many buildings
around the square, including the Guild of Brewers house.
We then went for the short
walk down to the Maneken-Pis statue, which was surrounded by the many tourists
all trying to get a photo – Usually a selfie !
Fernand then took us down many narrow streets and alleys until we came to
a local tavern that is a Brussels institution for locals, and we had a good
lunch in there. From there it was on
down more old alleyways and streets until we came to a less well known statue
of Jeanekke-Pis – A girl having a pee instead of the boy in Maneken-Pis ! This
is a more recent addition (1985), but one that is rapidly becoming as
popular. 
Finally we stopped in
another Brussels institution – An original coffee house and restaurant. After a
quick coffee there we went back to the car and then headed out of town to the
Neuhaus chocolate factory – And what a place !
You can eat any think you want, and as much as you want, while you
browse the store ! You almost need to
carry your own bottle of water when you eat that much chocolate – An interesting
place !
From the factory we then
went to catch up with more relatives of Janet’s – This time at the home of her
second cousin Jaqueline and her husband George, along with their children,
partners, and grand children. Once again
a fascinating evening of catching up on family news, and as they mostly spoke
English, it was more straightforward than the previous night.
From there it was home and
to bed, and the next morning, after breakfast, we said our farewells to Fernand
and Bart and headed north towards Dunkirk.
We had decided to catch the Dunkirk – Dover ferry in order to avoid any
possible delays in Calais due to the many refugees trying to cross the channel.
Because there are no toll roads in Belgium, for once we did the entire trip on
the motorways in order to ensure we got there in plenty of time. Surprisingly
Dunkirk is a very small port, with few facilities, and even fewer people
around. We bought fuel and a few
supplies at the cheaper French prices before heading down to the port, going
through the UK Border Control post without any problem, and eating our lunch
while we waited in line for our ferry.
We were a little late
loading, but came within site of the White Cliffs at Dover after a smooth
crossing, and were soon unloading. Then it was the long drive across the south
coast of England to my sister Margaret’s house to the west of Southampton. The
first part of the drive is slow and not much fun, through Folkestone, Hythe,
Rye, and Hastings before getting on to the easier dual carriageway roads on to
Southampton. I was also trying to get used to being on the LH side of the road
again after 3 months on the right ! It was a relief to finally get to
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