Grenay to Calais

On the move again today - nearly completing the circuit of France we began back in June. The journey took us past Méteren, the village in which my grandfather is buried. 

The last resting place of William Sayer - killed 23rd April 1918 - RIP. 

Méteren was totally destroyed during the fighting of WWI. Before the destruction in April 1918 Méteren was an important market town in northern France. 

The above images were taken today on a plaque in the main square of Méteren. How eerie to see the top left postcard - the same as the one I have, sent by William Sayer in 1918 to my mother, who was only three, perhaps the last message to his family before the fateful day in April. 

The William Sayer post card  from the Western Front in April 1918. very treasured possession. 

We had a coffee at Méteren before driving on to Grande Synthe, near Dunkirk, for lunch. After this we headed for the Cité Europe in Coquelles, Calais, where we planned to do some shopping - mainly French wine - and spend the night. 

The day did start with an early morning walk again. Our route took us past the local Boulangerie/Pâtisserie which we couldn’t resist! A baguette and a box of mille feuille later, we returned to the van for breakfast. 

We will miss you, France!

Another Day at Grenay

Yes, another day here at Grenay. The usual routine today - a walk, a little shopping, and most importantly the baguette purchase!

Not quite the creative French way of transporting the baguette, but a good effort nonetheless!

Listened to the cricket off and on today using the ABC Listen App. We have used this app often during our travels - strange to listen to the afternoon programs while we are having breakfast - still banging on about the traffic “crisis” in Hobart! 

Lay Day in Grenay

A sleep-in this morning. By the time we surfaced for our morning walk, three of the five overnight vans had left for yonder parts. So, a walk around the streets of Grenay,  and a visit to the British Military Cemetery, before we settled back for breakfast. 

Spent the rest of the morning starting the tidying-up process with the van before we head back to the UK on Wednesday. 

All very exciting!

Had a delicious chicken dish for our even meal - seen cooking away in the picture above. Again, all very scintillating!

Greening Grenay

Another late rise this morning - no overnight thunderstorms to wake us. The day was one of relaxation and reorganisation. 

After a leisurely breakfast, and waving our overnight neighbours a goodbye, we tackled the task of reorganising where all our “clobber” was to be positioned. 

The green open space in Grenay. Very popular with the locals - and the cricket playing Afghanies. Our van parked beyond the trees in the distance. 

The large boot, or garage as it is called in motorhome language, was my responsibility - hadn’t quite realised the amount of gear we had acquired just in these early days of our travels: the chairs, table, levelling chocks, tool box, ladder etc. 

A slightly more ordered “garage” to store our supplies etc. 

During our hiatus in London James and I installed two 160w solar panels onto the roof of the van and connected these into its electronic system. 

The “skilled” tradies at work. Two 160 watt panels to provide for all our on-road electoral needs for the next ten years!

I needed to check that they were still firmly attached to the roof and that the cables were attached to their anchor points. All were doing well! 

As the day warmed we ventured out for a long walk around the environs. This took us past the British Military Cemetery where there were British, Canadian, French and German soldiers buried. This whole area was the ground that the combatants during WWI fought over. 

The very well looked after Maroc British Military Cemetery at Grenay. Such a waste of young men from many nations! (Tip pic - Lines from the poem “All’s Well!”by John Oxenham.)

Spent the rest of the day doing a few jobs and generally relaxing. Helene sowed up some seat covers (until we can get some proper fitting ones) for the front seats as protection from the messy driver!

Some interesting pics from today: 

An colourful display using an old underground coal trolley - keeping in touch with the history of the area. 

A relatively new memorial to the Resistance fighters during WWII.

Grenay

Huge thunderstorms peppered this area of France early this morning - the first clap of thunder appeared to be right overhead - we did wake with a jolt! This was followed by extensive rainstorms that gave everything a good soaking. After this we got back to sleep and failed to wake before 9 am! (How interesting!)

Once the weather had settled we headed out to get some well needed exercise - yesterday seemed to be a day of sitting and eating. 

We took a walk to the other side of the railway lines to Bully-les-Mines. The 8 rail tracks give an indication as to the once importance of this area around Lens. The mining wealth of the area a hundred years ago was such that the French/British army grimly defended the territory against the German army during WW1. 

The sad sight of disused railway tracks indicating the once prosperous mining area now looks to other industries. 

The large slag heaps around the landscape is a lasting legacy to the once flourishing coal mining area. 

More thunderstorms this afternoon kept us cooped up in the van as it passed overhead.

For the past three hours - even during the passing thunderstorm - a young couple of French/Afghanistan locals have been playing cricket on the adjacent tennis court here in Grenay! It seems totally out of place, the sound of bat on ball happening here in France. And they showed great technique both with the bat and the ball. They had obviously spent a childhood growing up with cricket in Afghanistan. Both had great manners and were very pleasant to chat with. The local kids looked on with a certain amount of curiosity!

Cricket in the heart of France!

A cultural icon across France is the Friterie. Offering a range of deep fried products, their chips seem to be the common feature. The Friterie du Parc is only a short distance from our van so to compliment our dinner tonight we placed an order for frits- and they were delicious, but very filling!

A cooler night tonight with more intermittent rain, hopefully no more thunderstorms!

France Day 1

Woke to a beautiful clear morning at Dover - views across the Channel indicating a smooth crossing. We left for the ferry a little over an hour before our crossing was due , but on arrival at the ferry terminal we were pleasantly surprised when asked if we wanted to be in the ferry just about to leave. So, away by 7.30 am to France!

Part of our ticket included access to the Lounge - breakfast champagne was quite a novelty!

After a very smooth crossing we did what one normally does on arriving in France - go shopping at Cité Europe. Stocked up with some essentials before leaving for Grenay. 

Interesting the marketing strategy of the same Australian company in France and in the UK!

Now that’s a lettuce - €0.99 too!

Passing through the north of France you could see the benefit of the recent rains in these parts. The lush growth in the crops (cereal, sugar beet, hops, potatoes etc) made for a very pleasant view across a normally uninteresting terrain. 

We arrived at Grenay mid afternoon, joining three other vans at the aire. The sign that greeted us reminded us of the value the French place in motorhomers. Got to love the French!

TRENDING:

It was noticeable that school children no longer carry or wear backpacks - they have packs with wheels!