All good things must end!

The few remaining guests gathered for an early breakfast before heading off. Adrian and Joyce are heading off the South West of France for about ten days whilst some of the American continents had an 0600 hours start so as to reach Brussels Airport for the their mid morning flight back to the USA.

Jennifer and Wanda and I had a cup of coffee and then we headed back to our room and finished packing before leaving for home. The weather was a little brighter today and quite windy and we reached the Port of Dunkirk about 90 minutes before sailing time which gave us enough time for a cup of coffee.. The Channel was smooth and we stayed mostly in the Club lounge and listened to our IPods.

The traffic from Dover was not to bad and we arrived home at 5 pm and desperate for a cup of tea.

In reflecting on the weekend we had a great time and it was really nice to meet so many nice people. Guests had come from Thailand, Vietnam. Florida, Netherlands, France, Scotland and of course the UK group. It all made for a lovely weekend.

Oh dear it’s raining in Bruges

It rained overnight and was quite grey in the morning. We decided to make another attempt to go for a boat ride and we were successful although it rained again and trying to see out of this mall boat with umbrellas up was a bit of a challenge. The tour lasted about half an hour with our Belgian student guide who tried to make some English jokes, he actually asked us to name a famous Belgian, and the only answer we could come up with was 'waffle' As we got off the boat it started to rain again which forced us to go directly to a cafe for a life saving Cognac and coffee and watch the world go by for a while.

There were mixed views on where to go to lunch but as Jen and I were still full from a large English breakfast we decided to take a miss on lunch and wait till later. We walked around the town in areas not previously visited and took some more photos before deciding to have a 'Bratwurst' and a shared pack of chips with mayonnaise in the town square. AS the weather was quite grey and really not suitable for more photographs we headed back to the Hotel and ended up watching the Italian Grand Prix before having a quick siesta.

We all met up in the bar, apart from those who had left the group to head home, and as people were getting a little jaded a few of us stayed in the Hotel and had a snack in the cafe. To be honest we were not sure what qyulaity the food would be but the salads were great although the homemade chicken pie was more of a chicken vol-a-vent but still tasty. Once more we retreated to the bar for a few nightcaps and eventually headed off to bed.

Bruges is a nice town and its a shame so there were so many tourists there as it changing the style of the shops and making the restaurant prices expensive. Compared to the prices in Spain last week Bruges is defiantly very expensive to stay there .

Sightseeing in Bruges

We spent the day walking around Bruges and taking photographs. The market was quite large and had an interesting display of cheese and other fresh food including a number of vans selling cooked chickens and ribs. There were of course many other market stalls selling clothing, plants and animal baskets and toys.

Some of the group met up at 1600 hrs to go for a boat ride around the canals but they were full and so we wandered off to do some more sightseeing. The town is quite beautiful and the architecture is stunning in places and although the place was teeming with tourist it was possible to get away from the crowds and visit some of the older part of town. The old Churches and also the Convent where you can go to get away from the sins of life and there is little chance they would let me in. Tonight is the Banquet in the Hotel to be held in the historic ruins which are under the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Adrian and Joyce hosted the opening cocktail party before we all sat down for a huge buffet dinner. The dinner choice and quantity was far too much our group even though it contained Lobsters, Crab and many other delicacies.

It was a lovely evening and finished around one o'clock in the morning and although some people went on to the Irish Bar next door the Groves went to bed.

What a lovely day

A tour of the First World War sites

When arriving at the Hotel yesterday we had seen a pamphlet outlining a tour of the First World War historic sites and so we decided to take an organised tour rather than flounder about looking for something. So at 0945 'Jacques' our tour guide turned up and it would appear that only the four of us were on this particular trip. Jacques was an excellent guide and had an enthusiasm which rubbed off on us and it made the complete morning with him very interesting indeed. He has previously become involved in the BBC series 'Who do you think you are' where Eamonn Holmes researched his past and his grandfather who died in Belgium in the Great War..

We went first of all to Essex Farm which was an advanced field dressing station where the injured were brought to dress their wounds, the conditions were so bad its quite difficult to contemplate. From there we wntr to Vancouver Corner to see the Canadian Memorial where there is the 'Brooding Soldier'. During the tour he explained how the Germans used gas to kill thousands of Allied troops and the death process was appalling where the gas made you drown in your own liquid caused through inhaling

The following link explains more detail. http://www.firstworldwar.com/diaries/firstgasattack.htm

We then made a visit to the Tyne Cot Cemetery where not only Allied troops are buried but several Germans as well. This is an impressive site and very well cared for. We understand that there about 160 cemeteries containing First World War victims and hundreds of thousands of Allied troops died, and for what??

On to Hill 62 in Sanctuary wood and the trench museum. The Belgian countryside is very flat and the troops used to distinguish the various small hills by they metre height about sea level and so Hill 62 was 62 metres above sea level.

The trenches are not quite how they were in the museum and of course in the winter they were wet and muddy and extremely cold. This was a very interesting morning and well worth the expense of a knowledgeable guide.

http://www.ypres-fbt.com/

After lunch we headed of to Bruges where we arrived mid afternoon . It was planned to be a free day but we met several people in the bar before dinner prior to leaving for a quiet dinner for two. The restaurant we found was very good food and we would go there again.

And so to bed

Ypres

We left home around 0900 hrs to connect with the Norfolk Lines vessel to Dunkirk. The vessel was comfortable but there seemed to bve a complete shortage of staff as there was no chef on board according the serving wench in the restaurant.

We arrived in Ypres at the Araine Hotel which is quite nice and then went for a walk around the town to get a feel for the place. We had dinner??so to speak, Adrian and Noel had the 'Croque Monsieur' which should have contained Gruyere cheese and ham and a Béchamel sauce. This one contained mostly two large slices of bread, a breath of cheese and a smell of ham, but we did have some chips. In the evening we went to the Menen Gateto watch the 'Last Post' played and the laying of wreaths. It was a solemn but beautiful short service and only lasting about twenty minutes. The Corby Male Voice Choir were there and sang one song whilst the 'Hells Angels' group who support a Hospice also laid a wreath. Ypres is a nice little town that was completely raised to the ground in the First World War and then completely rebuilt in the original style some years after the war had ended. It's amazing that the town did not get it did not get severely damaged again during the second world war.

After the ceremony we went to a little bar that was decorated with hundreds of religious crosses and statues and had a couple of beers.

6th September- Time to leave

Suddenly it was time to leave the sun, where did the days go??
A restfull morning following by a BBQ lunch was the best way to spend the day with some swimming in the meantime and of course a little more resting.
So mid afternoon we headed back in the car to Alicante Airport trying to avoid arriving at Murcia Airport instead. The Airport was quite busy but the flight was on time and we had a pleasant flight home.
We arrived back at Gatwick and the Taxi was waiting to take us home to our own beds.
What a lovely time we all had on this trip but suddenly reality is back with you again with a bang.

5th September--A little walking today

The weather had changed somewhat today and it had rained overnight. Noel and Jennifer together with Roger and Sue went for a walk by the coast and sat watched the waves coming in for a while which was quite nice. Back to the Villa for a light snack lunch and then off again to Altea for a walk along the promenade by the side of the large rock. This rock used to be used in historic days for throwing people too their death where they would fall a few hundred feet and than crash in to the rocks below. Not really a pleasant way to end your days.There were two guys climbing the rocks at the time and it looked very dangerous from down below.
We planned to have a coffee in Altea but the parking was a nightmare so eventually we went back to Villa instead.
Tonight's dinner would be local at a Restaurant called Casa Juan (the singing chef) where the owner/chef during the interval of of cooking comes and joins the two Colombian guitarists and they all have a good Spanish sing-a-long. The food was excellent again and both Jennifer and I had the pork and the house wine was also very good and even had the singing chef on the label.
Following dinner we retired to the Villa to check out some more of Rogers wine and thence to bed

4th September- Market Day

Lyn was in the pool early this morning and I think Jennifer joined her but not sure as I was still in bed.
Roger, John, Lyn and Noel went off to the local market which sells the usual stuff of clothing, shoes and many things that you think you dont need but know they are so cheap you buy them. Roger and Noel did a quick walk around the market place, Noel to take photos before we headed off for a coffee and a little brandy, this purely to be used as preventative medicine.
Then we went on a longish drive through the hills to a restaurant called Verdi Verdi in a small town called Massgroff which is on the top of a hill with great views, but it was to hot to sit outside. There was a set meal, with a starter of curried vegetables served with fresh bread, then a really good vegetable soup, a salad followed that and then half a sheep and then if you had enough space a desert. Again the wine came along with the meal and the whole lot cost about £18.00 per person. The restaurant was owned by a Spanish Chef and his german wife and they had only recently installed a generator for electric as before this time they had gas for cooking and candles for lighting. The food was excellent.
We drove home through the hills and took some photos and then we took a quick trip downtown to a little seaside bar to watch the moon rising and then back for a quiet evening.

3rd September- An easy day in Spain

A latish breakfast was had by one and all before taking off in the boat again to go South along the coast to a place called Calpe which was a small fishing village at one time. We had a walk around town and looked at the fish restaurants along the waterfront before heading back to the marina for a coffee and then back to the boat where we stopped and had our picnic.
There were still too many Jelly fish and so we called it a day and then headed back to the pool at the Villa where we all spent a pleasant day reading, swimming, sleeping and also sleeping again.
It was at this point in time we received thew terrible news that Roger and Sue are avid watchers of Eastenders and Coronation Street. John and I felt quite faint after hearing the news and so we had to resort to a brandy.
In the evening we drove over the hills to restaurant called Pepe's in a town called Alcalali but on the way we stopped in a small town to visit a Bodega and then went to a little bar for a drink.
The dinner was excellent and Roger and Sue knew the owner which I guess helped. Back home we tested some more wine before trying out the beds again.

2nd September- A lovely day out

After a good breakfast overlooking the swimming pool we headed of down town to buy some things for the car which the car hire company had failed to provide. After a walk around town and taking a few photos we went back to the Marina for a trip around the bay on Rogers speedboat. We left the Marina and headed off out in to the bay and toured around for a while and tried to find a place where we could go for a swim in the sea but unfortunately there were too many man eating jelly fish around. So although Sue and Lyn and Roger did quick dips the Groves stayed safely on board.

We returned to the Marina around

1.30 pm and then went to lunch in a little bar restaurant by the sea called Raco’s Bar where we had great grilled Sardines and various other delights overlooking the beach where there was a student standing in the water reading a book. We spent the afternoon swimming in the pool and relaxing and preparing for the evening meal. We departed the house around 6.30 pm and headed off to a town called Teulada where we had a drink in the square then went to Bar Meditterano where we had a great meal .The meal price was very good and included copious quantities of the house wine.

Lyn fell in love with a little dog from a neighbouring table, see photo.

We then returned back to the house to sample some of Rogers brandy and then off to bed.

1st September-Spain – an early start to the day

An early start was planned and so we awoke around 0515 to be ready for the cab at just after 0600 which hopefully had picked up John and Lyn on time.

WE left here around 0620 and arrived safely at Gatwick nice and early and the Monarch Airlines check in was very fast and so not long after we were hearty a heart big breakfast at 'Frankie & Bennys' before boarding the plane.

Town hours later we arrived on time and picked up the hire and promptly took the wrong road, I cannot possibly say it was Johns fault, as Noel was driving and should know better than to follow the navigators demands. Never mind, but after getting off the Motorway to Murcia which was completely in the wrong direction and turning around and heading back towards Valencia and then following the excellent instructions supplied by Roger we arrived safely at their Villa in Moraire. Time for an urgent cup of tea and also the first swim of the day was really good and what a lovely way to spend an afternoon lying by the pool chatting with good friends.

In the evening Roger had pre-prepared all the ingredients for a large Spanish Paella which was really very tasty and together with some excellent Spanish and South African wine we had a lovely dinner. A few more drinks on the balcony before bed which appeared around midnight when we were all getting a little bit tired. My it's warm tonight.