Devall Travels

Up early and the car packed. We were actually earlier than planned. No queues at check-in, allocated Train V,  and we were in the dog play area for Reggie to run about. But as usual with Eurotunnel the timetable goes out of the window. And once again we sat in the queue for an additional 30 minutes. The 1050 I booked had morphed into the 1049 on check-in, and then the 1114. At 1036 they announced the retimed 1041 (not its real time as it is Train U) was full and the overspill on the next train. Let's see if we get away before 1200? And so it was. Our train finally chugged out of Folkestone at 1154.

As usual before a trip on the bike or in the car there are last minute things that need doing and all the paperwork to amass. Breakdown cover for the car?  Done.   Printing ticket for the train and the camp? Done.   And the biggest and most frustrating job? Getting the satnav/GPS to work! I have waxed lyrically on my other blog  about the new TomTom. Well it is back from the TomTom smurf shop apparently with nothing wrong with it! As I have little faith in it, I have made sure that the old satnav is up to date and can take us there if need be. Plus we have good old paper.... Passport looked out? Done Reggie's passport? Done Driving licence and car documents? Done As we are self-catering. Bed sheets and pillow cases?  Towels? Sleeping bags? Foodstuffs? Reggie's food and cool box to keep it cold/frozen? Reggie's bedding? Reggie's spare leads and raincoat. Throws to stop Reggie making a mess? Medicines? Mosquito repel...

When away from home I always have a look to see if there are any football (soccer to colonials) clubs nearby where I can visit and add another stadium to my bucket list. I've been to games across Europe as a  neutral more times than I have been as an Arsenal supporter, in Scotland, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Spain.  So as we will be based in Orlando for a week, I had a look and saw that Orlando City are playing at home and tickets at a very reasonable price. They use Ticketmaster which should be no problem except that it doesn't recognise my Ticketmaster login and so I had to create a new one. On the other hand. Football of the NFL kind is played at Tampa Bay.  Logging onto their site was easy enough but tickets for the game on October 1st against the NY Giants started at $168 each.  What?   Isn't this the working man's game.    So I decided to do the Orlando City visit at $36 each. Cur...

Looking at places to go. It's just over three weeks until we go. The site seems pretty good and the mobile-home we have is two bedrooms and and two bathrooms. One each then.... There are a number of beautiful villages in the area. and some are linked below. Must remember to take "proper" cameras this time. Domme

The journey to the campsite near Sarlat is about 550 miles according to the route done on Tyre by Google maps. With Reggie onboard we decided to break the journey about halfway and so the hunt began. Once I had a route in mind that avoids Paris and the terrible Périphique and the slightly less terrible outer A86 ring.  In the end "halfway" looked to be Orléans or that area.  On booking.com I did a search and selected the Campanile at la Source just to the south of the city.  Given the time of the outward Shuttle I expect we'll be there in good time to give Reggie a decent walk on the nearby fields.  I emailed to find out how much it will cost for him and it's an extra €5 a night.  Amazingly, at this particular hotel he is allowed in the restaurant. Although the idea of dogs in restaurants doesn't appeal to everyone, a well behaved dog is hardly noticeable on the floor and is no dirtier than the shoes that people come in. In the end I have booke...

I am going to have a quick solo day trip to Vimy Ridge for the Centenary of the Battle of Arras. All along the front the allies attacked entenched German positions on the high ground around Arras. Despite terrible losses the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge was a success. Many Canadians call this the battle that created their nation. A hundred years later we gather to pay our respects for the thousands of young men that came so far from home to fight and for many of them there is a corner of France forever theirs. Oh Canada. UPDATE: 10th April 2017 http://rocket3man.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/vimy-100-report.html  

There are several ceremonies taking place at the same time in Ypres and the area that formed the Passchendaele battlefield. The first is a special event at the Menin Gate in Ypres.  I have been before to see the pageantry and the Fire Brigade buglers at the Gate and it is a truly moving experience.   The second, is the ceremony at Tyne Cot British Cemetery  and Memorial . This is also a ticket only event. parking will be at the Zonnebeke Museum and that will be by ticket and then shuttle buses to Tyne Cot. Unusually for me I hadn't booked any accommodation and of course now that everyone has got the okay that they are getting tickets to the event, the whole thing has gone wild.  Simply taking a look at "Ypres" and the dates on booking.com sees that some places are what we say in England are "taking the piss" with massively inflated prices. But, I guess someone will be desperate and pay them. In the end I have booked a B&B  in Vlamertinge ne...