AND FINALLY

Hi Everybody,
Hope you enjoyed Wimbledon, Deb and didn't have too many traffic problems. Thanks to everybody for their comments over the last 3 months where I was pleased to get nearly 1500 hits on the blog.
Trip complete. But not before visiting this charming chap in Reims. The cathedral was under extensive renovation and cleaning so just a few details.

Huge building but not so ornate inside as some. Lovely stained glass windows designed by Chagall which I cannot do justice to in the photo below.

Rather different beside the doors is the smiling angel.

Nice town is Reims and only a short train journey from Epernay. Weather so hot just had a salad to eat so no great food stories here.

Final leg of our journey took us into the Ardennes in Belgium and the town of Rochefort. This is a particularly good area for beer but not much else. The mini train below celebrated all that is famous about Belgium, namely the Smurfs and Tintin. 

The train gave us a good view of the town from the forest. One thing it can't show is the state of the roads in Belgium. Seems to me every motorway in Spain and Portugal was paid for by the EU. The roads are superb, magnificent aqueducts and long tunnels but the roads are empty either because there is little demand or they are too expensive. Many of Belgium's road surfaces, even on major motorways would shame a third world country. 

Campsites are getting full of kids now so it is time for us to go.

Cheers!

Next blog will probably be 2016. We are hoping to replicate our 1988 motorhome trip through Holland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia (as was), Greece, Italy, France and home. How we managed then I'm not sure. No TV, Internet or mobile phones. Tanks passing us on the roads in Yugoslavia and a very dodgy ferry trip on open deck from Greece to Italy. Should be fun!

Enjoy your holidays

J&P