Riems to Calais, France to Bruges, Belgium

It was time to say goodbye to my Shearings group and go off on my own yet again. I met some truly wonderful people these past few weeks and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to take this tour with them.  Lake Como was beautiful and relaxing and the side trips, especially the train through the Alps will always be treasured memories not to mention the wonderful Christmas Eve Pageant on the hillside town.

We left the Novotle in Reims at 8:00am on the dot and were in Calais 3 and half hours later with just a few bathroom breaks in between. Lots of good discussions going on about a myriad of topics including mistletoe which grows on trees in France and although we didn't spot any along the drive, Maggie who sat next to me gave us a lesson on hos mistletoe grows like a parasite on other trees and it needs to be cut off or it will destroy the tree over time. I didn't realize there was such a thing as a parasitic plant but you learn something new every day right and with this group I certainly learned at least one new thing but really more like 20 each day.

We passed lots of great towns including St. Omer which has a beautiful old ruin in the center of town which was visible from the road we were traveling on. The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine abbey in Saint-Omer, France, now in ruins (the town's town-hall was built with stone from the abbey in 1834) and open to the public.

When we arrived at the ferry port in Calais, Patrick, our driver/tour guide dropped me off near the main terminal so I could catch the bus to the train station in town. I said goodbye to all the lovely people and wished them a happy New Year and then off I went. I waited a little bit for the bus but it's a comfortable building with a café and lots of seating and some really handsome boarder guards. I think the French boarder guards are like the New York City Fire Department filled with mostly really attractive men and in the case of the NYCFD they have their own calendar to show off their good looks. One of the boarder guards was walking a drug sniffing dog and I couldn't help but admire the animal and the guard gave me a big smile and then let the dog off his leash so he could come to me and let me play with him. That was very sweet of him and the dog was incredibly friendly but did, after getting a little love, sniff my luggage and that of the person sitting next to me before trotting off to play with the other dog down the hall. The guard then smiled at me again and walked off with his colleagues. I think the single women of Calais should hang out at the ferry terminal if they want to meet some handsome men although I couldn't tell from where I was sitting if they were all married which could easily have been the case but sadly I'm not sure that really would matter to a French man.

The bus came pretty quickly and I was at the train station in town in a matter of minutes. The train station was nothing to write home about but while I waited for my train to Bruges I had a nice lunch in the café attached to the station and overlooking the Calais City Hall building with it's stunning red brick façade and impressive clock tower. I had a delicious plate of fried eggs and fries which just sounded so good when I saw it on the menu and the waiter brought me delicious bread so for the hour and half that I had to wait for my train I sat very comfortable and read my book and did some people watching. It was nice to hear French spoken all around me.

The train went from Calais to Lille, France where I got another train that got me to a smaller town where I had to switch for the train to Bruges. On that last train I was sitting in a compartment with 2 very sweet young men and a young women from Mongolia. It's so funny the diverse people you meet and they gave me some snacks from their picnic, chips and pineapple juice and told me in what little English they knew and certainly I know no Mongolian and very little French, that the two men were working for 5 years in the Foreign Legion office in Sud, France and the girl was one of the young men's girlfriends who worked in a French office. Very, very friendly and sweet and you just never know who you'll meet along the way on a journey like this.

It sounds like much more work than it was. Each train was close to the other and on several I had help with my luggage from two different very sweet men who carried the suit case down the stairs for me. I'm really encountering so many nice people and very gentlemanly men which is refreshing change. I am happy to take care of carrying my own bags, I'm not a helpless person but there is something nice about getting a little help from time to time.

Once I arrived in Bruges I found, with the help of the people at Starbucks (which by the way is new to Belgium and they don't have wifi in any of the Starbucks in the country yet,) the Ibis Budget Hotel right next door to the station and only a 2 or 3 minute walk into the town center. At first they told me it was sold out for the next few days but they kindly let me use their free wifi in the lobby to find a hotel online. I found one just a 7 minute train ride away and very inexpensive and just as I went to book it I lost the connection which of course annoyed me but there isn't much you can do but to start your over which is what I did. And just as I was about to book it again the women at the front desk ran over to me to say she had a last minute cancellation and I could have the room. Sometimes you just have to let the universe guide you and not get to upset when your internet connection prevents you from booking a hotel when there was a better one just minutes away from being yours.

I got to my room which is very sparse and a little odd. Firstly there is no key, you get a personal code you punch in to get into your room. Then when you enter it's a nice size but it's looks like it was decorated by Ikea and the sink and shower are right in the room with the bed and your toilet is in a small closet that has a motion detector light so it turns on only when you go in.  The room is very clean and quiet for the most part and affordable and in a great location so really, not having a closet or a wall separating your shower/sink from your bed doesn't make much of a difference.

I did some computer work and then off to town for a nice walk. Mom and I had been here 6 years ago before Jean Marie's 40th birthday in Ireland but we had only a few hours from a tour organized out of Brussels where we were staying at the time but from that first visit I had hoped I'd get the chance to come again and spend more time and since it was so easy to get to from Calais it all just worked out perfectly and the town is as perfectly well maintained and beautiful as I remember and I look forward to the next few days exploring every inch of it. I walked for 3 hours tonight since it was only about 50 degrees and although misty, warm and comfortable for the end of December and although there are lots of tourists around for the New Year holiday week it is nothing compared to the summer months when thousands of tourists crowd the streets each day.

There is a Christmas market still going on so I had a German sausage and a Belgian waffle for dinner and enjoyed both while walking around. And the town is decorated with blue and white lights and there was a tango band playing in the partially open-air marble columned  fish market where they set up a dance floor and people were out doing their best to tango away the night. I got a picture but it's not great since it was rather dark but what fun to see all these people out enjoying the seasonably warm weather and the festive atmosphere.

So now it's off to bed and looking forward to exploring tomorrow.