Home for Xmas!

We woke to a beautiful sunrise and had a lovely walk round the fields. We nearly lost the dogs as they chased a deer scent but luckily they are too small to really catch up with anything.

We left the farm after breakfast and headed north. We drove through some beautiful scenery, particularly some pretty woodland south of Chablis. We eventually arrived at our destination, a small aire in the city of Reims at 4.30. The motorhome services were not working, the aire is next to a busy road and the motorhomes all have to park in a very small area so after walking the dogs up to the cathedral we decided to head off to a nicer night stop. We drove towards Eperney and stopped at a quiet aire at Saint Imoges. By this time it was dark so we just settled in the for the night.

In the morning we had a quick walk, up to the village and back to Vincent via the woods, then headed back into Rheims. We wanted to pop into the Christmas market that started today! Luckily we got a place in the aire and then headed off to the market - without the dogs. The market was quiet, being the first day, but we had a lovely chat with a bee keeper and bought a couple of christmas presents as well as tasting some yummy chocolate.

We then visited the cathedral - it is huge, so not surprising that it was used for all the French coronations. There is also an amazing array of stained glass windows both modern and traditional.

When we came out of the cathedral we met an Welsh couple who were also parked at the aire so we had a lovely chat with them then headed back to Vincent.

We left Reims and drove to Ainzy-le-Chateau. After a quick stop at the supermarket and having lunch we parked and walked the dogs to the vet. This is the same vet that we visited in September. Monsieur Jetur is brilliant! He speaks a tiny bit of English, which is useful! His receptionist does not speak English so when we phone we have to book an appointment in French - so I always worry that we will arrive at the incorrect time. When we arrive he always sees us dot on time and givs the dogs a thorough check up. Luna is not-impressed having a thermometer up the bum!

After both dogs had their worming tablet and passports stamped we headed off to an aire at Saint-Gobain, about 20 minutes away. We arrived at the very new aire, sited next to the secondary school. There were about 20 teenages in the aire sitting around listening to music. Whilst Mike was plugging in Vincent, I talked to the teenagers, who were about 14, in my very broken French. Their English was unsurprisingly much better than my French. The school bus arrived so they left and we went for an explore of the town. Saint-Gobain is home to a large multinational company which started as a glass manufacturer and now produces a variety of construction materials. It is sited next to the large Saint-Gobain forest which was really pretty  as all the leaves were changing colour.

In the morning we woke to rain but managed a quick walk in the forest before visiting the boulongerie and the market - there were two stalls, a fishmonger and a fruit/veg seller. We bought some peppers and onions. After our breakfast we started our last long journey. We drove to an aire at Gravelines near Dunkerque. On the way we stopped at the supermarket to fill up with Christmas wine and fizz. The aire is sited next to a long straight lake which is a rowing training site with 250m markers so you can see how far you have walked. We managed a quick walk next to the river before the sunset, then I had a quick run round the lake before returning to Vincent for a shower and supper.

In the morning we drove to Calais and managed to embark on a early crossing so we were in the UK for 10.30 am.

Next adventures in 2020!