Albert to Lille

Albert to Lille

 

 

I knew I only had a short drive to Lille today (about 1 and 1/2 hours), so I decided to go back to Villers Bretonneux to go to the school and to see the museum And I thought it was worth it. It was a lovely gentle drive over the rolling hills of France and there was little traffic around, so it was a great start to the day.

So, I arrived back at V-B and it was still cool and cloudy - in fact, it was lightly raining.

 

The museum was  good, but I was really glad to see the actual school that was paid for by the children of Victoria. The streets are even named after the Aussies - Rue Victoria and Rue Melbourne..

 

School at Villers Bretonneux

I had to wait until after morning Recess to be able to access the school yard to take a pic of this sign...

The teacher in me just realised that any school yard with kids at Recess is the same around the world...

 

School at Villers Bretonneux

The museum was OK - nothing spectacular. It had the usual models of soldiers from around that era, and actual photos taken in 1914-18, so they were interesting..

Model of Aussie Soldier



But the  thing that moved me most was the stories of actual people who had lost their lives in that war, and the vast numbers of young blokes who were killed in action..

And this one is of a funeral conducted by a padre...

Anyway, after all that it was time to move on...

So I set Gaby Garmin for Lille and off we went.

For once I managed the tolls without blemish!!!! Truly amazing after all this time...

There was a heap of traffic on the tollways though. There were three lanes and each was chockers... I can't believe how many trucks they have on their roads.... They're very well trained though and having continuous passing lanes which makes it very easy to get by. It reminded me a bit of driving on the Hume Freeway between Sydney and Melbourne....

I've found out that my Gaby Garmin maps aren't totally up to date, so I might have to try and fix that. I was going happily to Lille until I came to the last bit where my motel is... and it's outside of town. But it didn't recognize the new roundabouts and had me sitting in the middle of no-where... Might have to try and sort that out, because I am totally reliant on her instructions most of the time.

Anyway, I found my hotel eventually after a few around the blocks and over and under the freeways etc... How shall I describe this motel...??? One of my tour guides once described one in Bristol as "faded elegance".... I think that might do the trick. But it's clean and it's comfy and it has parking and wifi, so what more could you want!!!

By the time I arrived and got settled in it was about 3 pm and I was trying to decide what to do.
House-wifely jobs came first - the washing had to be done!!!

Again, I had underestimated the size of these French cities, and Lille is a biggy! As mentioned before, the traffic coming in was quite busy and I didn't fancy driving right into the heart of town (I'm about 20-30 mins outside Lille). So the nice young man and girl at the desk suggested I go in my the Metro. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Just as well she gave me very clear directions, cos Gaby Garmin caved in again at one stage - fortunately she redeemed herself on the way home when there were road works blocking my way.

So I happily followed the directions and went along and saw this massive big sign that said "Metro" so I thought "You beauty" and I parked the car and went over to the entrance, only to discover that it was  big shop like Bunnings!!! My learning journey is continual!

This was yet another challenge on the journey - to arrive at a railway station and try and work out how to buy a ticket. Even though the machine did have English instructions, I couldn't work out what it would cost into the city proper, so I saw a 2 day tripper option and thought "That will do" cos I hope to go in again tomorrow and have a good look round.

This was just a quick reconnaissance trip..
1. To see how to get into Lille by train
2. I have to drop the hire car off at the Gare Lille Flandres and I wanted to see with my own eyes where I had to go to try and avoid going around the block multiple times. Mission accomplished on that one.... Found the Avis Office and the guy explained between his little English and my little French what I think I should do...

 

Gare Lille Fandres

I sat at a little coffee shop opposite the station and had some belated lunch and a Caffe Latte.

Doesn't seem like a lot of news really today. But each day is an adventure in its own right, and each day presents another new challenge.

No candles today, but I hope to make up for that tomorrow...!!!

Two more sleeps in France - then I'm off to Belgium...