Day trip to France

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 2:55 pm

Decided I needed a break and headed off to France for the day with my other half. Recharge the batteries, get some good food in, do a bit of sightseeing, speak some French and buy some cheap booze - marvellous.

Ferry crossing - over Tuesday evening and back Wednesday evening - £35
Hotel - double room for Tuesday night - £25
Getting away from work in the busy season for a while - priceless

Here are a couple of choice BX-related photos - the rest are at my Flickr site if you're interested.

Place de l'Eglise, Gravelines

Outside L'Arlequin, where we had an absolutely excellent lunch.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:17 pm

Did you see any of your cars french cousins whilst on your jollies?

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:50 pm

Nice one Stuart but where's your 'BX spotting' pictures???

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:51 pm

I did indeed - several Mk 2 BXs and not one but TWO Mk 1s. Both looked slightly shabby and apparently in everyday use.

Also some of the cheesy seventies and eighties Renaults ren16tx likes that you never see over here, and quite a few 4s and 5s.

A terrifying amount of Barry cars, too.

tim leech · Post by **tim leech** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:08 pm

Lol, I quite fancy taking the TXS to france sometime. Will probably be the longest run its ever had!

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:21 pm

Nice one Stu, giving this particular Mk1 BX (as well as yourselves!) a much needed trip to France. I know it never made it there under CS's ownership!

Looks like the Frenchies have stolen our summer weather. I'm thinking of upping and offing at any moment *looks at rain pelting down outside the office window*

Dammit I'm imagining eating omlette au jambon et au fromage avec frites in an outdoor cafe in Paris now.....

Mark.

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:58 pm

mnde wrote:Nice one Stu, giving this particular Mk1 BX (as well as yourselves!) a much needed trip to France. I know it never made it there under CS's ownership!

Looks like the Frenchies have stolen our summer weather. I'm thinking of upping and offing at any moment *looks at rain pelting down outside the office window*

Dammit I'm imagining eating omlette au jambon et au fromage avec frites in an outdoor cafe in Paris now.....

Mark.

Omlette with jam roly poly and cheesy chips?

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:01 pm

Omlette with jam roly poly and cheesy chips?

Close...but no cigar, Billy!

Ham and Cheese Omelette, with chips!!!

YUMMMMMMM!

mnde · Post by **mnde** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 5:06 pm

Yup... and not forgetting the mayonnaise

One of my favourite meals when a la France.

Mark.

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:05 am

We posted at the same time Cavmad, I didn't see yours. Sadly I was either driving or didn't have the camera to hand when I saw the other BXs over there

My girlfriend knows how geeky I am and doesn't mind (well, she sighs and accepts it) when I squeal like a girl at the sight of some battered old French tin but I wanted to stop short of actually whipping the camera out. It's good to maintain at least some semblance of cool.

We're already planning the next trip - hopefully a bit longer this time. Maybe even down to Nancy, where I used to live.

At L'Arlequin I had the set menu - €16 - which gave me smoked fish for starter (crevettes, salmon, herring and mackerel with salad and toast), steak au poivre (excellent quality meat, cooked to perfection) and chips, and creme caramel for dessert. We shared a pichet of good red wine - just the house red, but it was damn fine, far better than the piss we get in pubs and even restaurants in England.

I do miss living in France sometimes.

cauchoiskev · Post by **cauchoiskev** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:36 pm

stuart_hedges wrote: I do miss living in France sometimes.

So why exactly did you leave ?

cavmad · Post by **cavmad** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 1:49 pm

Lure of being overtaxed? Promise of a war we could never win? An unelected pm?
Go on Stuart, put us out of our misery!

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 2:49 pm

I bet he didn't like the compulsory 35 hour week!

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:50 pm

I absolutely loved it - but sadly the company I was working for went bust and I couldn't find any other work. I stayed until the (very generous) unemployment money ran out, then gave up and went back to my previous job in England.

Which went bust not long after...

cauchoiskev · Post by **cauchoiskev** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 5:04 pm

tim leech wrote:Lol, I quite fancy taking the TXS to france sometime.

Do it, Tim. There is no greater BX pleasure than driving it around the roads of rural France. It just feels so "right" .