Sam's Grand Tour

Sam is a bit poorly today as he is getting over a bug he picked up in France. Fingers crossed he will feel better in a day or so. The poor boy was so brave during the long drive back from Chambery and we were very pleased there were no delays on the journey. Volcano or not, the Eurotunnel is definitely the best way to get to France.

We left London on Thursday, crossed the wonderful QEII bridge and hit the Eurotunnel ahead of schedule, which was good because it took quite a long time to find our hotel in Chalons-en-Champagne. The dreadful Etap hotel is located in a bleak commercial estate on the outskirts of the town. Etap must be the French word for 'spartan' - the room was essentially an extended bathroom, with a bunkbed in it. No kettle, fridge or cot for Sam which we specifically requested. Very disappointing. It was only the one night, so we weren't too bothered about the quality of the hotel. Once we had figured out how to make a bed for Sam (we took the thin mattress from the top bunk and put it on the floor) put him to bed. As Sam went to bed we realised that we too would have to sit in the dark and be quiet in the room, or else risk waking him. In all the upheaval, however, Sam forgot to wake up for his feed at 10:00pm and in doing so reached a new landmark iin his development. Sam is now sleeping through the night from 7:00pm until 6:00am without waking.

Day 2 involved a long run down to Chambery. We took a little detour to visit a champagne house called Fredestel. Angela did a bit of tasting and we took a little away with us to have at home. We were stopping every 2 or 3 hours to feed or change Sam and to have a snack ourselves. What a shame that in the country most famed for its culinary delights we were basically eating in motorway cafes every day. We couldn't go out to dinner, of course, breakfast was supplied by the hotel (always croissants, coffee, bread and butter) and we were restricted by time contraints to staying on the motorways. The quality and price of the fare on offer was, surprisingly, very familiar to the British traveller. It may also interest you, dear reader, to know the price of one litre of France's finest 95ron unleaded was 1.50 Euros.

We arrived in Chambery early in the evening and spent the next hour searching for our hotel. It was hidden inside a shopping centre car park - just behind MacDonalds. The Ibis hotel was one grade up from the Etap, but we still did not get a cot for Sam, or a kettle or fridge. Disappointing again. Still what can you expect for 'only' £70 a night.

Day 3 was Saturday and the day of the wedding - the reason we were in Chambery. Very sadly for Tracey, the bride, most of her family were stuck in the UK unable to fly due to the volcano ash cloud. We were the lucky ones who drove and were unaffected.

The wedding was a lovely civil ceremony that took place in a stunning setting of a large stately house set in beautiful grounds in the centre of the town. Everyone looked fabulous and it was all smiles for the big day.

At the reception in Tracey & Gilles' apartment, Sam was beautifully behaved and regaled the attentive audience with witty banter and tales from the crib. He was, naturally, a hit with all the ladies.

The next day was Sunday and we paid a visit to T & G before we set off on the long drive North. We stopped off at the local bakery and relieved them of all their croissants and pain aux chocolates and arrived triumphantly at T & G's who supplied the coffee and hospitality. Why someone would invite guests round on the morning after their wedding is quite beyond me, but considering they have two daughters and also about fifteen people staying at their place that night, it makes a bit more sense.

We said out goodbyes to T & G and headed North, past Lac Bourget, which is France's largest lake (no, neither did I). A lovely lac with a real Riviera feel. We'll go back there one day. We finally hit the autoroutes again and ploughed northwards until evening.

The Holiday Inn in the centre of Reims was a welcome sight and what a welcome. A lovely room, good view, kettle and fridge (hooray!) and lots of room to unpack our stuff. We were there for two days and it was a welcome rest for our weary backs (and car). We stretched our legs a bit and Sam seemed relaxed...

Day 5: Reims.
A really nice city, Reims has a spectacular cathedral and other municipal architecture. We visited the cathedral twice - once in the morning and once in the evening to sample the different light.

We had a little wander round the city and visited an ancient ruined abbey which now contains a children's playground. Handy.





We braved taking Sam to a cafe so we could have a little lunch. Sam obliged and fell asleep in his buggy. The little lunch was very nice, but having Sam with us while we ate was a good step and a mini-breakthrough. We will now be more confident about taking Sam out with us.

The 19th was our wedding anniversary and we celebrated in a park by Port Mars. Very nice.

We returned to the hotel and put Sam to bed. At about midnight we were woken abruptly by Sam being sick. Not good. He was crying, vomiting and was generally miserable for the rest of the night. He slept in the bed with us.

Day 6: Reims to Arras.
Now we are concerned about Sam. He is definitely off colour and we took it really easy in the morning, checking out of the hotel late. We loaded up and got on the Route National out of Reims (after an hour of diversions and inadequate signs). The Route Nationals are like the A-roads in the UK. Very picturesque but quite slow. We passed through innumerable towns and villages, through Laon, Saint Quentin, and Cambrai. As Sam was not very happy, we decided to switch back to the autoroutes and get to Arras as quickly as possible.

Arriving in the late afternoon, we found the hotel quickly and got Sam out of the car and as comfortable as possible. He was sometimes OK and sometimes very whingey and crying. We gave him as much fluid as we could get into him and hoped for the best. The hotel staff were unable to call a doctor so our only other option was to take Sam to the hospital. Not something we wanted but we were prepared to do it. Thankfully, Sam settled and we took him out for a breath of air and a walk around town.

A pleasant town, Arras has a Dutch feel. There are two large squares dominating the centre of the town and we had coffee with Sam at a little cafe in the Grand Place.

Day 7: Calais
All throughout the trip we have been aware of the Icelandic volcano creating travel havoc in Europe. I was half expecting vast traffic jams around Calais, gridlocked Brits desperate to get home causing problems and stopping people getting on the Eurotunnel. I needn't have worried, of course, the drive from Arras to Calais was as uneventful as all the other drives we had done.

As we had a little time to spend before our Eurotunned slot, we decided to head west a bit and try to get to Cap Gris Nez. We made it, but there wasn't much there, so we went back to Calais again!

In this photo you may notice that Sam is still in his pyjamas. Poor boy was still unwell and we wanted to keep what clean clothes he had left as clean as possible. Sam didn't seem to mind.

Back to the car and the Tunnel. Another smooth crossing and we are back in England. Home again and a quick bath for Sam and bed.

What a trip. We will go away again, but just not yet...