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Day 65: Chimay, Belgium to Reims, France

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Number of tie wraps: 50 (holding steady)

Countdown: 8496 miles down, 89 to go

Before we left Chimay today, the Roadster was treated to a professional photography session by Steev’Art. You can see the entire collection at the Steev’Art facebook page. Many thanks to our hosts for setting up the session and for the terrific hospitality the past two days in Chimay.

 

Roadster photo op in Chimay

Roadster photo op in Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

France announced our arrival the same way as Belgium two days ago — a chirp on my cell phone! I guess this is the modern version of border control in Europe. After taking a few minor detours for GPS errors, we arrived in the small town of Betheny, which is located just outside our destination for this evening, Reims.

 

We're not lost any more!

We’re not lost any more! (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

In 1909, one year after the 1908 New York to Paris race, the city of Reims hosted the world’s first air race. The meet was actually held in the nearby village of Betheny, which had (and still has) wide open spaces for the slow aircraft of the day to use. The stands used for the race have been replaced by a sports complex named after Louis Bleriot (Stade Louis Bleriot), a famous French aviator who participated in the races.

 

Site of the world's first air race, just outside Reims, France

Site of the world’s first air race, just outside Reims, France (Eileen BJorkman photo)

Sign for sports fields now at the site of the world's first air race in 1909

Sign for sports fields now at the site of the world’s first air race in 1909 (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Before we found Stade Louis Bleriot, we took a wrong turn and stumbled over the gem in the photo below. We found this at the end of a house in a residential area and it depicts the year of the race (1909) as well as some of the race participants and sponsors, including Glenn Curtis, Louis Bleriot, Hugh Farman, Gordon Bennett, and the Wright Brothers.

 

Surprise monument in Betheny to 1909 air race

Surprise monument in Betheny to 1909 air race (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

After a picnic lunch, we arrived at our hotel in Reims about 2:30. At the Cathedral, a five minute walk from the hotel, Karen and I found some pictures of Reims from 1908, which show what Reims would have looked like when the original 1908 racers drove through.

 

Reims in 1908, picture from Cathedral

Reims in 1908, picture from Cathedral (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Reims in 1908, picture from Cathedral

Reims in 1908, picture from Cathedral (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Karen and I went out again after dinner to see the “Dream of Colors,” a lighting display on the outside of the cathedral. The 25 minute show began at 11 p.m. and included different lighting effects on the cathedral figures accompanied by music. The still photo below doesn’t really do a good job of conveying the show, so I took some video that will be posted in the next couple of days.

"Dream of Colors" at the cathedral in Reims

“Dream of Colors” at the cathedral in Reims (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Tomorrow is our last day on the road! We have a short 143 km drive to Paris tomorrow.

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Day 64: Chimay, Belgium

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Number of tie wraps: 50 (holding steady)

Countdown: 8419 miles down, 166 to go

Quote of the day: “The tour is only in French.”

We enjoyed a relaxing day in Chimay that included plenty of Belgian food, beer, chocolates, and local sights. For lunch, Luke and Karen ordered fondue, and dipping those pieces of toasted bread into the cheese proved to be harder than it looks. More than one piece of bread slipped off the fork and took a cheese bath before being rescued.

 

Luke demonstrates the proper way to eat fondue

Luke demonstrates the proper way to eat fondue

 

After lunch, several of us toured the Chateau de Chimay, a small castle that has played an outsized role in the history of Chimay, which we learned about in a 20-minute 3-D movie that depicted various scenes from the 1,000+ history of the castle. This castle is different from many “tourist castles” in that a royal family still lives in it — Princess Elisabeth, her son Prince Phillipe, and his wife Princess Francoise. Our innkeepers were guests at the royal wedding when it took place several years ago.

Luke demonstrates proper wear of the 3-D movie glasses

Luke demonstrates proper wear of the 3-D movie glasses

 

The castle houses the sort of elegant objects you would expect, but it also had an unusual art exhibit by Koen Vanmechelen as part of the Cosmopolitan Chicken project, which interbreeds chickens from around the world with the goal to produce a globally diverse chicken. I’m still not sure I understand the significance of that goal, but I think you’ll have to agree that the project has produced some interesting artwork, including the “chog” in the second picture below.

A ball of chickens

A ball of chickens

I'm not sure what to call this -- a chog?

I’m not sure what to call this — a chog?

 

After the tour, we ran back to the town square to catch a tram tour of Chimay and the nearby village of Virelles. After we bought our tickets and settled into our seats, the tram driver said, “The tour is only in French. Is this okay?” We figured we’d at least see some interesting sights, but we hadn’t counted on the tram taking off onto some dirt roads that bounced us around so much we thought we were back in Siberia. However, we did manage to pick up some of the flavor of the local culture.

The tram for our tour

The tram for our tour

One of the many sights we saw during the tram tour

One of the many sights we saw during the tram tour

 

After the tram tour, Karen and I picked up some chocolates from a local store (8 euros for 250 grams of chocolate that would have probably cost $40 in the US) and then met Simon, the other housecat at our bed and breakfast.

Buying a stash of Belgian chocolates -- you can't go wrong with these!

Buying a stash of Belgian chocolates — you can’t go wrong with these!

Simon, one of our roommates

Simon, one of our roommates

 

About 6:30 we ate some chocolates and then wandered back to the town square to take in a free folk music concert and try out some Troll beer.

Free folk music concert

Free folk music concert

Glass for Troll beer

Glass for Troll beer

 

We called it an early night after meeting another Chimay kitty and having a quick bite to eat at a local pub.

 

Yet another Chimay kitty

Yet another Chimay kitty

 

I’ll leave you with the view from my window of the church at night. Tomorrow we drive to Rheims, France, the location of the first-ever air race!

View from my room

View from my room

 

 

 

 

 

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Day 63: Cologne, Germany to Chimay, Belgium

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Number of tie wraps: 50 (holding steady)

Countdown: 8419 miles down, 166 to go

It was too foggy for a river cruise in Cologne, but before we left we took a short walking tour of the city center that included the magnificent cathedral, which is on the list of “Top Ten Things to See in Germany.” We all agreed that if we had seen this cathedral first, the others we’ve visited would have disappointed. This one was worth the wait, although the photos below don’t really do it justice.

 

Interior of the Cologne Cathedral

Interior of the Cologne Cathedral (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Example of stained glass window at Cologne Cathedral

Example of stained glass window at Cologne Cathedral (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

We hit the road about 11 a.m. after attaching our newly acquired Germany colors to the cars to show our football allegiances during Sunday’s World Cup final.

 

German flag on the Roadster

German flag on the Roadster (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

German colors on the Envoy

German colors on the Envoy (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

We didn’t have any major rain during the drive, but fog and mist limited our roadside sightseeing, and I didn’t even notice we had crossed into Belgium until my cell phone blipped a text message welcoming me to Bel Proximus. About 1 o’clock, we exited the highway and drove into the small town of Eupen. We weren’t sure why Eupen had been included on our itinerary, but we figured that once we arrived in town it would be obvious. Eupen was a pretty Belgian town, but not seeing any major tourist attractions, we stopped at a local eatery for some famous Belgian fries, which we kept warm by resting them on the Roadster hood. The people who sold us the fries couldn’t think of any reason why we might want to visit Eupen either!

 

Frites place in Eupen, Belgium

Frites place in Eupen, Belgium (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Savoring the frites

Savoring the frites (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

Refreshed with fries, we drove on to Chimay via a winding and picturesque country road.

 

The road to Chimay

The road to Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Sample of the scenery on the way to Chimay

Sample of the scenery on the way to Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

With only about 3,000 people, Chimay is the smallest town we’ve visited during our trip. We’re staying at a beautiful bed and breakfast, Le Petit Chapitre, that dates to the 18th century, comes complete with two cats, and is located on the town square within walking distance of everything we might need — pubs, restaurants, post office, laundromat, store with batteries and potato chips, a nice church and even a castle, which we plan to visit during our day off.

 

La Petite Chapitre Bed and Breakfast in Chimay

La Petite Chapitre Bed and Breakfast in Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Calico cat at Le Petit Chapitre

Calico cat at Le Petit Chapitre (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

Best of all, we discovered Chimay beer! The beer is brewed by Trappist Monks, and there are four kinds: red, white, blue, and gold. The gold is a special beer that the monks originally kept for themselves, but they now allow a handful of people, including Le Petit Chapitre, to sell very small quantities. Click here for more information about Chimay beer.

We walked to a tavern across the street from our B&B to sample the red, white and blue beers and after dinner we raided our mini-bars to check out the gold. The beer was some of the best we have ever tasted in one of the best settings we can imagine, so our hats are off to Mir for setting us up here!

 

Red Chimay

Red Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

Gold Chimay

Gold Chimay (Eileen Bjorkman photo)

 

After a day of errands and relaxation in Chimay, we’ll head to Rheims on Saturday, a short drive of 124 km, and then it’s on to Paris!