We are going to go back a different way to avoid both Brussels and Antwerp on a Friday afternoon.
From Liege we shall go via Mons and Lille which is about ten minutes longer but should be quieter traffic wise.
The rain is heavy all of the way and is a real pain in Belgium because a lot of the motorway is only two lane and now a coach or lorry is not allowed in the outside lane when it is raining. This makes the journey as fast as the slowest lorry and costs us a fair bit of time. What a relief it is when the motorway goes to three lanes.
We have a short comfort stop in Germany and a short lunch stop in Belgium. As we want to have a little time in the terminal lunch is reduced to 35 minutes and luckily the service area we stop at is quiet with no queues in the restaurant.
A lot of the group just buy baguettes to eat but a few go into the restaurant for soup or something more substantial.
We arrive in Calais at 15:20, an hour before our shuttle at 16:20.
Passport checks do not take too long and we have enough time to spend twenty minutes in the terminal before moving off to the loading bay.
A few more bottles of wine are purchased!
Our train leaves on time and we are soon driving up the M20, a very dry M20 I must add.
I have really enjoyed this short break and Rudesheim makes a great place to stay in, with its excellent Christmas Market and other attractions such as the wine tasting, tourist train and cable car up to the monument at the top of the vineyards.
I also like the hotel as it has a lot of character and is superbly positioned in the heart of Rudesheim. The food is a little basic but I didn’t see too many plates going back with food left on!
I am already looking forward to returning.
1 comment:
A big thank you to Jamie and Brian for a really enjoyable four days. Rudesheim really is one of the best Xmas markets to visit with such a jovial atmoshphere and festive cheer. Dot and I would recommend a visit to anyone who hasn't been before and a return one for those that have, as you can never tire of seeing all the fabulously decorated stalls and alleyways. Many thanks again, can't wait to see where next years trip will be heading!
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