Welcome back.
Today's BLOG starts shortly after midnight this morning (That's around 2300 yesterday in your English time, and around 1500 yesterday for my Californian readers).
The guest house I'm staying at has managed to give me a room with a radiator that contains 97% air and 3% hot water, add to that the fact that the bleed valve appears rusted closed (always the doer, I had broken out my handyman belt tool containing all manner of attachments, including pliers, but to no avail) and the fact I had been wet through all day, I was feeling a little nippy.
Ransacking the room for additional bedding failed, as did wearing more clothing.
So, to save from freezing all night, I slept in my sleeping bag in a bed!
I alerted my hosts to the failed radiator in the morning and they replied "oh yes, it probably needs bleeding" ( this was of course achieved by saying yes and gesturing to the bleed valve, rather than any use of a mutually spoken/understood language). They then thanked me for letting them know!!
Soon after they arrived pushing a hostess trolley with two large silver domes on it and announced that it was my breakfast. The anticipation of what could be under those silver domes was practically dragging me across the room. I sat down at the table and lifted first one and then the other...........The closest analogy I can think up to describe my disappointment is like the feeling you'd get if you lifted the duvet and found a turd on the sheet!
1 Apple, 11 hazelnuts, a tub of what is best described as Apple sauce, for bits of bread (2 varieties to be fair), a thimble of juice, some coffee, and a Pane au chocolate the size of a Sunday beef joint.............No croissants, no Jams, no cheese and what the #@@# are the hazelnuts about, do I look like a squirrel?
Well, I went downstairs, handed in my keys, was handed an envelope and told 'au revoir' so off I went.
Five minutes later, I receive a phone call from the host, informing me in very broken English that I haven't paid!
After some to'ing and thro'ing it appears this place doesn't take the money through Booking.com and my envelope contains a bill! I tell them I'll go back and hang up. Not two minutes has passed when a car pulls up beside me and the hosts jump out!
They then demand 13 Euro more than the advertised price, claim the difference is the service charge and I hand the money over in the street.
No compensation for the lack of heating, nothing. It left me thinking I should have left a turf under the duvet so they could have something to spend their service charge on.
I paid my respects at Maroueil British Cemetery and headed northwards towards the biggest cemetery on my walk.
However, about 1Km before it I arrived at a small park labelled Place de fraternisations (or something similar, where the accounts below were reproduced. ThesThese helped improve my mood (Apologies for still not sussing the camera thing out!)
As nice as these were, they were surrounded by reminders of the horrors of 100 years ago.
On the horizon, 5 km distant can be seen the wrecked towers of a cathedral. The vantage point they provided for each armies look outs meant they were fought over, but neither side wanted to completely destroy them and have been left unrepaired.
To the right lay a huge French Military cemetery, containing over 11000 graves.
Next to that is another small British Cemetery and 1 km to the East the German Cemetery at Neauville St Vaast that contains 44,833 German graves.
Planted to resemble a forest, this is the biggest German Cemetery in France. A forest is said to represent a type of Nirvana for German warriors.
The reason behind all the graves and destruction lays just northwards of here, Vimy ridge, said to be the only high ground for miles, but from here it doesn't look that high.
The Vimy Ridge site is another managed by the Canadian govt. and is fantastically preserved. Reconstructed trenches and the chance to enter underground communication trenches dug by Welsh miners 101 years ago. The trenches are in the exact positions they were when the Canadians arrived there in 1917, just 25 meters of no man's land existed between each armies forward observation trenches!
For me, this area holds an extra emotional edge, for it was in this area in May 1916 that my nan's eldest brother was killed during the first German attack on the ridge. Today it is impossible to know exactly where he was killed, his body never found and the German attack being so successful.
Now, I have bored you enough, I finish by saying my plans to travel to Mons, Belgium are in disarray, tonight's hotel is warm but horrible and please tune in tomorrow to find out how I get on.
If you would like to donate to my cause, the web address is ww
www.justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-juckett
keep it up jucks , hope to see you 13/11 looking forward to hearing about your very worthwhile adventure , cheers.