RichardW wrote:Have a good time! Have you got a breathalyser kit? Now required in the vehicle by Les Gendarmes AFAIK - in fact you need 2, as otherwise if they ask you to use one, you are then committing one
I do indeed have two, but have since learnt that even though it is required by law, there's no legislation in place to fine drivers for not having one.
northern_mike wrote:There only has to be one Malcolm, reachable from the driver's seat, which it it. I have all the other required gubbins.
well i always thought each occupant of the vehicle hed to have one to hand????
northern_mike wrote:
Not sure what the speed limit is in Belgium. Stuck to 140 due to lack of signs .
is that MPH Mike
as fast as you can get away with
Regards, malcolm.
current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
CitroJim wrote:That's pretty good Mike and if that was your average speed then beans is the word!
Average indeed. The autoroute and whatever the Belgians call them were super smooth and empty. I tagged onto a Belgian registered 911 who seemed to be cruising at a nice speed .
After having to rely on complete morons who promised us they'd have our accommodation sorted - on Wednesday, then on Thursday when we asked again, then on Friday morning when we arrived in Brussels.... and then in the afternoon (neither of us speak French and the local person said he'd sort it) , well, he didn't and I ended up paying through the nose for a hotel we found at 11.30pm, it wasn't bad but... Anyway, slept so long we missed the breakfast. Went to the house of the local person, had a quick breakfast and headed to Bruge with 2 extra passengers. Anyway, after a day in Bruge, I was conscious (at 10pm) that our hotel in Brussels 120kms or so away would be calling and we'd got to find it - different hotel, without on-site parking, and check out by 11am and I wanted a decent kip. So I mentioned this and got told the other two didn't need a lift back. So, this riled me somewhat, especially as the people we'd come to see had decided they were leaving Brussels early doors in the morning for Paris. It meant I had to drive to Brussels to simply sleep there and head back to Calais.... well, as we hadn't paid for the hotel (and, as it turned out, they lost our reservation) we tried to find a hotel between Calais and Bruge, enlisting the help of friends in the UK with better Internet access , but to no avail. Adriana rang the Brussels place to tell them we were on our way but would be late as we appeared to have no choice. They'd lost our reservation.
So, I rang P&O, asked if I could change my reservation to the next possible ferry, did so, and I've absolutely charged down from Bruges to make it, rarely dropped below 95mph. Now sat waiting to board. Damn, I'll be glad to see my bed.
I'll also organise my own bloody hotels and not trust anyone else ever again to do it for me, nor will I go on holidays with that lot again!
It's nice to get home after an adventure like that.
Mark
2009 Landrover Freelander 2 TD4se (killed an Audi) , sadly now gone .
2012 Landrover Freelander 2 SD4 AUTO Love it . Now gone .
2014 Ford Bmax 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec . Fantastic little machine .Gone now.
2014 Ford Focus 2.0 Tdci Zetec S with the French heart.
Nightmare Mike. Pleased the C5 was reliable and comfortable.
As Jim says, best to make your own arrangements but even then it can go horribly wrong.
If you need to stay in Brussels again, I stayed in Auberge Van Strombeek. A small hotel above a small restaurant. Not posh but reasonably located and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful at every stage. Close to the Stade Roi Baudouin (Heisel Stadium ) where I was going (not for footie)!
I bet you are pleased to be back after all that chasing around.
wow what an adventure Mike,
glad the C5 at least didnt let you down,
Regards, malcolm.
current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
myglaren wrote:Nightmare Mike. Pleased the C5 was reliable and comfortable.
As Jim says, best to make your own arrangements but even then it can go horribly wrong.
If you need to stay in Brussels again,
Thanks for the tip Steve, but hell shall freeze over before I visit Belgium again, I simply didn't "get" the place at all. Each to their own I suppose.
As a way to get somewhere else, because of the nice motorways, it might be useful, but as a holiday destination? No , not for me!
citronut wrote:wow what an adventure Mike,
glad the C5 at least didnt let you down,
I must get the aircon looked at, it'd be spot on if that were working too.
Economy wasn't ace over the miles I did this weekend, but I was either crawling around town, or going near-as-damnit flat out, so I can't really complain at 36.3mpg on the computer, though Chris Citroenmad reckons this is about 4mpg short of reality, so if it's really 40mpg, that's pretty bloody good for the speeds I was maintaining.
.
