Le Tour de France: 100th edition - 2013
The record of our trip to Belgium and France (July 2nd to 15th) that included our first stay at Noel and Isabelle Renault's
gite
in St-Didier, Brittany, from where we follow three stages of the 100th edition of Le Tour de France
After crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel and spending our first night
at the Novotel, Noyelles-Godault, we visit the Chateau de Beloeil
at
Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium
The wings of the Chateau de Beloeil date from the late 17th-Century, while the main body of the building was rebuilt after a
fire in 1900. The chateau is surrounded by 60 acres of parkland
A self-guided tour of two floors of the chateau takes us through some well-furnished rooms that include some excellent furnishings.
There are a large number of paintings, many of which are family portraits, but others feature Charles I of England, Catherine the
Great, Napoleon, and the Duke of Wellington. The highlight of the tour is the library, which has 20,000 volumes, and lovely views
over the moat
We soon find Uncle Albert’s grave (right), and leave a cross and two poppies. The grave marker is in excellent condition, and we wonder
whether it is a replacement. We then explore the cemetery, particularly observing the work that is being done, and wonder if it is
part of a programme of work in anticipation of next year’s anniversary - 100 years since the First World War began. From Souchez we
drive into nearby Arras to visit the Faubourg d’Amiens Cemetery (above)
In the village of Souchez, France, we approach the war cemetery to find several vehicles parked near the entrance. It transpires
that these vehicles belong to a large number of workmen involved in various tasks to refurbish the cemetery. A number of areas are
taped off where individual grave markers are being replaced or the lettering is being re-carved. Some of the markers are now made
from marble instead of the usual Portland stone. In addition, there is a team of gardeners maintaining the plants etc to their usual
immaculate standard
After our visit to the war cemetery, we explore the area on foot looking for the Memorial des Fusilles to 218 resistance fighters
that were executed in Arras during the Second World War. In a former moat area, between high parallel brick walls, are the 218 stone
plaques naming the executed resistance fighters. We explore the memorial on foot, noting that the names are mostly of miners of Polish
extract, and that they were mostly shot in 1944
The splendid cemetery, with some unusual architectural features and the Arras Flying Services Memorial, is well worth visiting
Our next objective is the British Somme Memorial at Thiepval (above). On the way we make a stop at an Australian memorial called The
Windmill Site. Opposite this, on the other side of the D929, there is a monument recording the first use of tanks in warfare in 1916.
The memorial at Thiepval, near Albert, records the names of more than 72,000 British troops whose bodies were never identified
and who died in the Somme sector of the battlefield.
We explore the huge memorial and its immediate grounds, before driving to
the nearby Newfoundland memorial. There is an interesting visitor centre here, and the memorial (a statue of a moose) provides a viewpoint
over the immediate area marked by shell craters and the lines of trenches.
We then drive to Rouen where we are booked into the
Ibis hotel where we stayed last year for two nights. We eat in the hotel and have a very pleasant, and very filling, meal
Our first destination in Rouen is the Place du Vieux Marche. Not for the last time today, we are amazed by the quantity
and quality of old buildings (mostly half-timbered houses) that surround this market area. We visit the market, with its enticing
displays of food and flowers., and then go to the Gros Horloge, where we find that it is possible to visit the tower housing this
famous one-handed clock with the aid of an audio guide. The visit involves climbing a narrow spiral staircase with about 150 steps,
but there are a number of stops on the climb where the fascinating history of the clock is explained. There are wonderful views from
both the clock level and the outside platform at the top of the tower.
A very competitive game of boules is played in a city park