Friday 17th and Saturday 18th December 2021 When Robert suggested to Matilda that they could combine a festive visit to his parents with an evening trip to the Birmingham Christmas Market he failed to mention that this would involve revisiting many of his favourite hostelries and very little shopping. Not so much Christmas shopping as festive pub crawl. The market featured the usual brightly lit tree as well as . . . . . . Christmas songs and pop up street bars serving Birmingham lager. Chris Moose was also in attendance – see Selfie of the day. Robert felt the need to pop into a firm favourite, The Old Joint Stock, a Fullers pub and theatre housed in an old Victorian bank with a beautiful glass domed roof. The Colmore nearby also proved very hospitable and has been added to Robert’s list of favourite watering holes. A friend had recommended The Indian Brewery in Snow Hill in Birmingham and although we did not visit this time, we rather fortuitously found another branch as we got off the train in Solihull. The following day, after lunch with Robert’s parents and a successful exchange of gifts, we partook of a quiet nightcap […]
2021 Christmas Markets
Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd December 2021 Although some believe it it be the most important meal of the day, Martin eschews breakfast so while Liz and Martin went to visit the local chocolate museum on empty stomachs, we strolled to the highly recommended That’s Toast. This justifiably famous café provided us with a delicious start to the day in pleasant surroundings served by courteous and friendly staff: it is well worth a visit and we will certainly be returning next time we are in Lille for the Rugby World Cup in 2023. Lille was actually Flemish prior to its invasion by Louis XIV in 1667 and many of the historic buildings are testament to this. Later, walking through the city with Liz and Martin, we passed the Opéra de Lille – a fine neoclassical building completed in 1913. Nearby, the belfry of the Neo-Flemish Chamber of Commerce [or Nouvelle Bourse] rises a commanding 76 meters above the city. La Vieille Bourse, or Lille’s old stock exchange is said to be the finest building in the city, dating from the mid-17th century and it consists of 24 Flemish renaissance houses, all around a central arcaded courtyard. Over 350 years later […]
Monday 29th November to Thursday 2nd December 2021 We had originally planned to avoid any travel restrictions by going to Bath for the Christmas markets, but when restrictions lifted in the autumn our regular travelling companions, Liz and Martin, wanted to go further afield and we planned a trip to Brugge for three days, travelling back via Brussels and spending one night in the capital. However, as the date of our trip approached, Omicron cases were on the rise and countries were starting to impose more rigorous travel restrictions. Belgium implemented PCR tests and self isolation for those staying in the country for over 48 hours. We were therefore forced to revise our plans, reducing our time in Brugge by a day and travelling back via Lille in France instead of Brussels so that we were compliant. Liz and Martin were excited about taking their first trip on the Eurostar. Once in Brugge, we deposited our luggage then set out to get our bearings again and see the city as the sun went down and the light started to fade. The Markt, or old market square, is dominated by the 83 metre high Belfry and surrounded by old guild houses […]
Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th November 2021 Earlier in the year whilst restrictions were still in place we started planning a trip with friends to the Christmas market in Bath. Robert felt that this was too good an opportunity to miss and that it should be scheduled to coincide with a match at Bath RFC’s home ground at The Rec. Restrictions were subsequently eased and our friends voted to go further afield to Bruges for some foreign festive fun. By this time however Robert had his heart set on the rugby match and one of the things on Matilda’s wish list of (postponed) activities to celebrate her 60th birthday was a visit to the Thermae Bath Spa. Having had limited travel opportunities recently we decided we could afford the time and the money to visit both Bath and Bruges. Robert booked a two hour session at the Thermae Bath Spa on Thursday 25th and tickets to the Bath versus Exeter Chiefs match for Friday 26th November, not necessarily in that order. It was strangely satisfying to be boarding an intercity train again at Paddington and to find ourselves gliding out of the station on another railway adventure. Luckily when we […]