From France to England

Yesterday we thought we would go out for waffles, seeing as we were so close to Belgium and Laurie found a "Top choice" reference to Meert Tea shoppe in the guide book. We were very much looking forward to a big fluffy waffle for breakfast. We found the Meert shop in Lille; the window of the shop was a colourful tableau of tempting pastries and cakes.

Meert Tea shop has been at this location since 1677. There is a Meert chocolate shop adjoining. It was a lovely, ornate setting for breakfast. We ordered two waffles each, at $4.50 a piece.When they arrived we were a bit taken aback. They resembled a cross between a limp tongue depressor and insoles from Mateo's runners. The thin wafers were sandwiched together with a sweet paste and otherwise unadorned. They were tasty but ultimately disappointing.

In the afternoon we went to the Fan Zone and watched the first half of the Wales vs Northern Ireland game. We had to stand to watch the big screen outside (or sit on the dirty ground) so we retired to a bar where the beer had alcohol and the seats were comfy. After the game we went to a well recommended restaurant for a last proper French meal.

Our rental Nissan

Sunday we left our apartment in Lille (and the most uncomfortable sofa bed we have ever encountered!) and took the Eurostar train back to England. This time there were no delays on the track. We retraced our way back to Gatwick to pick up our rental car. We followed the route to our hotel in Bramber that our Garmin GPS outlined. To our surprise it stipulated using Clappers Lane. This is a route famous in our family for my father roaring along with no headlights in the dark (because of the glare!). It is a 6 km long, charming curvy lane - hedges line both sides and leafy boughs meet overhead. It is one car-width wide. Fortunately we didn't meet anyone coming toward us. It is hard enough driving on the left without having to back up into a lay-by a kilometre back

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Our hotel established 1701