The restaurant in Maroilles is still excellent.

Even though I was in the car, the Vosges is ****ing brilliant!

Hotel Au Reisling in Zellenberg is excellent. Very popular and deservedly
so. The local (Zellenberg) wines are excellent.
Had a great after dinner natter with one of the locals. We were joined by
madame, later and sat yakking on the terrace, looking out over the plain
of Alsace until we discovered that the staff had all finished and the
other guests had all bedded down.
The view from my room covered the plain and the Vosges mountains - bloody
lovely!

While there, I popped into Ribeauvillé, to buy some wine. I spent a lot of
money and discovered sex in a glass - a 2k3 gewurztraminer vendage
tardive.

A couple of days later, I popped into a Beer shop on the Franco-Belgian
Border and bought an awful lot of beer (considering I was in the car) I
now have crates of Bush, Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Red and blue, Blanche de
Namur and Leffe Radieuse along with odd packs of Leffe 9°, Leffe Vieille
Cuvee, several varieties of geuze and shedloads of other stuff.
This place is cheaper than the supermarkets (both channel and inland) and
has so much variety I spent a good couple of hours mooching about.

The place is run by a wonderful bloke, called Noel Cuvelier.

You can find it at:
30 Abelestationsplein, Poperinge
Just off the N38
http://tinyurl.com/k985v

It's about an hour's drive from Calais - well worth a visit.
Just take a van and make garage space.

More will be told to those interested, who appear at Platyfest.

There are pix, too...if I get round to putting them up, somewhere.
--

Cheers!
Fr Jack

B12S POTENTIAL LICENCE SHREDDER - AT GRIN FACTOR 10!

FRJACKUKRM AT GMAIL DOT COM

In communiqué <(E-Mail Removed)>, Fr Jack
<(E-Mail Removed)> cast forth these pearls of wisdom
>Even though I was in the car, the Vosges is ****ing brilliant!
>
Did you do the 'Grand Ballon' ?

Bad memories of the Vosges for me. Had a car broken in to on a car park
in the mountains not far from Dabo.

--

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: (E-Mail Removed) |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Pete Fisher wrote:
> In communiqué <(E-Mail Removed)>, Fr Jack
> <(E-Mail Removed)> cast forth these pearls of wisdom
>> Even though I was in the car, the Vosges is ****ing brilliant!
>>
> Did you do the 'Grand Ballon' ?
>
> Bad memories of the Vosges for me. Had a car broken in to on a car
> park in the mountains not far from Dabo.

**** happens. People get ripped off everywhere. It's not a Vosges thing.

--
platypus

and there's nothing I can do

In communiqué <6ZBpg.94612$(E-Mail Removed) >,
platypus <(E-Mail Removed)> cast forth these pearls of wisdom
>Pete Fisher wrote:
>> In communiqué <(E-Mail Removed)>, Fr Jack
>> <(E-Mail Removed)> cast forth these pearls of wisdom
>>> Even though I was in the car, the Vosges is ****ing brilliant!
>>>
>> Did you do the 'Grand Ballon' ?
>>
>> Bad memories of the Vosges for me. Had a car broken in to on a car
>> park in the mountains not far from Dabo.
>
>**** happens. People get ripped off everywhere. It's not a Vosges thing.
>

Granted. Just bad luck I suppose. It's just that in 30 years of visiting
France this has been the one and only incident of this nature. Didn't
rate the bratwurst/saurkraut regional nosh speciality much either. Give
me a confit or a cassoulet in preference any day.
--

+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: (E-Mail Removed) |
| Voxan Roadster Moto Guzzi Mille GT/Squire RS3 Gilera Nordwest |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+

Pete Fisher <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>In communiqué <(E-Mail Removed)>, Fr Jack
><(E-Mail Removed)> cast forth these pearls of wisdom
>>Even though I was in the car, the Vosges is ****ing brilliant!
>>
>Did you do the 'Grand Ballon' ?

Probably, I was a bit off track because the bloody tunnel was shut........

I was too busy hustling the Accord round some mad tight bends to GAF about
which hill, road or town, really - I just headed in roughly the right
direction - then gave up and turned the satnav on - I needed my hotel
room, a shower and an hours kip.

I am definitely going back there on 2 wheels.
--

Cheers!
Fr Jack

B12S POTENTIAL LICENCE SHREDDER - AT GRIN FACTOR 10!

FRJACKUKRM AT GMAIL DOT COM

Fr Jack wrote:

> I
> now have crates of Bush, Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Red and blue,
> Blanche de Namur and Leffe Radieuse along with odd packs of Leffe 9°,
> Leffe Vieille Cuvee, several varieties of geuze and shedloads of
> other stuff.

Hello. Need any help?

On a more serious note, what's the Leffe 9 and Vieille Cuvee? I
recognise the first two from Le Trappiste - good luck with the bush. <g>

Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to find some
recommendations on what to bring back from the wilds of scrumpy-land.

--
Christofire DIAABTCOD#1 ZX-10R
Too crazy, even for ze Germans.
Full throttle for 55 minutes - a hell of a buzz.

"Christofire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Fr Jack wrote:
>
>> I
>> now have crates of Bush, Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Red and blue,
>> Blanche de Namur and Leffe Radieuse along with odd packs of Leffe 9°,
>> Leffe Vieille Cuvee, several varieties of geuze and shedloads of
>> other stuff.
>
> Hello. Need any help?
>
> On a more serious note, what's the Leffe 9 and Vieille Cuvee? I
> recognise the first two from Le Trappiste - good luck with the bush. <g>
>
> Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to find some
> recommendations on what to bring back from the wilds of scrumpy-land.

And if you need a place to stay, feel free, I'm about 30 minutes (my speed)
from the Belgian border..

--
Spete

Spete wrote:

> > Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to find some
> > recommendations on what to bring back from the wilds of
> > scrumpy-land.
>
> And if you need a place to stay, feel free, I'm about 30 minutes (my
> speed) from the Belgian border..

For me, scrumpy-land = Devon. Unless there's been some spectacular
tectonic activity I think there's been a misunderstanding.

Noted for a Belgian beer run though.

--
Christofire DIAABTCOD#1 ZX-10R
Too crazy, even for ze Germans.
Full throttle for 55 minutes - a hell of a buzz.

"Christofire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Spete wrote:
>
>> > Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to find some
>> > recommendations on what to bring back from the wilds of
>> > scrumpy-land.
>>
>> And if you need a place to stay, feel free, I'm about 30 minutes (my
>> speed) from the Belgian border..
>
> For me, scrumpy-land = Devon. Unless there's been some spectacular
> tectonic activity I think there's been a misunderstanding.

Haven't you heard the news?

> Noted for a Belgian beer run though.

Ok

--
Spete

"Christofire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
<(E-Mail Removed)>:

>Spete wrote:
>
>> > Sounds like you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to find some
>> > recommendations on what to bring back from the wilds of
>> > scrumpy-land.
>>
>> And if you need a place to stay, feel free, I'm about 30 minutes (my
>> speed) from the Belgian border..
>
>For me, scrumpy-land = Devon. Unless there's been some spectacular
>tectonic activity I think there's been a misunderstanding.

Odd that, 'cos Scrumpy is probably more a somerset thing than devon; at
least IME.

Of course the midlanders will kick up about Shropshire and Worstershire
now...