Plane, Trains and Automobile

   When considering family and friends and how to most effectively share the stories about our trip, I had thought about either starting a new blog page or adding to one Sue had set up on previous occasions during journeys with our boys. Eventually I figured that there would be enough cycling destinations and culture along the way to justify fitting the details into my Cycle Tech blog. Besides, most regular readers would be used to me rambling into other topics!
   I didn't really want to be saddled with writing blog entries during the trip, and I really dislike the touch-screen typing on an I-Pad, which (not being cell-phone users) was our electronic device of choice for the trip. The I-Pad also lacked a USB port for us to upload photos from our respective digital cameras, so other than an occasional snapshot taken with the tablet, the editing/sharing of photos would have to be postponed anyway. I found it simpler to just jot down some notes on paper when I thought I would need more than a mental record, then do a series of blog entries on our trip when we returned to Royersford.

   Before leaving to meet my wife in France, I was concerned how my fitness would drop over the three weeks without the regular hard workouts and high mileage. I wanted to maintain some type of form, as a few guys in my cycling circle were considering doing a century (100-miles) later this summer, and I had intended to join them. Turns out I shouldn’t have worried too much, as I ended up doing over 150 miles of riding during our journey through some of the most cycle-centric regions of Europe.

   Because my sons had to work, and I certainly didn’t want to pay for parking at the airport for three weeks, I drove up to Bethlehem to leave the car there and had a nice visit with my brother, who provided taxi service to Newark Liberty International. Eventually, when Sue and I returned, I rode my bike back up to retrieve the car, and I was quite happy to find my legs were up to the task – but that is looking ahead too far into the story...

   The Delta flight was relatively uneventful, with 7½ hours of games, music and a couple of movies to kill the time until we touched down in Brussels. I was going to catch a regional train to Brussels “Midi” station and take the TGV on to meet Sue in Lille, which is just outside the Belgium border. Unfortunately, some railroad employees decided to mess with my plans a bit – luckily my vacation-planner wife always builds in a safety cushion of time in our travel scheduling.

   I was immediately confused when I went to purchase my train ticket at one of the computerized kiosks, as there was no Brussels-Midi station among the choices of destination. A helpful clerk informed me that the three Brussels stations (Noord, Central and Zuid) were in the same zone, as far as paying for them, but he did not correct my assumption that Central would be Midi, as in “middle”.

   When I went to the platform, most of the trains on the display were labeled with their end stop, which didn’t help me. Luckily(?) there was an attendant at the top of the escalator, who I can only assume had a purpose of trying to help confused tourists like me. She informed me that the next train was due to leave for Midi on platform two. Well, when I reached the bottom of the escalator, the train was pulling out, and not wanting to go all the way back up, I asked a conductor on the platform when the next train for Midi was coming.

   This is where the fun starts, as he told me there is no station with that name, “Only north, central and south” – in perfect English, mind you. When I went back up the escalator to find the attendant, she (of course) was nowhere to be found, so I asked someone dressed in a Belgian Rail jacket. Seemed like a good idea, right?

    Well, at his suggestion I found myself on a train headed away from Brussels, toward the town of Leuven, which I knew from years of watching cycling and learning some general geography, was not the correct direction. There was only one person in this particular coach with me, and she must have seen the confusion in my facial expressions.

   Gretchem (“Like Gretchen, but with an M”, she later explained during introductions) spoke fantastic English, which she said was learned primarily from TV but later perfected while working at the university. She was extremely patient when explaining that Midi is actually Brussels Zuid (south), where all of the high-speed, long-distance trains, such as the ICE, Eurostar, Thalys and TGV, come into the city, which is effectively the capital of the European Union.

   My new friend even used her smart phone to check the schedules of the returning trains and to make sure I could make it back on time for my TGV connection. “Plenty of time,” she assured me, “and I’ll make sure to get you on the right platform when we get to Leuven!” Gretchem proudly pointed out some landmarks in her hometown, such as “THE Stella Artois brewery” (I suppose there are secondary company facilities in the country), as we approached the station.

   I felt like giving her a hug after she pointed to the schedule board with the information and counted down the station stops on the map to make sure I wouldn’t be misdirected again, but I realized that would be kinda creepy from a stranger, and just thanked her profusely! Her directions were perfect, and I knew the train was arriving at “Zuid (Midi)” when I saw trains of all the different companies on parallel tracks in the large railyard.

   The TGV ride was pleasant enough, but the skies were turning threateningly dark and promised to make my walk from Lille Europe station a wet one. The rain situation was made worse because the directions Sue gave me to our hotel were from the Lille Flandres station (where her train from Paris had arrived), and I ended up heading in the wrong direction down the main boulevard.

Lille Europe train station

Lille Flandres train station - yes, it's easy to tell the difference VISUALLY

   We pack very lightly compared to most tourists that can be seen hauling/wheeling large suitcases around, but walking a mile or two in warm, humid conditions with a couple dozen added pounds strapped to the body still doesn't make me very happy. I hadn’t seen Sue for a couple of weeks and expected/intended to be excited to see her, but my jet-lagged, rain-soaked and sweaty body couldn’t pull off the expected/intended attitude. A shower and change of clothes certainly improved the situation, as did a rather immediate collapse on the bed for a nap!

   I woke up refreshed enough to watch the day’s Tour de France coverage live on TV, which was quite a treat in French language, even if I could understand very little of what was said! Sue had ducked out to find the Carrefour market and purchase some fruit and sandwich supplies for dinner, as well as something quick and easy for breakfast the next morning.

   Because I have Celiac disease and must follow a gluten free diet, eating out is normally a bit difficult. However, another recent health issue complicated things with a temporary batch of added food restrictions, so restaurants had become practically impossible – especially when faced with interpreting other languages in menus! Instead, we were constantly making market stops for food, and although this particular grocery visit in Lille was a small one, Sue looked forward to stocking up a bit when we had a rental vehicle in which to store/transport supplies easily.

   The weather had cleared up enough for us to take a walk around Lille, which gave me a preview of the setup of many northern European cities we were going to be visiting – a modern section with business/commercial properties and four-lane boulevards, and an “old town” with narrow, cobbled roads, ancient row-houses and a prominent center square with the town hall, guild houses and elaborate bell tower

   The next morning, we would be picking up a car near the Lille Europe station and heading off to visit some legendary cycling spots. A lot more to come...