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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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Entering
the Lobster Pot I had first noticed a reference to the Hostellerie des Trois Mousquetaires in Aire sur la Lys in one of the French Entrée books back in the mid 1980’s, where it had won a mention as hotel of the year. Having been in the past a keen fan of Dumas’ work, this was noted, mentally put in the “interesting but useless” file and almost forgotten. Forgotten it almost certainly would have been, if over fifteen years later it hadn’t surfaced on the internet, complete with its own web page. Even so, it might have been consigned to oblivion if my wife Kim hadn’t offered me a trip to France as a birthday treat. Normally Kim wouldn’t budge an inch off a well beaten tourist track especially if it takes her away from a big shopping centre. The trade off was a visit to Lille. Bookings were made for the Eurotunnel and for the Trois Mousquetaires were made on the Internet. The crossing went smoothly with no problems (not always the case), then an hour’s drive to our first stop, Cassel. Here the journey planner facility on the Eurotunnel website proved useful. Cassel sits on top of one of the few hills in Flanders. The road up to the town was a series of sharp bends, several offering tantalizing glimpses of the Flemish plain stretching away into the distance. A military headquarters in the First World War, Cassel proved to be an interesting place, with an irregularly shaped, cobbled main square. Many of the buildings were tall and narrow, suggesting Dutch influence. Cassel is also known for its annual carnival, taking place the weekend before Shrove Tuesday and featuring the giants which are part of local tradition. Lunch was at the restaurant “Hotel de Ville” which offers a three course set menu. The wine list was short but still managed to offer more beers than wines. Most of the beers were of the sweet, strong variety, 7-8% alcohol by volume. The next stage of our journey was from Cassel to Aire sur la Lys, another half an hour’s drive along country roads. The Trois Mousquetaires, situated on the south side of the town, is a manor house style hotel set in beautifully maintained grounds. It is on the site of an old fort designed by Vauban and, allegedly, once commanded by d’ Artagnan. The interior lives up to the promise of the outside. The rooms are all named after characters from the Musketeer books by Dumas. We were in room 21, The Vicompte de Bragelonne. We lazed away what was left of the afternoon and surfaced in time for dinner. The menu was in English as well as French, often a bad sign. Not in this case. The food was excellent and the service faultless: efficient and attentive without being intrusively so. This was a marked improvement on some London restaurants with a higher price tag. The next morning we had a quick look at Aire itself, but soon left it to its well deserved drowsy anonymity. The next stop was Arques, on the outskirts of St Omer, to visit the glass showroom. While waiting for the showroom to open we went into the town to discover that it was market day (Tuesday). There was a wide range of goods on sale, from fresh garlic to a large bubbling pan of stew, from cigarette lighters to clothes, all at bargain prices. Horse meat also appeared in various guises. From there we went back down the road to the Arques glassware shop, not the easiest place to find as it is not well signposted at all. The place has something for almost everyone: ornaments, wine glasses, decanters and tableware at prices ranging from 2 – 3 euros to several hundred euros. Although much was expensive there were bargains to be had, especially on the shelves of discontinued lines. Prices in the shop are about 20% cheaper than elsewhere in France. Unsurprisingly, the shop does a roaring coach trip trade. Having finished there, it was onto the road to Lille. Lille seems to have been constructed on the “lobster pot principle”, the one way system making it very difficult to navigate, either in or out. Eventually we made it to the town centre, tempers fraying visibly by this time. We booked in at the Hotel Comfort Opera which has the advantages of being central, inexpensive and having off street parking (this latter being worth much fine gold in itself.) Lunch was in the “Robe des Champs” in the Rue Faidherbe which I had seen mentioned in the Pays du Nord, a regional magazine covering the North of France and Belgium, to which the chef had contributed a couple of recipes. The décor was a faded blue and yellow, the atmosphere smoky. The menu, in French and English, offered a range of regional specialties. The meal was served up with baked potatoes, a refreshing change from the ubiquitous chip one sees so often in this part of the world. The waitress was pleasant and helpful, but had no sense of urgency. Gossip, either on her mobile phone or with friends loitering in the reception area, took priority over serving customers. The food was acceptable and the price reasonable, but we will not be going back there again. That afternoon Kim went shopping while I loafed about. We had done the tourist bit on previous visits: the guided tour taking in General de Gaulle’s birth place, the Fine Arts Museum and the Citadelle, the Euralille Shopping Centre, explored the back streets, bars, cafes, shops and restaurants. We usually returned by way of the Grand’ Place, where there is often something going on, like an open air concert or a demonstration (so far good natured ones). It also sports what is claimed to be one of the biggest bookshops in France, the Furet du Foret, which covers eight floors. Even when there is nothing much going on the Place is a fine place to sit over a beer and watch the world go by. For those of a more active bent, the excellent tourist office is very helpful. Being the capital of French Flanders and, more recently, having been European capital of culture, Lille does have much to offer, more than can be absorbed in a couple of nights. Old buildings have been sympathetically maintained or restored and there is an active cultural life. For those who enjoy shopping without the hassle of the big city like Paris or London, the town has a relatively compact shopping centre. The next morning saw us making a few last minute purchases before, after a couple of false starts, heading back to Calais (the lobster pot principle at work again). In Calais, lunch was at and old standby, the Histoire Ancienne in the Rue Royale. By this time we had one eye on the clock, but we still made it to the hypermarket to stock up with wine before reaching the Eurotunnel terminal with minutes to spare. For the first time, we had no delays or cancellations either way through the tunnel. (In all fairness, there have been several other trouble free trips through the channel tunnel since.) Many people visiting this part of France either go no further than the Channel ports or speed through it by train or on the motorway. To the latter, this part of France can appear flat and dull. Large parts of the region are flat, but it does have a certain quiet charm if one but takes the trouble to look. It is like panning for gold, tedious though it can seem at times, the nuggets of gold make it worthwhile. And if you’re still wondering...the lobster pot principle is: easy to get in, hard to get out! First published in VISA issue 63 (Oct 2005) |