1,110 mile round trip for wine
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- Muzorewa
- Supreme Being
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1,110 mile round trip for wine
In 2010 we did a 710 mile round trip for fish & chips, details HERE for anyone who missed that. So it should not be a surprise to read that we’ve just done something similar for wine
UmBongoCat and UmBongoChris on here regularly go over to France (it’s easier from London ) and suggested, in the run-up to Christmas, that we should nip over there on a kind of booze-cruise.
Notionally this is a scheme to round up a load of plonk cheaper than you can get at Tesco. But when you tot up the cost of diesel, insurance green card, ferries, campsites etc, it probably works out about double what you would have paid in Tesco. But just going down to your local supermarket wouldn’t be an adventure, now would it?
It also gave us the opportunity to try out the French Aires de Service, their rest areas where you are allowed to camp in your “Camping-Car” – a valuable bit of research that we intend to put to extensive use next year
So, cheapest route over there is to get a fixed ticket on the likes of the DFDS service from Dover....
....except you can go earlier than you booked, if you're prepared to go to Dunkerque instead of Calais
Team Muz on Dover Seaways
Dunkerque
Waving goodbye to our ferry
La Musette – well it would be rude not to
Are we nearly there yet?
Camping Indigo, Bois de Boulogne, Paris, less than 3 miles from the centre of Paris
What are the neighbours like?
Ah, it’s Cath & Chris, Muzette won’t waste any time settling down then
Onto the Paris Métro
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
Team UmBongo, Arc de Triomphe
Team Muz, Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
Avenue des Champs Élysées, one of the most famous streets in the world....
....Apart from Abbey Road, NW8 Tourist in the middle of the traffic
Avenue des Champs Élysées
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular, spot the tourists queuing up
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular, the royal wave. Or is it we’re going on it twice
Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit of Montmartre
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Paris skyline from Montmartre with the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul left of centre (with the green roof)
Art Paul, with a typically Gallic shrug
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Seine
Team Muz, Notre Dame Cathedral
Eiffel Tower
This is for a separate little project, as Mrs Muz always has a couple of shot-glasses....
....and a bottle of Jura single malt in her handbag when we go out
Team Muz, Eiffel Tower
Muzette, Eiffel Tower
What? – No ice-cream?
Onto the Seine river-cruise, excuse some blurry shots here, no tripod and even if I can hold the camera pretty steady the boat is wobbling
École du Louvre
River Seine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine
Mrs Muz and Muzette
Onto the double-decker Réseau Express Régional – Network Rail and Richard Branson could learn a thing or two here
Bonjour! Camping Indigo after a well-deserved sleep
Well that’s my breakfast sorted, I don’t know what the rest of you are having
What the.... Someone’s nicked the bog
Personally, I blame the snails & tripe we had for tea
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The World War 1 memorial at Notre-Dame de Lorette
Notre-Dame de Lorette memorial
Notre-Dame de Lorette, this picture just about sums up the futility of war
Coffee & cakes it is then! – What, no ice-cream again?
A sign we shall be looking for in earnest next year, the Aires de Service. On previous tours we wouldn’t have given that sign a second glance
Aire la Pommeraie in Nuncq Hautecôte, Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Only three pitches but all vacant
May as well get the fairy lights out....
....and set fire to some food
All the ingredients you need. Wine, cheese and merguez sausages. The wine is on trial before a major onslaught tomorrow
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Team UmBongo and Team Muz on tour in la belle France
Merguez sausages and some peppers for the health-food freaks
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Well the wine research has gone well, hic
And the white, too
Chez Zaza, Samer, Nord-Pas-de-Calais. For Zaza
Next up, a micro-fromagerie, a kind of Co-Op artisan cheese house....
....very small-scale but very good....
evidently. The garlic cheese does blow your socks off though
On to Auchan in Boulogne-sur-Mer for a major asault
Oh yeah, how many types of cheese do you need, really?
I just hope the rear suspension is up to it
Next up – Netto – And it’s nothing to do with the Netto we used to have in the UK….
….this is a hard discounter that REALLY stacks it high and sells it cheap
Fortuitous planning due to the storms of late….
….we’re booked on the Chunnel
....so 35 minutes and we’ll be back in Blighty
So there you are, mission accomplished. Merguez sausages, horse-burgers, wine and cheese. Oh, and a tin of paella
The fruits of success – Horse-burgers & tartiflette
One thought though, as I quaff this Bordeaux which cost me 77p a bottle (although I did confuse the checkout operator, she was doing her best until I said “Muchas gracias, monsieur” in my best French), Tesco you are having a laugh!!
UmBongoCat and UmBongoChris on here regularly go over to France (it’s easier from London ) and suggested, in the run-up to Christmas, that we should nip over there on a kind of booze-cruise.
Notionally this is a scheme to round up a load of plonk cheaper than you can get at Tesco. But when you tot up the cost of diesel, insurance green card, ferries, campsites etc, it probably works out about double what you would have paid in Tesco. But just going down to your local supermarket wouldn’t be an adventure, now would it?
It also gave us the opportunity to try out the French Aires de Service, their rest areas where you are allowed to camp in your “Camping-Car” – a valuable bit of research that we intend to put to extensive use next year
So, cheapest route over there is to get a fixed ticket on the likes of the DFDS service from Dover....
....except you can go earlier than you booked, if you're prepared to go to Dunkerque instead of Calais
Team Muz on Dover Seaways
Dunkerque
Waving goodbye to our ferry
La Musette – well it would be rude not to
Are we nearly there yet?
Camping Indigo, Bois de Boulogne, Paris, less than 3 miles from the centre of Paris
What are the neighbours like?
Ah, it’s Cath & Chris, Muzette won’t waste any time settling down then
Onto the Paris Métro
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
Team UmBongo, Arc de Triomphe
Team Muz, Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
Avenue des Champs Élysées, one of the most famous streets in the world....
....Apart from Abbey Road, NW8 Tourist in the middle of the traffic
Avenue des Champs Élysées
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular, spot the tourists queuing up
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular
Montmartre funicular, the royal wave. Or is it we’re going on it twice
Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit of Montmartre
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Basilica of the Sacré Cœur
Paris skyline from Montmartre with the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul left of centre (with the green roof)
Art Paul, with a typically Gallic shrug
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral and the Seine
Team Muz, Notre Dame Cathedral
Eiffel Tower
This is for a separate little project, as Mrs Muz always has a couple of shot-glasses....
....and a bottle of Jura single malt in her handbag when we go out
Team Muz, Eiffel Tower
Muzette, Eiffel Tower
What? – No ice-cream?
Onto the Seine river-cruise, excuse some blurry shots here, no tripod and even if I can hold the camera pretty steady the boat is wobbling
École du Louvre
River Seine
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame Cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine
Mrs Muz and Muzette
Onto the double-decker Réseau Express Régional – Network Rail and Richard Branson could learn a thing or two here
Bonjour! Camping Indigo after a well-deserved sleep
Well that’s my breakfast sorted, I don’t know what the rest of you are having
What the.... Someone’s nicked the bog
Personally, I blame the snails & tripe we had for tea
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The World War 1 memorial at Notre-Dame de Lorette
Notre-Dame de Lorette memorial
Notre-Dame de Lorette, this picture just about sums up the futility of war
Coffee & cakes it is then! – What, no ice-cream again?
A sign we shall be looking for in earnest next year, the Aires de Service. On previous tours we wouldn’t have given that sign a second glance
Aire la Pommeraie in Nuncq Hautecôte, Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Only three pitches but all vacant
May as well get the fairy lights out....
....and set fire to some food
All the ingredients you need. Wine, cheese and merguez sausages. The wine is on trial before a major onslaught tomorrow
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Team UmBongo and Team Muz on tour in la belle France
Merguez sausages and some peppers for the health-food freaks
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Aire la Pommeraie, Nuncq Hautecôte
Well the wine research has gone well, hic
And the white, too
Chez Zaza, Samer, Nord-Pas-de-Calais. For Zaza
Next up, a micro-fromagerie, a kind of Co-Op artisan cheese house....
....very small-scale but very good....
evidently. The garlic cheese does blow your socks off though
On to Auchan in Boulogne-sur-Mer for a major asault
Oh yeah, how many types of cheese do you need, really?
I just hope the rear suspension is up to it
Next up – Netto – And it’s nothing to do with the Netto we used to have in the UK….
….this is a hard discounter that REALLY stacks it high and sells it cheap
Fortuitous planning due to the storms of late….
….we’re booked on the Chunnel
....so 35 minutes and we’ll be back in Blighty
So there you are, mission accomplished. Merguez sausages, horse-burgers, wine and cheese. Oh, and a tin of paella
The fruits of success – Horse-burgers & tartiflette
One thought though, as I quaff this Bordeaux which cost me 77p a bottle (although I did confuse the checkout operator, she was doing her best until I said “Muchas gracias, monsieur” in my best French), Tesco you are having a laugh!!
- umbongocat
- Supreme Being
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- Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:02 pm
- Location: london (north)
Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Excellent! Had a fun weekend and glad you enjoyed he fromagerie and the small detours we took you on to get there
Our roof is still in our garden and now cracking open the wine to get me through the next few weeks!
I love cheese!
Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Fantastic, thanks for posting.
Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Oh no, not good weather again Paul.. Must get sooo boring.
Glad you had a good time and practice for next year.
Glad you had a good time and practice for next year.
- mikeonb4c
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Not content with being thoroughly debauched yourself Muz, you now have to recruit the innocent Umbongo people into your sordid little expeditions
But seriously. Superb travelyfotologue yet again. Made my day and the Muz clan are an inspiration (though for quite what I'm not sure)
But seriously. Superb travelyfotologue yet again. Made my day and the Muz clan are an inspiration (though for quite what I'm not sure)
- hembramacho
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Looks like you all had a fab trip.
Cheers
Andrew
Cheers
Andrew
- helen&tony
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Hi
Coo, looks like fun!....Christmas?....I haven't even started thinking yet....BUT....I'll be looking for some nice Chilean , and Aussie vino.....(bit partial).....
Cheers
Helen
Coo, looks like fun!....Christmas?....I haven't even started thinking yet....BUT....I'll be looking for some nice Chilean , and Aussie vino.....(bit partial).....
Cheers
Helen
In the beginning there was nothing , then God said "Let there be Light".....There was still nothing , but ,by crikey, you could see it better.
- umbongocat
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
We're safe and sound Mike and not so innocent (The French side I would say is most definitely less innocent and English side is a saint) It was indeed us who persuaded Muz to come and be thoroughly debauched with ourselves.mikeonb4c wrote:Not content with being thoroughly debauched yourself Muz, you now have to recruit the innocent Umbongo people into your sordid little expeditions
I love cheese!
- mikeonb4c
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Damn southerners. Corrupting an innocent northern man. I should have knownumbongocat wrote:We're safe and sound Mike and not so innocent (The French side I would say is most definitely less innocent and English side is a saint) It was indeed us who persuaded Muz to come and be thoroughly debauched with ourselves.mikeonb4c wrote:Not content with being thoroughly debauched yourself Muz, you now have to recruit the innocent Umbongo people into your sordid little expeditions
- umbongocat
- Supreme Being
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- Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:02 pm
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Although I would have to say it's pretty impossible to corrupt Muz as much as we tried with the offerings of stinky cheese, cheap Netto Cremant and frozen snails
It was a fab quick trip and one that we'll definitely be doing again and maybe we'll manage to persuade some others to join us on a fun booze trip to France
Muz... the pic of you and Hannah sipping the wine is ace!
It was a fab quick trip and one that we'll definitely be doing again and maybe we'll manage to persuade some others to join us on a fun booze trip to France
Muz... the pic of you and Hannah sipping the wine is ace!
I love cheese!
- Muzorewa
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
We had the horse-burgers last night for tea. Merguez sausages tonight!umbongocat wrote:Although I would have to say it's pretty impossible to corrupt Muz as much as we tried with the offerings of stinky cheese, cheap Netto Cremant and frozen snails
It was a fab quick trip and one that we'll definitely be doing again and maybe we'll manage to persuade some others to join us on a fun booze trip to France
Muz... the pic of you and Hannah sipping the wine is ace!
That photo was taken on my phone, not by me obviously, can't remember who took it, it's all a bit of a blur, just like the photo
- Muzorewa
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Chris also failed to tempt us with the tinned sprouts in Netto
-
- Bongolier
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
14 Bottles! they'll be gone by bonfire night won't they?
- Muzorewa
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Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
No, you've not spotted the cardboard cases behind themWendy'n'Alan wrote:14 Bottles! they'll be gone by bonfire night won't they?
This wasn't our total haul either, we were unsure whether the table would be up to it
Re: 1,110 mile round trip for wine
Great pictures Paul. We are just back from a week around Fontainbleau in the bongo. I couldn't believe how nice the Bordeaux was even at less than 2 Euros per bottle. Couple it up with a fresh baguette, some cheese and sausison sec...... mmmmmm. Makes you wonder what our 'supermarkets' pay per bottle, when you can get a really nice one of less than 2 Euros in French supermarkets?
Cheers
David.
Cheers
David.