Chepstow Races

Last night Hubby and I went to Chepstow Races our first visit to a racecourse. It was a last minute thing and a long journey each way, we got home early hours this morning. 

But what a great day ... completed by Paloma Faith live concert. 

We decided to stand above the Parade Ring and Winners Enclosure, never thinking we would stay there the whole time but it was so interesting we did. The large screen provided a great view of the races, good job as the horses looked like specks in the distance even with Hubby's binoculars.

As we were driving home, and had enjoyed a pub lunch on the way down, we only had a couple of drinks. Good job as unsurprisingly they were expensive. We politely refused the only red wine on offer, a small bottle of Echo Falls Merlot at £6.00!

Talking of money I do bet on the horses and, when I remember, I do enter the ITV7 competition. However I'm no big gambler: during lockdown we watched the Cheltenham Races and I opened a Sky Bet account with £20. Since I have placed a few bets now and then when we watch the racing on tv: I haven't had to top up my pot, I'm still in credit.

How so? Am I a great predictor? Oh no, it's simply because I place 5p each way bets. It's the fun of who wins for me, money can spoil things. 

So how did my 5p EW betting go at Chepstow? I spent a total of £1.60 and I won £1.58 ... a day of fun costing me 2p ... haha 

My Sky Bet pot is a healthy £23.48 so plenty of bet money to play with. Hubby bets more than me but still not really large bets, he ended the day £15 up.

I had the first three winners, Hubby had the last three, so one of us won every race! As always my choices were based on name, number, jockey or the jockey's silk colour. We didn't know any of the jockeys at Chepstow so most of my choices were name based. 

It was great to see my winning horses in the Winner's Enclosure. The horses certainly enjoyed their drink and wash down after the races.

Bug Boy ..... 52p win

Rhubarb .... 30p win

Adaay In Asia .... 28p win

It was Ladies Day as well as the Paloma Faith concert, plenty of ladies in lovely dresses and hats. Earlier in the day I'd noticed a very striking lady in a brown polka dot dress, not surprisingly she was the Runner Up in the Best Outfit competition. 

All three ladies chosen looked lovely, the winner received a very large cheque!

The racing over it was concert time and decided to stay where we were as we could see the stage in the distance and the big screen. Of course Paloma could be heard from anywhere, she has a great voice. 

We also didn't want to be in a crowd, with Covid numbers rising and many people being a little unsteady on their feet we decided to stay safe. To be honest our position was great in that respect for the whole day, the breeze was blowing from in front of us too.

We have seen Paloma Faith in concert a few tines, she is a great live singer. We didn't know many of her new songs but certainly enjoyed the music, atmosphere and warm evening.

Just before we left the sky was amazing, both looking west and east. Certainly a sign for warmer day to follow.

We had a super time at Chepstow and will certainly go to a race meeting again. We left slightly before the end of the concert as we had a long drive home. It was so funny trying to remember where we had parked the car in the dark, we should have looked for a tree or lampost marker when we arrived.

Thank you to everyone involved in making it such a super day ... hopefully one we can do again.

Trier and the Champagne region

Our second day in Trier was forecast hot with thundery showers. This so we decided to visit the Landesmuseum but not before breakfast in the park.

The museum had a huge amount of Roman artifacts showing how Trier was once an important city within the Roman Empire. We had audio guides which really helped although some boards were also in English. 

There were so many amazing stone carving; some were tombs, some from buildings. The mosaic floor was incredible, again I found it hard to comprehend the age of the items.

The museum also had more recent history of Trier, the religious times were very interesting with amazing statues and plaques. The Madonna and Child was cast in iron so would have first been a wooden carving then moulded in sand before the cast was made, such intricate work. 

We had a really nice city  break in Trier, it is somewhere we would visit again although now we have seen the sights we would probably use it as a stop over. It wasn't far to walk into the city from our hotel which this time was a B&B Hotel, a budget chain that is across Europe. With the heat we decided to make use of our 9 euro ticket and caught the bus. The city centre was always bustling all the bars and restaurants in the city offered good food and wine. I'm sure we'll be visiting Trier again.

Leaving Germany behind we travelled to the Champagne region for a few days in France. As we have visited Epernay and Reims a few times before we decided this time to stay in Chalons-en-Champagne. 

Our hotel this time was Premiere Classe, again a budget chain and this one was quite old. Disappointingly the bars and restaurants nearby were all closed, apart from one at which we had a superb Anniversary meal (it was our 33rd wedding anniversary). We did celebrate before going out with a bottle of sparkling wine from Trier.

The next day we caught the bus into the city centre, our 9 euro ticket was no use but the French bus was only 1.10 euro each trip. The centre was very old, so many timbered buildings with various dates, more rustic than the Mosel it was quite charming.

We visited the Cathedral which had superb glass windows, the stories on some were amazing. As with most churches the height of the walls and ceiling was very impressive.

Within the city was a lovely park leading to the canal and river Marne beyond. It was quite a peaceful place, great to spot a heron and the colours on the river were amazing.

Back at our hotel the sky was turning black, but we didn't mind as we'd had over 6 days with the temperature above 30 so a cooling storm would be very welcome.  It was quite nice enjoying a bottle of our favourite French wine wine waiting for the rain.

After much thought and deliberation we decided to move hotels and go to Epernay again for our last night in the Champagne region. The overall reason was the quietness of Chalons-en-Champagne and with no buses running on a Sunday we would have been driving round looking for somewhere to visit.

We had planned to call at Nicolas Feuillatte on our way back to Calais but now we had time for a longer visit and browse in the shop ... of course more glasses have come home!

After enjoying our picnic lunch in the Jardin du Vignes, a superb garden with so much information about vines and the three main grapes of the region, we checked in our hotel, still a Premiere Classe, and took a stroll into Epernay centre. 

Our favourite street is the Avenue de Chsmpagne, said to be the most expensive street in the world. Not because of the stunning champagne houses and mansions but because of the cellars and the incredible quantity of champagne stored in them, some over 150 years old. 

It isn't a champagne we drink much of but we always visit the Moet & Chandon house. It is so blingy and so expensiv, always worth a visit though.

We had a lovely time in Epernay,  certainly the best idea to move hotels. Our last visit before heading home was to a small Champagne house that we discovered a few years ago and visit every time we are in the area. Their champagne is superb, I think it stands up against the big names and we certainly couldn't miss an opportunity to bring some more home. They are in Champillon, just outside Epernay with superb views.

It was a great end to our superb time in Belgium, Germany and France - an amazing trip with so many lovely memories. 

Trier - sightseeing

After our nine days in the Mosel we stayed in Trier for a city break. It is still on the Mosel river and is famous for its Roman buildings. We decided to use the Hop on Hop off bus for a tour of the city and to get from one place of interest to another. Our 50 minute bus tour with great commentary also included an hour's river cruise on the Mosel. 

The bus tour was superb, passing all the city's main building,dings but also going to the top of a small hill giving a fantastic view across the vines.

Our river cruise was quite different to the one we had earlier in our holiday. The Mosel river and its banks changes quite considerably. As well as the city view the river here has sandstone cliffs and narrow strips of vines. It was a lovely cruise although a bit warm; we were late morning and the temperature was already 29°.

I was amazed at the Roman structures still standing, not only because of their age but also because generations since have not dismantled them to build a new building, something I feel we do too much of these days. 

We visited two of the Roman sites, the first being the amphitheatre. It was huge and although the original seating areas are now grass it is clear to see how impressive an arena it would have been.

As well as looking down from the highest tier we also walked underneath and through the entrance of the gladiators or performers. The main floor is actually a wooden structure with a vast cellar underneath. It is full of water today with walkways but was a very impressive sight. It is at times uncomprehensible as to the age of the bricks and structure still standing. 

The day was getting hotter and so I sat in the shade whilst Hubby explored more. This photo shows how huge the amphitheatre is, Hubby looks tiny on the higher tier.

Walking back into the city centre we passed the Dom Trier (Cathedral), founded in 1035 and the adjacent Gothic Basilica built on Roman foundations. Both were so impressive, the Cathedral had some very ornate shrines and alter whilst the Basilica has superb stained glass windows and painted ceilings.

Our final sight seeing of the day was the very impressive Porta Nigra. Originally a gate for the Roman city it was then used as a church with additional walls built around it. These were later removed to once more reveal the impressive gateway. Unbelievably the stones have no mortar, it is a dry stone building dating back nearly 2000 years. 

The view of Trier centre was superb, made better of course by the Bummelzug. It was certainly a bustling city with a variety of visitors; some large tour groups, school trips, shoppers and tourists like Hubby and I. 

We had a super day in Trier, what better way to finish it off then with a wine tasting before dinner.