Champlis (II)

A rumour reached Piet's wine and dine society 'Het Derde Glas' that one of their favourite restaurants, Au Fils du Zinc in Chablis, was closing their doors. This caused a slight panic, but swift action was taken and a farewell tour was quickly cobbled together. In the end Piet, Paul and Frits drove down to France for a long weekend.

We left on Friday morning and after driving through the first snow in southern Belgium ended up at Faux de Verzy, a small forest near Reims, were many dwarf beech, chestnut and oak trees are growing, in between normal trees. This is a rare phenomenon, with twisted trees, umbrella branches and a weird magical feel. The trip continued to Cramant, in the Cote des Blancs area, for a stop at Bonnaire, one of the famous Champagne houses, that was also visited in 2019. Tasting and purchase was handled efficiently, to arrive timely at the next stop: Lac du Der.
Lac du Der is a large artificial lake that was constructed in the 70-ies to prevent floods in Paris, by capturing water from the Marne river. It is also a large bird sanctuary where thousands of cranes rest during their autumn and spring trek. This is one of the main attractions in the area. However, when we arrived it was suspiciously quiet, and there was not a single bird in sight. The grey weather, chilly wind, empty hotel (just the 3 of us) and closed restaurant contributed to a depressing atmosphere.
Luckily the nearby casino was open, and they served champagne and a proper meal. The next morning the lake was still empty, but on the drive north a few cranes were spotted foraging in a field. This was celebrated at Lonclas, one of the main producers in the tiny Champagne village of Bassuet. Our hostess managed to serve many customers, and convince us to leave with several boxes. On the way to Chablis lunch was enjoyed at Marius in Les Riceys (recommended). We had torrential rain during the drive, but after we stocked up at Brocard, 'valuer sur' for Chablis white wine, buienradar showed that the worst had passed, and we enjoyed a hike around the Grand Cru hill in the late afternoon sunshine.
The day was wrapped up in Au Fils du Zinc. The manager indeed confirmed that the restaurant would close within a few weeks. The good news is that they bought a new place in Chablis, which they will renovate and open towards the end of 2020. We enjoyed a great dinner and excellent wines, and will definitely be back to test the new place.
After another vineyard hike in the morning sunshine we drove back, and Piet got dropped in The Hague with his boxes. Next appointment: re-tasting with the whole group!

Faux de Verzy: a dwarf beech tree

Tasting at Bonnaire

No birds at Lac du Der!


A church on the banks of Lac du Der, which was moved when the lake was created; three villages were flooded


Discussion about Champagne at Lonclas, in Bassuet

Not our first visit at Brocard: quality Chablis and a lot of choice

View across the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis

Art on a roundabout, Chablis

 Work in the vineyard: pruning the vines

Paula and Dorien

A few pictures from Paula and Dorien:

Paula completed her internship with Boskalis in Singapore just before Christmas, followed by a tour through Malaysia during the holidays with her student group. They visited Sabah (northern part of Borneo), and the area around Kuala Lumpur, making the most of their time in southeast Asia. The first weekend in January they flew back to The Netherlands, to complete their report. As soon as it was handed in Paula and Jasper flew to Spain for a week of rock climbing near Malaga. Great weather and great fun!

Dorien continued her excellent performances in the short survival run races, and after several third places she managed to finish second in Zwolle. She is getting closer and closer to the top runners. She also had her BSc ceremony, and signed the official documents, completing the first part fo her studies. She started her MSc courses in November, and is now having classes together with Paula....

Paula in the Cameron Highlands, near Kuala Lumpur

Rock climbing near Malaga

Dorien crossing an obstacle in Zwolle

 Second place in Zwolle

Dorien presenting her BSc thesis project

 Signing the BSc diploma

A trip through Namibia

Piet has been working on projects in Namibia since 2013, and visited the capital Windhoek 10 times for meetings with the Ministry and other Namibian stakeholders. During his last visit in June he finally hatched the plan to bring Mary along, and visit the country properly. A reason was easily found as our 25th wedding anniversary was in July.
Piet did some extensive planning and arranged a counterclockwise trip from Windhoek, to the north, and back via the coast, with as main highlights Etosha National Park and Sossusvlei. In November Piet went to Windhoek for several meetings, and Mary arrived a week later on Saturday morning.
We rented a large 4WD, and made a first test ride to Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, just outside town. It was very dry and hot, and we saw a few animals only. After a braai with Piet's colleague Dennis we left the next morning to Waterberg Plateau National Park, an isolated mountain range in central Namibia. This set the stage for the whole trip, where we combined a few hours' drive, mainly on graded roads, with activities early in the morning or late afternoon. At Waterberg we joined a rhino drive, and did two short walks. We continued north to Etosha, where we spend two nights in a lodge just outside, and a third night inside the Park. Etosha is half the size of The Netherlands; most animals come to the numerous waterholes in the Park, where you can see and photograph them. The first day we joined a guide to get a feel for the place, and the second day we drove around ourselves. We saw many, many animals, with as highlights an afternoon bath of a large group of elephants, and a nighttime visit of three rhino's to a waterhole close to our accommodation.

The next day we did a long drive west towards Brandberg, to the White Lady Lodge. This is a pleasant oasis in the middle of nowhere, and here it was possible for Mary to go horse riding. We continued to the coast, and via the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Hentiesbaai and Swakopmund ended up in Walvis Bay. At Cape Cross there are some 100,000 seals, and you can image the noise and smell! It was a tough visit as it was pupping season, and with a high natural mortality rate there were many dead pups lying around, mostly abandoned by their mothers. In Walvis Bay the abundance of flamingos, promised by Piet based on a previous visit, proved to be false; there was too much wind, and we only saw a few. The trip continued further south, with a stop in Solitaire, which is  a true outback locality, with a petrol station and many abandoned classic cars. After a night in Sesriem we visited Sossusvlei, with some of the highest sand dunes in the world. We climbed Dune 45 and Big Daddy, and enjoyed the famous scenery of Deadvlei, with dead, black trees sticking out of a white pan, in between red dunes. The day ended in Buellsport Guest Farm, with a horse riding tour on the farm for Mary.
The next morning we did a long hike in the Naukluft mountains, and after a relaxing afternoon Mary joined another horseback ride, whilst Piet did a drive around the farm, which is more than 100 km2. After a second morning hike we drove back to Windhoek, with a visit to Joe's Beerhouse, a real classic. We handed in the car the next morning, and after dropping by the small Shell office for a few hours, returned to the airport. In summary: a fantastic trip, and not our last holiday in Namibia!

Mary showing off our car in Daan Viljoen Park

Curious giraffes in Waterberg

Rhino's are heavily protected in Namibia against poachers

Hiking in Waterberg

Etosha National Park: giraffes at a waterhole

Etosha: a lioness is checking out her lunch

Etosha: rhino's at night

At Okaukuejo waterhole: a large group of elephants taking a bath

There were many young elephants in Etosha

Etosha: zebras quenching their thirst


Mary getting ready for a ride at Brandberg White Lady Lodge


A recommended stay!


Cape Cross Seal Reserve

In Solitaire 

 Between Walvis Bay and Solitaire

Bizarre tourism at Sesriem Desert Camp 

Deadvlei

Mary on top of Dune 45

Mary leaving for a ride at Buellsport Farm

 Piet at Buellsport Guest Farm

Joe's Beerhouse

A few pictures

Below a few photos from the last weeks: a business trip from Piet to Cape Town, a rowing race from Paula in Amsterdam, and another third place for Dorien on a survival run. It is a busy time, with Dorien and Lars organising their new apartment, with lots of help from Mary and Lars' parents. And Paula is leaving for Singapore for a 2 month study project...

Bo Kaap, the muslim neighbourhood in Cape Town; Signal Hill in the back

A stunning city

View on Table Mountain

Dorien doing well in the national competition

Paula and team on the Bosbaan, Amsterdam

Coordination on the water

Autumn break and wine

We had our usual autumn break in France, with two additional stops. On the drive in we stayed in Nuits Saint Georges and met up with three of our friends from 'Het Derde Glas' for some wine tasting and a nice dinner. The next day we continued to our house for a week of regular activities of cycling and work around the house. It was beautiful weather, with autumn colours everywhere.

In the middle of the week we drove to Gigondas for our yearly pelgrimage to the southern Rhone vineyards with Frits, with an afternoon of wine tasting, a dinner at Les Florets, and a hike in the area.

After a few more relaxing days at the house we had to return home, and will probably only return in the spring.

Walking in the vineyards above Beaune

Sybren and Piet are discussing Burgundy wines at Chevillon-Chezeaux

Explaining the different Burgundy Crus to the expert of 'Het Derde Glas'

Cycling to La Berarde

The road to La Berarde

At Domaine de Durban

Piet and Frits are tasting at Domaine de la Mavette

Walking in the Dentelles de Montmirail

Cycling to Le Mollard