The Ball in the Hole

Saturday 23rd August was the day of the marriage of Goliath and Mrs Goliath and also the birthday of Mr Fluffy. We awoke to the sound of beating drums and had seen 3 rats before 11am. That's what we get for parking next to a canal. The day was looking good so far. In the morning we took a two hour walk along the tow path and the rain came in on our way back. Happily, we were just passing an old birdwatchers' hut so were able to shelter there. We had a lovely view of a lake with ducks swimming and the rain dropping on the water.

view through a hut

We were back in time for the wedding at 3pm. One of the locals told us that it is treated as a real marriage and several dignitaries were there to attend the ceremony in the church. The giants (which weigh around 130 kilos) were paraded and danced along the street by a series of very strong chaps dressed in white. When the giants kiss the whole crowd erupts in screams of delight and enthusiastic applause.

Mrs Goliath

To view a video of the Giants' kiss click here.

Mr and Mrs Goliath

 We had to stand for a long time and a very tall chap came and stood in front of at one point. 'I think I'm standing behind the tallest person here' I said. 'Not quite' said Graham pointing to Goliath.

A little after the wedding a small boy is selected to play 'David' and to challenge the giant then attempt to throw a ball into the hole of his skirt. If the ball goes in it is considered very lucky for the town and, of course, the boy. Tension mounted as the he took aim and 'hoorah' the whole crowd exploded in applause when the ball went in. 'David' was carried on the shoulders of the attendants and some people were in tears at the spectacle. It was very moving actually and bodes well, especially for Mr Fluffy on his birthday. 

the Devil character walks in the procession

Just remembered that I embarrassed my self earlier in the day when chatting in franglais to a very lovely local chap. I had meant to say 'Ici' (meaning 'here') but managed to do my best Hercule Poirot impersonation saying 'eeeer' instead. How embarrassing...luckily he didn't seem to notice my faux pas and I managed to hide my red face and tittering behind a carefully placed hand. Must work on my French.

The Burning of the Underpants

After experiencing the Brotherhood of the Warm Sausage in the Matisse Gallery we felt it was only right that we should attend the burning of the giant's underpants in Ath. Graham's disappointment was palpable as we were banned from entering Lens Louvre because he was carrying a Swiss Army knife, so we headed off to a car park in Ath to attend the Ducasse ( a festival of giants which dates back to the 16th century if not earlier).

at the Museum des Geants

After a bit of looking around we found a nice parking spot tucked away in the corner of the car park by the Gare (train station) which was, of course, free. Some friends of ours, who had tipped us off about the giants, pulled up a few bays across from us so it was great to run across the car park to say hi.  It was a massive 5 minute walk into town where we visited the Museum of Giants and had a stroll around the strangely quiet town. It was not to remain quiet for long as our video will show - click here for burning undies.

prepare for the burning 

It was rather a long wait for the underpants to appear in the Esplanade. We managed to get a great spot where the aforementioned garment was carried in to the excitement of the awaiting crowd. While we waited the police were called to a contre temps between a few 14(ish) year old girls across the way which was a little amusing. It was a little disconcerting to note that the firemen all kissed each other in greeting as did the police. All these burly chaps pecking each other on the cheek was rather unusual. We could not imagine that happening in the UK. All in all it was a violence free, if a little kissy, event and the burning got underway in an orderly manner.

'what big legs you have M Le Geant'

I thought the pants were sponsored by the local brewery as the word 'Gouyasse' was written on them but apparently it is the Belgian word for Goliath, the main giant. It is a apparently a tradition in Belgium that the groom's underpants are burned on the night before the wedding. We returned to Dickie to prepare for the next day's event which included the marriage of Goliath and his bride, and await Graham's birthday.

Mr Fluffy with floating giant at the museum

The Brotherhood of the Warm Sausage

Well, we have heard of Freemasons and 'Buffalos' but had no idea there was a 'Brotherhood of the Warm Sausage'. We had arrived in Le Cateau-Cambresis and decided to go to the Matisse Gallery (Graham loves his art). The first room had a very interesting display of local residents' favourite items, and a little bit about their lives. Along with a pigeon fancier, a farmer and a restaurateur we were excited to see the robes of a member of the 'warm sausage brigade.' Of course it led to great tittering on my part and a small twinkle in the eye of Mr Fluffy which was a bit naughty as I'm sure they take it very seriously.

robe et chapeau de la Confrerie D'Andouille Chaude

The town itself was nothing spectacular but the gallery was fabulous. Along with a large collection of Matisse pieces (he was born in the town) there were Chagalls, Legers and, a new discovery for me, Auguste Hubin. Loved his colourful art and stained glass windows. A very attractive Giacommetti stands in the front courtyard as well.

listening

Auguste Hubin window

We tried to go to Arras but the aire was full and not particularly attractive so we are now in Lens which has an out shoot of The Louvre so we may pop in there this morning (if I can drag Graham kicking and screaming along). Having just heard that Les Geants will be in Ath in Belgium this weekend we will be heading over there later today. 

Pooh Pooh P'Dooh

After a night spent next to a dog's toilet in Nismes near the French border in Belgium, we had a lovely walk to the appropriately named Foundry des Chiens. Really, there was this one chap who separately walked three different dogs to the grass verge next to Dickie and each of them performed An extremely large ablution just outside the door. The aroma of steaming dog doodie wafted through the windows for the entire evening. Such a shame as the town is very pleasant and the aire is free.

No poos up here

We were expecting quite a strenuous walk this morning as the chap in the visitor's centre used the word 'uphill' quite frequently when describing it, but there were only a few small inclines and it took just over an hour. Amusement prevailed as, at one stage, we were overtaken by a little tourist train full of French tourists who exclaimed we were very brave to go 'a pieds' (on foot) in the drizzle and up these (not very) steep hills.

le petit train

The red squirrel population here is thriving as we saw several scampering around the trees. They have black stripes on their backs which look a bit weird.
                                              ................

Dickie in Landrecies

We've been looking up a bit of history of the place we stumbled upon to stay tonight. Landrecies was the site of a major battle on 25th August 1914 and there is a British cemetery here which we will visit tomorrow. There are several monuments commemorating the war in the town, the church took a direct hit by a bomb, and on a lighter note they've placed a lovely aire by the canal. I just read something on the internet that said this town is where the horse that influenced the writing of WarHorse came from....how interesting.

Graham’s trip statistics

We have now spent 93 days and nights in Dickie on this trip and have driven 7781 miles through Scandinavia and Europe.

On this trip we have averaged 31mpg so far and have spent £ 442 on campsite/overnight stop fees – an average of less than £5 per night.

Nude Shocker, Flagrant Francophilia, and Dish Disaster.

What is it with men and their love of leaving doors open?

Can you imagine the shock on the face of those in the van next to us when I opened our bathroom door (directly opposite our back door) after a lovely warm shower only to find Mr Fluffy had left our back door wide open to display my nudity to the great unwashed. My face showed equal mortification but, determined to get Mr F back for his faux pas, I opened the toilet hatch so that he could be swathed in the aromas of the SOG unit as he ferreted in the satellite drawer. Ha! 

Le Meuse at Montherme

After recovering from my 'naturist accidentalis' experience we left Luxembourg and the pouring rain and headed off to the Ardennes. Mr Fluffy's face was a picture, no not at the memories of my nudity, but at the excitement of French bread and jars of magnifique Blanquettes de some sort of viande, cassoulets, and of course ........the fromage! His little eyes lit up and his cheeks flushed as we entered the Le Clerc supermarche. Several bottles of wine and lumps of stinky cheese later we have ended up at our current location by the Meuse River at Montherme. 

font face

How gorge is this? We are by the marina with several lovely boats moored up. A 22km cycle along the river started the day off nicely then back to Dickie, and excitement followed as Mr F managed to get the BBC on the satellite for the first time in weeks. As I thrilled to Tim Wonacott and his familiar Bargain Hunt delivery, I concentrated on making a rowan and red thread charm. But alas, our televisual euphoria was shortlived as a gust of wind blew the satellite dish over and snapped the wires.

success

Mr F now has his tongue firmly positioned in the correct oral area for major concentration and is hoping to fix the dish so that we have a hope in hell of watching British tv tonight. Speaking of hell we are just up the road from a town called Deville. Quite amusing.

wooden window treatment

There are a couple of interesting churches in the village, one with a particularly ancient font,  and I have been looking up property prices as it is such a beautiful place. Mr F's pile envy has reached new heights (that's wood pile not haemorrhoids) as we even saw wood filling empty window spaces. 

Further along the Ardennes tomorrow.

"May I suggest prawns for desert?"

view from the casements

We had just finished a superb meal at Le Jardin Gourmand in Luxembourg when the waiter enthusiastically recommended the Pain Perdue with prawns. Our faces must have registered extreme shock as the very posh waiter went on to describe the round berries contained within the aforementioned sweet. Eventually it turned out he meant prunes so we happily agreed to his recommendation. What turned up was covered in mirabelles, those little orange round things with leaves that no one ever knows the name of. Not exactly prunes but delicious all the same. If you are in Luxembourg we heartily recommend a meal here if you get the chance.

fuzzy tunnel action

Today was spent lying in as it was pouring with rain until late. Mr Fluffy had left one of our hatches open as it was a little warm, despite the massive rainfall, so my shoes were full of water. The camp site is a little out of town so I got the bus while Mr F walked the hour into the centre. It's a public holiday today, Friday, so most of the shops were closed - annoyingly.

Black Madonna of Luxembourg City

Luxembourg has a series of ancient tunnels called Casements which we walked through on our way to the old town and the St John's church which houses a beautiful 14th century Black Madonna. She is rather fabulous! After a disappointing panini at Scott's Pub by the river we continued our walk around the city and are now back in Dickie awaiting the next downpour.

disappointing panini but nice view

France tomorrow.