Last night we went to see The Orchestra at Scarborough Futurist. The Orchestra is made up of members of ELO and ELO Part 2.
There was a big crowd, and we had to queue to get inside, the queue stretched quite a way along the street.
We listen to ELO CDs alot, mostly when we are relaxing with a beer on a Saturday night, and so the songs are ones I am used to listening to as I enjoy a good beer. I have also used several on my holiday videos. The first song of the night - "Twilight" - was one I used on a section featuring a boat ride in Zeebrugge and the ride back from Zeebrugge Strand station!
There was a good mix of ages there, proof that the music appeals to kids as well as those in their thirties and forties.
All my favourites were sung - "Telephone Line", "Sweet Talking Woman", "Don't Bring Me Down" etc. It was the first proper concert I'd been to, apart from going to see an ELO Tribute band at The Spa back in July.
To find out more about The Orchestra visit their website here.
To visit the site of the ELO Tribute band we went to see, click here.
Before the concert we stopped off at our favourite pub and had a De Koninck beer.
Poperinge was an important place in WWI. From here, British troops travelled to the front lines, and it was here that they also found the opportunity to relax in the preserved Talbot House (or "Toc H").
Poperinge was also known as a place where "deserters" were executed.
We visited Poeringe on a hot, sunny day and enjoyed a very good steak at Cafe de la Paix on the Grote Markt.
The cell where "deserters" spent their last night before being shot at dawn.
Poperinge church.
Poperinge church in sepia.
Poperinge is an important hop growing area. This is the National Hop Museum.
Hops at the museum.
Views of the market square.
The shooting post.
Poperinge Stadhuis.
Talbot House "Toc H".
Poperinge is often overlooked by British visitors to Belgium in favour of Ieper, but I found Poperinge to be just as thought-provoking as its better-known neighbour.
Whilst we were on holiday we had our first look round Brussels since April 2006. The weather was dull, but at least it stayed dry, allowing me to take a few photos and a few minutes of video (the rain had seriously hampered making video and I hoped that my holiday video would consist of more than just the flight out and back!)
We caught the train from Oostende to Brussels Centraal, we had bought a Rail pass for 71 Euros, which was good value, allowing 10 single journeys in Belgium, valid for one year.
The Cathedral in Brussels.
We were in Brussels on 3rd September, and the local mascot, Manneken Pis, was dressed in a Welsh Guards uniform to honour the liberation of the city in 1944.
The Manneken Pis and the sign near the Manneken.
Fans of the 1970s BBC (and Belgian) Tv series "Secret Army" will remember how Brussels was used as a location in the series. The main focus was a restaurant called "Le Candide", which was used as the headquarters of an evasion line helping Allied airmen return to Britain. The restaurant was on the Grand Place, and is now called "Maxim's".
What every "Secret Army" fan should see - Maxim's aka "Le Candide".
Brussels also has one of the oldest shopping arcades in Europe.
Galeries Royales St Hubert - shopping arcade and "Secret Army" location.
The Union Flag flies in Brussels above a decorated ornate lamp post.
We ate in Chez Leon on Rue des Bouchers - very good pork chops with chips. Horse was also on the menu but we will try that another day.
We had our trip to Dunkerque, costing 7.40 Euros to catch Kusttram from Oostende to De Panne station and from there we caught the bus into France. We passed many pretty villages along the way, and the weather was generally reasonable - at least we saw no rain in France.
Dunkerque is best known for WW2, when the small boats came to collect Allied soldiers from its beach.
Here are some photos of the town:
Boat in Dunkerque.
Paddlesteamer in Dunkerque.
Lightship at the Maritime Museum in Dunkerque.
Tall ship at the Dunkerque Museum.
Tower in Dunkerque.
I think the tower in the photo was part of a castle, or a fortress, but I'm not 100% sure of that.
We liked Dunkerque, though we didn't see alot of it. Next time (for we will definitely go again) we hope the Maritime Museum will be open, and we would like to see the beach area.
Click here to visit the official site of Dunkerque, and here for the tourist site in English.
We left Scarborough for Derby on 31st August, and endured a dreadful company called East Midlands Trains, who were running a replacement bus service from Sheffield to Derby. There was little or no information provided about the buses, the rail company staff seemed more interested in standing talking to each other than doing something about the increasing number of queue jumpers or providing clear information about where the buses were going.
We eventually got to Derby on the bus and spent the night in a pleasant hotel close to the railway station.
On 1st September we caught the bus from Derby station to East Midlands Airport, a pleasant ride through rural areas (Castle Donington is particularly pretty) which costs £3 per adult for the single journey.
As we waited in the check in area, an annoucement came over the PA system that a Spitfire would be taking off, and so I went outside to one of the bus stops to catch the warbird on video. It was too distant to take a photo.
Our flight was BD235, flown by BMI Regional, scheduled departure time 14:20. After checking in, and being given seats 18D and 18F, we made our way into the dearture lounge and bought some sandwiches from Boots, as we had no intention of facing BMI's weird offerings!
It is easy to photograph planes at EMA, as everything is on one level.
EasyJet Airbus. I think it was going to Spain.
First Choice Airbus A320
Ryanair Boeing 737
Thomsonfly Boeing 757
Our flight was to be operated by ERJ145 G-RJXB.
G-RJXB waits at boarding gate four.
Our boarding call was made at 14:05, and the sparse collection of passengers were boarded very quickly.
The crew consisted of two stewardesses - Zoe and Marcia - and the captain was John Russell.
We were on the back row of the aircraft and we could see the engine.
The view from my seat.
Before we pushed back a newspaper was handed out. At 14:21 we were pushed back and we taxied to runway 27, whilst the safety demonstration took place.
The inflight magazine.
The pilot announced that the flight would take around one hour and that it would possibly be raining when we landed in Brussels.
We took off at 14:28 and climbed through some cloud, which was slightly turbulent.
Just after take off
The view of the engine.
A brief inflight video showing the view and the engine.
The snacks were offered, but we did not tackle a sandwich, and instead I had Worcester Sauce flavoured pretzels and orange juice to drink.
Clouds with land visible.
Another aircraft - quite a bit higher than we were!
Soon we approached the Continent and broken cloud.
But as we flew over Belgium the cloud really thickened.
We were descending fast, and soon below the cloud we caught our first glimpse of Belgium in 2008.
Thankfully it was not raining, and we touched down on 25L at 16:19 and taxied to the terminal.
Our luggage was waiting for us when we reached the arrivals area, we have always found BRU to be very efficient.
We had some nachos and Stella in Brussels Cafe and then caught the train to Oostende via Brussels Noord.
It was a good flight and it was great to be back in Belgium again.
