Where's Bertie? He's back in the Aire at Kortrijk.
8am appointment at the Fiat garage led to an early start and much grumbling about it on my part. Went prepared with elevenses, lunch and flasks, in case we had a long wait (lesson learnt from past experience). Were in and out in just over an hour, with all-important service stamp in Bertie's book, and at a charge £100 cheaper than the same service would have cost in the UK.
We were glad the garage was so efficient - it was not a warm or comfortable waiting area.
Hadn't thought about where to go next, so returned to Kortrijk. Pottered about the town and found the illusive Tourist Info Office. Confirmed there was little to see in the town that we hadn't already discovered.
Random observation: the locals are enviably multi-lingual. We hear them switch between Dutch and French with ease, and no-one has hesitated to switch to English when we've addressed them - even the beggar who approached as we window-shopped for houses. Bizarrely, even though (except when speaking to us) we've only heard Dutch and French spoken in the streets, a massive number of businesses display a slogan or descriptor entirely in English. Quote of the day, though, was the cashier at the supermarket: "Ciao! Bon Weekend!" was his parting phrase.
Our day did involve cake :-)
8am appointment at the Fiat garage led to an early start and much grumbling about it on my part. Went prepared with elevenses, lunch and flasks, in case we had a long wait (lesson learnt from past experience). Were in and out in just over an hour, with all-important service stamp in Bertie's book, and at a charge £100 cheaper than the same service would have cost in the UK.
We were glad the garage was so efficient - it was not a warm or comfortable waiting area.
Hadn't thought about where to go next, so returned to Kortrijk. Pottered about the town and found the illusive Tourist Info Office. Confirmed there was little to see in the town that we hadn't already discovered.
Random observation: the locals are enviably multi-lingual. We hear them switch between Dutch and French with ease, and no-one has hesitated to switch to English when we've addressed them - even the beggar who approached as we window-shopped for houses. Bizarrely, even though (except when speaking to us) we've only heard Dutch and French spoken in the streets, a massive number of businesses display a slogan or descriptor entirely in English. Quote of the day, though, was the cashier at the supermarket: "Ciao! Bon Weekend!" was his parting phrase.
Our day did involve cake :-)
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