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Norwich – Bar Billiards (Game 7 – Artichoke Hearts vs Cottagecore)

I have to admit that I’ve been quite remiss in keeping this blog updated with the performance of the Artichoke Hearts, so that means that my two loyal blog readers will now have the sheer excitement of three bar billiards posts in a row. I’d also note that as this game was a few days after the London Craft Beer Festival I was drinking non-alcohol beer and I now regret that decision, as I was bloody dismal. Scientific evidence linking these two facts remains limited, but I have nevertheless reached my conclusion and won’t be repeating that mistake again.

Assiduous readers will note that half the regulars weren’t there as they were at Latitude Festival playing in the mud. I did wonder at this stage if anything could possibly go wrong, but I knew that I had a new secret weapon, Ivan. He told me that he was a champion player and that he was one of the winners of the cup when it was held at the Rosary. Fortunately for Ivan, the pub closed more than a decade ago and every surviving piece of documentary evidence confirming his achievements appears to have vanished with it.

For the first time in the season, I actually brought my own cue along. It’s not a very good cue, but I thought that it might bring me good luck, along with 0% Guinness and Prawn McCoys. Bar billiards is largely about psychology, with a modest amount of skill occasionally intruding, so I was quietly confident that this carefully assembled collection of sporting equipment and savoury snacks would transform my performance.

Vaughan won his game, still unaware of the unfolding tragedy.

The half-time snacks arrive, many thanks to the wonderful staff at the Artichoke.

I don’t know what Ivan has to smile about, I agree with Vaughan and PJ here.

Here’s Judd Trump at the table. His performance turned out to be rather closer to Donald Trump, although I retained enough captaincy judgement not to mention this at the time.

Stupid bloody game.

The final score was 6-3 to the Cottagecore and they deserved that victory, which was their first of the season in the league. I don’t deny that they deserved some points, but I’d rather they didn’t get them against us, but there we go.

Spot the actual lipstick. There was precious little else worth spotting on our scorecard.

Anyway, I have now decided that my cue will not be attending any more matches. It was given a fair opportunity to justify its place in the team and produced what can only be described as a sub-optimal performance. Still, it is only a game, Cottagecore were excellent company and everyone had a lovely evening, which I’m told is the important part. I’m not entirely sure that Luke was surprised and delighted when he heard the result, but he is pragmatic and understands the value of not dwelling on defeat. This is particularly useful when captaining the Artichoke Hearts.

I should add that I was genuinely grateful to Ivan for stepping in and playing. However, I had made it perfectly clear beforehand that this did not mean I would have to be nice about him, and those were the contractual terms on which he agreed to join us. He has since become a regular member of the team and I’m very pleased about that, although naturally I have no intention of telling him to his face. Standards must be maintained.

August 6, 2026
Lyon – Lyon St Exupéry Airport (Alpage)

There isn’t a lounge that I could use with Priority Pass at Lyon airport, but they did have a restaurant credit at Alpage where I could spend €23.

Sometimes the allocated budget is a little tight, but it wasn’t unreasonable here and the menu showed that I had a few different options.

It was a little busier when I entered, but it was never packed and there was a relaxed atmosphere. The seating was comfortable and the fans above reduced the temperature slightly, as it was too hot.

The bar area and I was served nearly immediately. I mentioned Priority Pass and the team member asked which bank my card was provided by and he was relieved when I said I had it directly with Priority Pass. He mentioned the number of Amex customers who tried to use it and it’s not valid for them. I spent about 5 cents less than the allocation on my food and drink so that was all rather convenient.

The chicken Caesar salad was perfectly reasonable and was a large portion and was at the appropriate chilled temperature. The beer was the La Blonde from Brasserie du Mont Blanc which was light and refreshing.

Just to prove the Amex point, a family of four came in and a customer tried to use his card, but was refused by the same team member who had served me. The same team member explained that it was not valid, leaving the English speaking customer looking distinctly unimpressed and rather confused. Several negative online reviews appear to have resulted from the same issue, although the terms of the offer do seem reasonably clear for anyone feeling adventurous enough to read them.

I like these restaurant credits as it gives a bit of variety to proceedings and it’s just as easy to get work done. There weren’t any power points available in the restaurant, but there are plenty in the airport terminal so this didn’t prove to be an obstacle. Anyway, I’d quite happily pop here again if I was back at the airport and it was a pleasant enough place to spend an hour or so.

August 3, 2026
Lyon – City Centre to Airport

After a suitably decadent breakfast, I needed to get to Lyon airport which is a location that I’ve never been to before. There is the Rhônexpress but it’s a ridiculously priced service at €16, so I went for a transportation solution that involved a metro journey and a bus that was about €4. The price of the Rhônexpres is sub-optimal, there’s no need for the airport and city to decide on a price point at that level.

It was a pleasant walk crossing the Rhône.

My journey started from Cordeliers on Line A of the metro system and the station and the line opened on 2 May 1978. They made life considerably easier for themselves by building the station beneath a public square. The engineers simply dug the whole thing up before putting it back together again afterwards, a classic cut-and-cover approach that would have looked very familiar to those constructing the early London Underground.

I liked the dividers between the tracks, it made the whole arrangement looked clean and modern.

The metro swept into the platform and wasn’t overly busy at this point.

The train was busy and too hot, but I was able to get a photo at the end of the line of the seating arrangement. It was at least and punctual though, so I had no complaints there.

My train arrived into Vaulx-en-Velin – La Soie, which was an extension to Line A and this bit opened in 2007 and note the trees at the metro station, all rather lovely.

Looking down from above the station.

It was something of a transport hub as this signage shows.

And what happens when a city tries to treat airport routes as a cash cow? It forces people onto other services which simply cannot cope.

I got the seat behind the driver but the bus soon filled and it was unable to pick passengers up at some stops. This is a sub-optimal arrangement for an airport bus which departs every thirty minutes as some passengers tend to leave slightly less time than I do to get to the airport. Missing a bus is one thing, but missing a flight because the bus couldn’t physically take any more passengers is rather another.

A sculpture near the airport.

And safely at Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport, whose striking station building was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava (1951-). It’s an impressive piece of modern architecture and a suitably dramatic gateway to the city. I’d love to tell you that arriving there finally brought some relief from the heat, but France remained entirely committed to proving otherwise.

August 2, 2026
Lyon – Bloomy Brunch & Coffee

As I only had a couple of hours in Lyon before I needed to get to the airport, I thought that I’d have a walk by the river and opt for a rather more decadent breakfast than I’d usually have. I had become a little bored of tropical Fanta and thought I’d go for something that appeared to be a little more healthy.

It was a little busier than this photo indicates and the surroundings were clean, comfortable and all very on-trend. I was also pleased to discover a power socket, as my phone battery had plummeted to 94% since leaving the hotel and I like to remain prepared for any technological emergency, no matter how imaginary. There was a friendly welcome from the two team members and although they didn’t have an English menu, the server said that she could translate it for me. As I like to be prepared, I had already studied the menu in advance.

I went for the waffles with chicken, accompanied by a freshly squeezed orange juice and an espresso. I think it’s fair to say that the meal was served with some focus on the presentation, but the chicken was also tender, the waffles were light rather than stodgy and the salad was fresh. I usually find waffles quite dull and plain, but this certainly livened the arrangement up.

I was pleased that the meal was served quickly as I didn’t have long to sit in the cafe as I had to walk to the nearest subway to ensure that I got to the airport in time. By “in time”, I mean within four hours of the flight departing. I very much enjoyed this leisurely breakfast and I can see why the venue is so well reviewed online. An effort has been made to keep the food not only Instagrammable, but actually tasting decent as well.

Anyway, this felt like a relaxed French cafe breakfast and so a suitable final meal for the trip. Well, other than the airport food, but that’s a story for another post.

August 2, 2026
Lyon – Ibis Lyon Part Dieu Les Halles

Following a slightly wet walk after my long rail journey, I arrived just before 23:00 at this Accor hotel in Lyon. As an aside, this part of the city expanded rapidly in the nineteenth century due to the advent of the railway, so there were numerous accommodation options around here. More importantly, there was a particularly friendly welcome from the receptionist, it’s always positive to arrive somewhere slightly damp and for them to pretend to look pleased to see me.

Arriving at this time meant that the bar was still open and I was able to get my welcome drink which was the always reliable Grimbergen Blonde beer.

I arrived shortly after England had been knocked out of the World Cup. That might have explained the receptionist’s friendliness, perhaps he assumed I was in need of emotional support. Fortunately, I’d already reached the acceptance stage of grief by then.

The room was the old style Ibis design, but I was quite content with that. The hotel was one of the cheapest Accor options in the city, which is primarily why I had chosen it. It was also near the railway station and I had correctly judged that there was a reasonable chance that the train might be late and I didn’t want a nighttime trek across a new city.

The view from my room the following morning. It was, somewhat astonishingly, still too hot. France had remained committed to this policy throughout my visit other than when I was on a train when the temperature collapsed and it poured with rain.

The online reviews for the hotel are rather mixed, with complaints about the air conditioning, room size and the general lack of luxury. Personally, I’m perfectly happy to trade room size for a lower price, so that never really concerned me. Heat in hotel rooms is something I complain about with impressive regularity, but on this occasion the air conditioning worked perfectly well and cooled the room to a temperature that didn’t provoke a lengthy blog post about it.

I wasn’t in the hotel for long enough to offer a comprehensive review, but it quietly did everything I needed it to do. The room was clean, there were no noise disturbances either inside or outside the hotel, and every member of staff I encountered was friendly and helpful. For an inexpensive overnight stay near to the centre I thought that it was all rather lovely.

August 2, 2026
SNCF Train from Le Mans to Lyon (Long delays and dangerous dogs)

As my riveting blog is getting behind once again, I feel the need to speed through a few posts. This is Le Mans railway station and I needed to get to Lyon for my flight the following day, and as this was France I confidently assumed the railway would provide a calm and civilised end to the trip.

The railway station is from the late nineteenth century, but this extension has been added to the front to give more space.

It was too hot, which I might have mentioned, so I had my tropical Fanta to get me by.

I didn’t understand this at first, I just noticed that on the left it said that my train was delayed by an hour and it had doubled the number of trains going to Lyon. I went to find a staff member and he helpfully explained that the train was delayed by an hour and that it would be departing from Platform 2 but that I could safely leave the station and return a bit later. The stress levels of that were beyond me, so I took my increasingly warm Fanta to another platform to have a sit down.

And then for a few minutes, my train entirely disappeared from the boards. I considered this to be sub-optimal.

Although I had been told that the train was departing from Platform 2, this was the first time that it appeared on the board. I decided that I’d better go to the platform to see what was happening.

And the train to Lyon was at Platform 2, so I was most confused.

It was evident that something strange was happening as there were plenty of passengers who were on the train, but others were milling about. I decided that I needed to find an adult and I located the train guard. The guard explained, in perfect English and with admirable calmness, that only half my train had arrived. The other half was still somewhere in France and would be along in about ninety minutes, which was longer than the boards said, but he said it would definitely be arriving. He mentioned my seat was in the half that hadn’t arrived, so I went to sit in the heat with my Fanta to wait.

To my great annoyance, after days of it being too hot and needing to rain, it then started to pour down with rain. So several of us decided to find a dry spot on some steps.

A little over ninety minutes late, the other half of the train came sweeping into view.

It’s fair to say that I was pleased to see this train. It meant that I would be getting to my hotel without any further issues.

There’s my carriage and the double decker train looked really rather classy.

I was talking to the guard on this part of the train and she checked my ticket and was explaining where to go when a dog jumped up at us. The dog looked bloody vicious, but it was muzzled. The guard looked genuinely furious that a passenger decided it was appropriate to bring such a dog on the train and at this point the dog was out of control, barking and frightening other passengers.

My seat was a window seat and there was a laptop sitting on the aisle seat and I did wonder whether the dog owner would be seated there. I would have obviously gone to the guard to ask to be moved, but it transpired a passenger sitting nearby had just randomly left it there.

It soon became evident that the train staff had absolutely no intention of that dog being allowed back onto their train. Transport police, guards and others came to protect the public and there were some cheers when it was evident that the passenger wasn’t being allowed back on. I’m pleased to say that this was last bit of drama of the trip.

There’s a lot wrong with SNCF and the prices for rail travel really didn’t seem to be cheaper than the UK. But, the train was clean, there were power outlets, there was plenty of space for my laptop and it was a comfortable environment.

The train was only at around 65% occupancy and I didn’t have anyone next to me during the journey. The service was fast, efficient and peaceful. One thing I’d never really appreciated before is just how empty much of France is. There were long stretches where the only signs of civilisation were the occasional road, farmhouse or distant village. It’s a reminder of just how densely populated much of England really is.

Safely into Lyon with my now empty bottle of Fanta.

And there was torrential rain.

I was entitled to 25% Delay Repay, which is rather less generous than the UK system. The claim form took me about forty-five minutes to complete, which struck me as an impressively inefficient way of compensating passengers for having already lost time. Still, if it eventually appears in my bank account, I’ll forgive them. Eventually. But, I was pleased to get to Lyon in time as the alternative would have been an overnight Flix Bus and that would have displeased me.

August 2, 2026
Le Mans – Cathedral of Saint-Julien (The North Door)

Just a quick post about the north door at Le Mans Cathedral. It’s hard not to be quite impressed about the architecture and perspective here. I’m not a student of medieval architecture, but those are clean lines with no unnecessary faffing about being added to the whole arrangement. There’s some evidence of former wall paintings still visible which would have made it look a little more artistic, but bearing in mind that this is one of the more minor entrances to the cathedral, it was worth pausing to look at. And, also, it gave me a chance to cool down as it was too hot.

Although on the subject of perspective, the whole cathedral is beautiful and seems perfectly proportioned.

August 2, 2026
Le Mans – Cathedral of Saint-Julien (The Ascension Window)

The Ascension Window in Le Mans Cathedral is rather lovely, but the guidebook told me that it was not simply another attractive piece of medieval stained glass. Dating from the beginning of the twelfth century, it is regarded as one of the oldest stained-glass windows still occupying its original place within a religious building, making it one of the most important surviving examples of early stained glass in France and indeed Europe. Only the two central sections of the original composition survive, showing the Virgin Mary and the Apostles watching Christ ascend into Heaven, although the figure of Christ itself has been lost. The window has therefore survived for roughly nine centuries while retaining enough of its original imagery to remain intelligible, which given the number of wars, arguments, drunken residents and the like is all really quite impressive.

Later abstract panels were added by Max Ingrand in 1956, allowing the medieval fragments to remain displayed as part of a complete window. The window is therefore not entirely medieval, but it is very much a survivor, preserving enough of its original imagery, colour and setting to give an impression of what the medieval worshippers would have seen. Given that I thought it was quite impressive, and I’ve visited Greggs so I know decadence, it must have been seen as really quite the thing at the time.

August 1, 2026
Le Mans – Cathedral of Saint-Julien (The Pierre Saint-Julien)

Standing quietly beside Le Mans Cathedral is a monument that makes even the oldest parts of the church seem like relatively recent additions. The Pierre Saint-Julien is a prehistoric standing stone, or menhir, erected during the Neolithic period around five thousand years ago. It originally stood elsewhere in Le Mans before being moved to its present position in 1778 after its original site was destroyed.

In the photo, it’s that lump of rock in the bottom left and I didn’t take a better photo at the time as I thought that it was a weathered statue of limited interest. Some impressive archaeological skills on display there…. Over the centuries the stone has acquired a variety of names and legends, including the Pierre au Lait, the Stone of Blood and Gargantua’s Stone, reflecting the layers of folklore that have accumulated around it.

I think it’s rather lovely that at some stage, someone thought they needed to put this historic stone somewhere, so they popped it in the corner of one of France’s great cathedrals.

August 1, 2026
Le Mans – Cathedral of Saint-Julien (Introduction)

The beautifully named Cathedral of Saint-Julien is like me, very delicate and subtle. This building very much towers above the medieval streets and is part of the Cité Plantagenêt. It’s one of the finest cathedrals in France and it is dedicated to Saint Julian of Le Mans, traditionally regarded as the city’s first bishop during the third or fourth century. When building the cathedral in the early thirteenth century, the church got the permission of the King to move the city walls to ensure that their new structure surprised and delighted with its size. There are also strong links with the Plantagenets, as Geoffrey and Matilda were married here in 1128 and the baptism of Henry II (the English King between 1154 and 1189) took place in 1133.

I spent quite some time meandering around the cathedral, partly because there is a great deal to see and partly because it offered some welcome respite from the rather enthusiastic French summer temperatures outside. There will therefore follow, much to the delight of my two loyal blog readers, rather more posts about the cathedral than anyone strictly requested. Fortunately, it turns out that when a building has been evolving for the best part of a millennium, it generally manages to provide enough material to justify that level of enthusiasm. And, I might not have mentioned the heat, but it was so hot that I spent at least fifteen minutes fanning myself with the cathedral’s guidebook.

August 1, 2026