Chicken in Calais or a Welsh in Wimereux?
It was my turn to freak out this morning when I went to the loo at 5.30am and discovered Sophie's bed was empty... she wasn't in the loo, or the bathroom or the lounge, and I really started to panic until I heard a little voice saying, "I'm in here!" She was in the bedroom with the sofa bed! Apparently, she said she couldn't sleep as the bed she'd chosen was too short for her!
I sent her to my bedroom and went to make myself a cup of coffee. Keith also woke up and we sat in the living room discussing plans for the rest of the day. Gradually, the darkness outside receded and we could see a cloudy sky, but the sun did eventually appear and we had a lovely morning. I watched the village wake up, and Keith and I packed up as much as we could before we woke Sophie at about 8am.
All of us wanted to get on the road as soon as possible so we packed the car, made sure we had everything, showered, dressed and stripped the beds before 8.30am. Miracle! Our first plan was to retrace our steps of yesterday and drive to an Intermarché supermarket in Ressons-le-Long which we'd spotted on the main road. It also had a petrol station so we joined the commuter traffic, marvelling at how much busier the road was, and how many lorries were about!
It didn't take us long to get to the supermarket and we dived in and bought wine, and beer (Keith found me my Fischer Ambrée), as well as more chocolate and little French cakes. I even bought a pack of Tassimo coffee to see me through the next few days at home! Once that was done, we filled up with petrol and then programmed Wimereux into Trish. We were going back for a Welsh, even though we were three years late!
Trish did not take me the way I expected... she told me to turn right out of the supermarket car park and directed me up into the empty countryside behind the main road. We drove through rolling fields where the traffic was light and through tiny villages, none of which appeared on our map. Keith kept an eye on what she was doing and realised that we were heading towards Amiens via the small towns of Noyon and Roye.
We turned onto a bigger road, and this was a pure delight as there were sections of single-carriageway roads, as well as stretches of dual-carriageway. There were no hedges, just endless fields, the occasional copse of trees and one or two war cemeteries. Every now and again we'd come to quiet villages, the houses seemingly empty.
I never once became stuck behind something, which was a huge bonus! When there was a tractor in front, he turned off so I could just speed on! Wonderful! Once we reached Amiens, we took the A16 up to the coast and stopped for a coffee and pastry at an aire in the Somme region. This was a busy place and there were lots of cars with different plates parked up. We certainly weren't the only Brits here!
While queuing for our coffees and pastries, we witnessed a French couple in front of us pay for their meals by cheque... cheque! I thought they had long died out! The woman took her time writing out the cheque, oblivious to the people waiting behind her! Mad!
After a refreshing break, we carried on and very soon we were turning off to the lovely little seaside town of Wimeruex. Trish, with her narrow road fetish, directed us onto a tiny coastal lane into the quaint village of Wimille, before we finally reached the town and a convenient parking space on the road.
It was a very short walk to the front and Les Oyats restaurant, which already looked full of lunchtime diners. We didn't fancy sitting outside as it was a bit chilly, and luckily there was a table free right next to the bar.
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| Les Oyats, far right |
The restaurant was warm and cosy and the smells heavenly, although there was a stinky local cheese on the menu called Maroilles which seemed to be served with everything, especially moules! We settled into our seats and Sophie and I had a half pint of the seasonal beer (last time it was La Chouffe, today it was Duvel) while Keith had a pint of Pelforth. Sophie just had to have a Welsh complet, with fried egg, I had Normandie turkey while Keith opted for fish and chips.
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| Sophie's "Welsh" |
The restaurant was busy and lively, the waitresses hurrying and scurrying with drinks and food orders. We were so glad we'd made it, even for a short while! Three years of waiting! After we'd eaten we made our way back to the car and Sophie met a new friend, a little, elderly, fat chihuahua who really took a liking to her! She now wants one!
We knew there was a ferry leaving at 4.35pm and we wanted to be on that one, rather than the 6pm boat we'd booked so we sped off to Calais and arrived with plenty of time. We were offered the earlier boat and quickly accepted! Once parked in line, Keith and I went over to the Duty-Free shop and we bought two bottles of spirits. We were slightly alarmed to see so many children running amok, and when we returned to the car we noticed five coaches of highly excitable German school children... it was as if someone had pumped them full of sugar, wound them up and let them go! I had never heard so much shrieking, screaming and shouting in all my life!
When we finally boarded we were the first car to drive on and I hadn't got a clue where to go! The coaches were being loaded but eventually, we were told to drive up a ramp onto the deck above. We made straight for the information desk and paid for three seats in the premium lounge. Unlike the ferry to France, this was not tucked away out of sight, but on the corridor leading to the restaurant so there was a constant stream of people walking past and peering in.
Imposters!
We helped ourselves to a hot drink, bottled water and fruit and sat back to enjoy the crossing. Outside, we could dimly hear the shrieks and screams of the schoolchildren but we were cosseted from them!
Sophie and I were getting ourselves a drink from the cabinets when a woman walked in and made straight for the food and drink on offer. She almost hassled Sophie out of the way, ostentatiously taking selfies, and then went and sat right behind us. She proceeded to slurp her drink loudly and then sniff disgustedly. Wonderful! There had only been a handful of us in the lounge and it had been lovely and quiet!
She was soon joined by a companion who also helped himself to food and drink and sat with her. They were both American and looked scruffy and dishevelled. I heard her say to him, "I look like I belong in here," which I thought was a bit strange. It was, in my opinion anyway, quite a reasonable £12 each which we had probably covered by the food and drink we'd consumed, and the complimentary glass of Prosecco!
I was sitting with my back to them but Keith and Sophie were facing their seats and I could see the look of disbelief on their faces! I looked around and the woman, rather than sit on the comfortable seats like a normal adult, was sitting in the round porthole with her legs halfway up the sides. Their belongings were spread all around them in a mess and they were very annoying, especially when they both began to munch crisps loudly!
However, just as I was contemplating moving to the far side of the lounge, one of the DFDS staff came in and looked surprised. I could see him counting and obviously, something was amiss. He went over to them and asked for their receipts. They gave him some made-up story about the receipts being in their friend's bag, but the staff member was evidently suspicious. Another DFDS woman joined him (the lovely lady who told us where to go to get our tickets for the lounge) and she asked them again and was very persistent. Within minutes, they had collected their belongings and flounced out, never to be seen again. Hooray!
We still don't know how they managed to get in because we had to enter a code for the door, but I can only think it was as someone went out and the door was open. What they did was theft, and I was mightily glad they'd been discovered!
The rest of the crossing was peaceful and enjoyable, and as we reached Dover, we could see masses of schoolchildren queuing up outside, faces pressed against the glass. Keith and Sophie had been out to use the loo and said it was like bedlam or a Zombie apocalypse out there! We refused to leave the peace and quiet until the schoolchildren had reached their coaches, and I sympathised with the poor teachers in charge of them! Let's hope they didn't have to go far!
Homeward bound
I was dreading the three-hour journey home but at least we were earlier than planned. We decided to take the M2, the M25 and then the M11 as this was the quickest route but the weather was appalling. It rained constantly and heavily for almost the entire journey, and when we stopped at Medway Services for a quick loo break we got soaked! On the motorway, vehicles sped past creating huge washes that briefly blinded me until the windscreen wipers could clear the water, and it was very unpleasant. I was terrified of aquaplaning as there were large puddles of lying water with cars hitting them at speed.
Once through the Dartford tunnel, it lessened a bit, and on the M11 it was a bit better. Once we reached Cambridge, the rain stopped altogether and the sun came out, which was a huge relief! Before going home we popped to the Chinese takeaway in Kettering and Sophie and I ordered a meal to share.
Our house was cold so we put the heating on, had something to eat and a drink and left the unpacking until the morning. I am off until Thursday so there was plenty of time to get everything washed, dried and sorted out!
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