DAY 21

Friday 11th July 2008 8:05am Paris

We are leaving Paris. It is an overcast morning but still warm. The traffic on the freeway is light for a weekday morning. Perhaps some Parisians have taken a long weekend as Bastille Day is on Monday. Our group is less because some people left the tour in Paris. Others are being dropped off at Charles de Gaulle airport for trips to other places and extended holidays.

We were five minutes away from the hotel when Deborah received a phone call from one of our group, Peter, who had been forgotten and left behind. A quick trip back and we now have him on board, to everyone’s amusement.

Trevor recounted an incident in the hotel breakfast room that also had everyone laughing. He had seen a mouse and so reported it to the French waiters, but since Trevor speaks no French he said “Ratatouille” and indicted little scurrying movements with his fingers. The waiters understood immediately and were unsurprised and a little embarrassed, I think because a customer had seen their little mouse thief. The waiter got on his walkie-talkie and called in other staff to try to find the intruder while giving the appearance of business as usual. The story became embellished with the mouse now wearing a beret.

The traffic towards the airport is heavier. Eduardo drives this coach as if it’s a Smart Car and always keeps his good humour.

11/7/08 12:53pm Calais

Having been cleared individually through the customs office at Calais, we are now queued again and waiting in the bus to be allowed to go onto the P&O ferry for the Channel crossing to the UK. The sky is clear now but there are rain clouds about and the air temperature is significantly cooler. I can see the cars, trucks and buses driving off the ferry and meanwhile there are dozens of cars, trucks, motorcycles, vans, buses and people parked in queues waiting and watching. The ferry can hold 300 or vehicles of all sizes.

We could see the white cliffs of Dover from Calais.

11/7/08 2:20pm UK time

Our Italian driver has had to change to driving on the left hand side of the road once again. Our watches have been turned back one hour to align with UK time. We have spent our remaining Euros coins on the ferry and changed our Euro notes into Sterling.

It was nice to hear the English shop assistant tell everyone to queue. We are no longer in Italy where queuing is never done.

Although I love the Italian and French languages it is a relief to converse and think in English and let the mind gymnastics rest. It was a pleasant trip across the Channel with just slight movement from the swell.