The alarm went off at 6.15, and we were ready for Vicki to arrive at 7am. As she duly did. We packed her things into the car, did a few last checks, and were on the road with a minimum of fuss.
Traffic was light, and we made a stop at the M20 services for coffee. Before long, we were in Folkestone, and checking in for our train. As we were early, we were given the option of an earlier train, which was great. We parked up outside the services (with a scary moment when the car wouldn't start when Christian wanted to move it) and went inside for a quick break.
Our train was called fairly quickly, and we drove in the direction of the queuing cars, on a complicated overpass and ramp system, and edged our way down onto the platform. We drove onto the enormous train (this felt very weird), and into the bottom deck, driving through a number of carriages before coming to our final space. The marshals directed us to the last spot in a carriage, and closed the doors behind us. It felt very strange.
It felt even stranger when the train started moving, so gently to begin with that you could hardly feel it. We got out and perched along the rail (there were no seats) and the 35 minute journey went very quickly. On the other side, the doors all opened automatically, and we had a short wait before we were allowed to drive into France. It was very efficient and easy. Highly recommended.
Christian set off on the wrong side of the road in cloudy conditions, had a quick break to sort out the route, and got onto the right road. There was a reasonable amount of traffic on the road at this point, including some kind of classic car club, with loads of Brits. We made a stop for fuel, and then another for lunch at 'Flunch'. I had a quiche that I warmed up in their microwave, with tiramisu for afters, and we sat outside to eat.
Back on the road, we made another stop or two, going past some birds of prey on the side of the road (we've been told they are buzzards, though I'm sure I saw a couple of different types), and then easily found the Ibis in Poitiers south, and parked under a lime tree in the shade (it was sunny and warm by now). Check in was easy, and hilarious, because the woman made a big deal of Christian putting his card in the machine too quickly. We decided to pre-book breakfast, which was a buffet for €9.50.
We relaxed in our comfortable rooms for an hour or so, and agreed to meet for dinner at 7.30 as the restaurant downstairs looked very nice.
We were shown to a table in the restaurant, and despite a lot of very nice sounding options, I chose confit of duck. Christian had a duck breast, and Vicki had a salad. The confit was great, the duck breast was great, but Vicki was not impressed by the salad. It was still a nice meal, with good service.
Back upstairs, we agreed to meet at 8am for breakfast, and turned in at around 10pm.
Traffic was light, and we made a stop at the M20 services for coffee. Before long, we were in Folkestone, and checking in for our train. As we were early, we were given the option of an earlier train, which was great. We parked up outside the services (with a scary moment when the car wouldn't start when Christian wanted to move it) and went inside for a quick break.
Our train was called fairly quickly, and we drove in the direction of the queuing cars, on a complicated overpass and ramp system, and edged our way down onto the platform. We drove onto the enormous train (this felt very weird), and into the bottom deck, driving through a number of carriages before coming to our final space. The marshals directed us to the last spot in a carriage, and closed the doors behind us. It felt very strange.
It felt even stranger when the train started moving, so gently to begin with that you could hardly feel it. We got out and perched along the rail (there were no seats) and the 35 minute journey went very quickly. On the other side, the doors all opened automatically, and we had a short wait before we were allowed to drive into France. It was very efficient and easy. Highly recommended.
Christian set off on the wrong side of the road in cloudy conditions, had a quick break to sort out the route, and got onto the right road. There was a reasonable amount of traffic on the road at this point, including some kind of classic car club, with loads of Brits. We made a stop for fuel, and then another for lunch at 'Flunch'. I had a quiche that I warmed up in their microwave, with tiramisu for afters, and we sat outside to eat.
Back on the road, we made another stop or two, going past some birds of prey on the side of the road (we've been told they are buzzards, though I'm sure I saw a couple of different types), and then easily found the Ibis in Poitiers south, and parked under a lime tree in the shade (it was sunny and warm by now). Check in was easy, and hilarious, because the woman made a big deal of Christian putting his card in the machine too quickly. We decided to pre-book breakfast, which was a buffet for €9.50.
We relaxed in our comfortable rooms for an hour or so, and agreed to meet for dinner at 7.30 as the restaurant downstairs looked very nice.
We were shown to a table in the restaurant, and despite a lot of very nice sounding options, I chose confit of duck. Christian had a duck breast, and Vicki had a salad. The confit was great, the duck breast was great, but Vicki was not impressed by the salad. It was still a nice meal, with good service.
Back upstairs, we agreed to meet at 8am for breakfast, and turned in at around 10pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment