The mostly low points of our journey

We arrived back in the penthouse early Thursday evening.  Whilst it was nice to have 2 nights in the same place twice and reduced the pressure of moving on each morning it was still a long way.  Leaving on Saturday worked well, once we’d turned round at Mario’s and gone back for the adaptor MrFF had forgotten.  I went through the list of phone passport keys iPad before he started the car, affirmative.  Then I asked if he’d got the adaptor for charging, I hope so was the reply.  I explained hope wasn’t enough, I needed to know so he checked at Mario’s then drove a bit further to turn round and go back.

After a couple of hours we stopped at the services for the toilet and I managed to lock myself in.  The lock was a little button in the middle of the round handle.  It wouldn’t turn and the bar on top of the handle did nothing.  I’d reached the stage of getting my phone out to call MrFF, who later admitted he’d left his phone in the car, when a voice asked in Italian if I wanted the door open.  Yes I said I cannot do it.  Within minutes the cleaning lady had got a key and released me.  After that I didn’t lock the toilet doors unless it was a simple bar.

Our 2 nights in Bergamo were not as relaxing as I’d hoped, the weather was good with sun but the town was very quiet. Leaving early morning to driving round Milan was as ever manic, made worse as MrFf hadn’t decided which route to take to get us past the Alps.  He wanted to try the Simplon train tunnel but since the service was only every 90 minutes it was time critical but unpredictable with all the traffic.  but it worked out well.  We drove our car onto an open platform and the train took us into a narrow and very dark tunnel.  We rattled along for 20 minutes, me wondering about what we’d do in an emergency and hoping the driver had a torch.  I was glad when that was over.

We then had to head for Bern, took a wrong road, turned round and seemed to start climbing a mountain pass, at least with a decent if steep road.  I was a bit concerned as I’d seen signs that some passes were closed so I looked on line.  It said the road we were on involved train travel but when I told MrFF he dismissed it saying we’d already done the train bit.   I explained I’d googled the route from after the train tunnel to Bern.  He insisted there was no train until the sign for Bern took us into the station, fortunately the next tunnel train was waiting as there was no more road.  So off we went again into the darkness except this tunnel had two tracks and occasionally we were buffeted about and illuminated by a high speed train wizzing past in the opposite direction.  

Our night in the Alsace was fine and next morning we drive to Colmar stopping at a nice village on the outskirts where we joined a well attended Remembrance Day service.  There was a band, members of the forces, police and fire service plus local dignitaries who laid wreaths at the war memorial, each accompanied by two small children which I thought was very appropriate.

We spent some time in Colmar which is a beautiful town but also quiet, Armistice Day is a holiday in France and well respected.

Our last 2 nights were in the champagne region, we love the little town of Vitry le Francois, the restaurant we always use, the boulangerie and the big supermarket.  On our final day before the ferry we went again to Lac du Der where we’d walked in the summer.  En route we spotted hundreds of the migrating grey cranes that stop off at the lake on their route south.

We visited a little village museum they explained the lake was created to ease flooding in Paris.  The local river Marne feeds into the Seine and it was decided to create a lake to store the winter flood water and release it in summer.  3 villages were destroyed but some buildings, including a church, were saved and moved to the museum which also records the agricultural activities lost. It reminded me of my childhood growing up on a farm, my brother has a similar butter churn that my grandmother and my mother both used, it’s now in the garden of his retirement bungalow. 

We spent a couple of hours walking round. It was fascinating, especially hearing recorded interviews with people who had to abandon their homes and livelihoods  but the construction solved a big problem, created a beautiful recreational attraction, fishing, boating, cycling, walking, bird watching with lots of holiday accommodation, that all provide jobs.  

We’d never see the lake after the water has been released, the marina was unusable and the boats elsewhere. I think that was the best day of our whole trip.

Next morning we were up and away just after 7 hoping to catch an earlier ferry than we’d booked.  At check in the girl said we could try for the earlier one but it would depend on border control. Maybe she knew who was operating that morning.  After we left Dover on the way out I noticed our passports had not been stamped. When I checked online it said they might not be stamped but our whereabouts could be checked by our passport details.  The man examined every page of our passports then asked us where we live.  Then he asked if we had dual nationality, at which stage I realised he was looking for the stamps and explained we didn’t get them at Dover. He got a bit shouty then, said since Brexit we had to get a stamp, it was our responsibility to get a stamp and we could be in for an expensive fine.  We showed him our outward journey booking and MrFF started to explain it wasn’t our fault till I told him to shut up and not argue.  The man wrote in our passports, I thought it was the fine, but then he stamped and handed them back saying sternly even if a French policeman says you don’t need a stamp you are to say it’s our right to have a stamp and we want one, I said we’d definitely do that.  At the border control it’s always pressure to get through without holding up others, especially for us when we rush for an earlier ferry, I should have checked at Dover.  So once again we were last onto the ferry parked at the back among the the big lorries but on our way over the channel.

The drive from Dover to Ilkley wasn’t bad, we are all unpacked but still tired.  Amazingly my balcony pots are still in flower. Usually I come back in November to bare earth and brown slime.   MrFF is walking tomorrow, I am at the dentist on Monday, it’s grey and wet but it’s home albeit without any oil.