I prefer the Channel Tunnel because a) I'm not a good sailor and b) it's quick. Simples.
So we left Brighton early (well early for us) and arrived over an hour before our check in time. We were warned of a delay at the booth. OK, so no big deal we'll have a coffee and chill. We're quite good a chillin'.
What! The place was heaving with massive queues (50 people long) just to pay for a newspaper. What a shambles. If you wanted a coffee you'd have died from thirst before you got it. It was hopeless.
Added to that we were delayed by two hours from our original departure time. The reason they gave - 'capacity restrictions'? That much was bloody obvious. There is usually a train every 15 minutes but the service this morning was running no quicker than every half hour. That, coupled with a lot of seasonal trippers made for absolute pandemonium.
In the normal course of events it's no big deal but when you add the hours time difference, we didn't enter France until about 16.00. So much for our early start. We only made it as far as Rheims where we stopped for the night. Bon soir!
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2 comments:
Rheims is nice, though? I spent time there on business before moving to France - always enjoyed it (possibly as a result of the champagne?)
Don't like the tunnel though - always preferred the 2hr Dover/Calais crossing (and loved the overnight Portsmouth/St. Malo one!)
Sometimes wonder if they ought to have days when only residents could travel (Yes, I know how politically incorrect that sounds!) to, or from, France - the days when you wouldn't spend 8 hours on a ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo sat next to someone who was "thinking about moving to France" and wanting advice/telephone numbers/addresses etc.
Or when you wouldn't spend an hour in the supermarket fighting your way through all the Brits trying to find the BEST supermarket wine to lay down - for 1 euro a bottle!
All the best
Keith
Just think... as soon as Millie (or is it Max?) is up to date with the pet passport, such trials will be behind you! I'm grateful not to have the back and forth travel challenges any more.
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