Tuesday 26 May

Raining during the night and whilst loading the car.

Breakfast brought its own comedy act in the form of an elderly English couple. He was superb, “Where are the corn flakes?”, “This is all carbohydrates”, “How do you get into this butter?” It was non-stop and we had to turn away and intently study the pictures on the wall to cover the laughter.

I sauntered up the street for a haircut (I was very fluffy!). Tina joined me and I get them to do a colour for her as the place in Paris did not do colour. Shock! Horror!!! Tina dyes her hair!

TomTom took us to the closest petrol station – I hadn’t seen one in Arromanches (there isn’t one) and this one was on some rural road.

Tina then wanted to go to Falaise and the Chateau of Guillaume-Le-Conquerant (William the Bastard). It was more of a castle than a chateau and we spent a lot of time there as there were lots of audio-visual displays. Also a lot of chess analogies and history.

Nice lunch in Falaise.

Set TomTom for the hotel in Rouen but:
1. ignored its instructions at a roundabout and followed a sign
2. missed a turn-off on the motorway
3. missed another road going into Rouen

None of these were a problem as TomTom recalculates.

But the fun began in Rouen. From the time we arrived in central Rouen to the time we got into our hotel room 2 hours disappeared. Firstly TomTom failed us. It was trying to get us to turn down streets that did not exist. We went around twice and when I say we went around it took ages to go around once because of heavy traffic and narrow streets. Finally we parked our car underground in a parking building. We surfaced and rang the hotel. We knew we were only a few hundred metres and so we were. We walked to the hotel, got instructions how to get to their parking and returned to the car. In the car park we came to a barrier arm but because we hadn’t paid it would not let us out. We were blocking the exit with nowhere to go. There is a black man (African?) with grey speckled beard calling out to me in French. Is he abusing me or what? He speaks no English. He parks his car illegally and comes to help. He gets me to back back where, luckily, there is a free park just metres away. So I am safely out of the way. The man says something and disappears. We can’t work out whether he is leaving us or returning. But we know we have to pay somewhere. We set off and all of a sudden the man pops around the corner. He has put his car somewhere and has returned to help us. This is one of the nicest people on the planet. We quickly pay and exit the parking building.

Unfortunately we exit in a different place to where the hotel thinks we will have so have to re-navigate. We do so, get very close (200-300m) but take a wrong turn so around we go again!!!

The car park at the hotel is ridiculously small with tight turns and narrow lanes. It takes a while just to get a park.

Finally, after two hours we are in our room. Very stressful and not enjoyable. We are both shaking.

The Hotel Mecure Rouen Centre Cathedrale is right next to the famous Rouen Cathedral. Room 308.

We go for a stroll past the cathedral (now closed), under the Great Clock and into the square where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. Ugly modern church spoils the square. Its lines are meant represent the flames rising high but it just looks hideous and out of place to us.

Have an excellent meal (not steak! Ha ha). Hire some internet at the hotel. The French Open is not on the tv in the room and Tina gives them a serve (ha ha). It’s showing down in reception but not in the rooms.