Wednesday 27 May - I am up-to-date with the diary!
6 weeks gone; ½ way through!
A good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed with excellent pillows. Good breakfast.
Post a 4.3 kg box home. We pick the wrong box off the shelf (it is only for use in France). The woman behind the counter does not speak a word of English and she quotes us €150 ($NZ300)!!!!!!! Tina pulls out her French (“combine pour bateaux?”) and the women understands – the price drops to €40 by sea mail. Tina has just saved us $NZ220!!! Once again we have spent 40 minutes to post something but this will be the last big posting in a non English speaking country.
We visit Rouen Cathedral. Over half of it is blocked off and a huge number of chairs are being put out as the Arch Bishop has just died and he is lying in state in the church (we see the coffin). We spent more time in the Post Office than we did in the cathedral.
Tina buys two tops which come to €20 more that what she saved on the posted box. “See, the tops only cost €20!” Some logic.
Got lost again getting out of Rouen.
On the motorway we had lots of problems at an automated toll – both at its start and its end. No-one to help and not a word in English. Lots of putting the hazard lights on and backing back. Cars diving to the left and right to avoid me. Very stressful and I have a meltdown mentally. It’s all getting too hard.
The Novotel in Amiens does not exist according to TomTom, nor does the street it is on. Tina rings through and they confirm the address is correct. We arrive in Amiens and drive around and drive around and drive around. Finally we see another hotel; stop the car illegally and get help. The Novotel is not in Amiens but in a dormitory town (Boves). We plug Boves into TomTom and we are away. We are driving along with 4 kilometres to go when Tina sees a Novotel on the left. Do a u turn (I do a lot of them – not all legal) and we have arrived.
But that’s two days in a row the gps has not taken us to our hotel. Worrying.
We abandon our plans and have a rest (room 169). Things have not gone well, we are struggling with parts of the driving and we need to rest.
Excellent evening meal – Tina has concluded we need red meat!
Lastly, tennis is on this tv so Tina happy. Along with the Stones "Shine A Light" concert!
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This is brilliant!!! I wrote a post the other day but it wouldn't accept it - if it had you would clearly see that I have extremely accurate clairvoyancy (is that a word??) skills.
ReplyDeleteI just have this wonderful picture in my mind of the two of you in the car going around and around and around - are you sure you don't have a video camera that you could record this section of the trip for all of us??
I am pleased that you also have a wife that is able to use the logic that you described in this post...I have suffered from this for years...
Good luck when you get to England cos there won't be any nice friendly people who will help you when you are in the wrong place - particularly if they are Man Utd supporters...
Your favourite BIL
There's a lot to be said for paper maps!
ReplyDeleteI think I made the comment earlier on that we gave up on the Tom tom within a few hours of arriving in France, Helen is right, stick to paper maps. Mind you having had similar experiences going around roundabouts (the wrong way) several times and messing up toll roads by not taking a ticket I can have fully understand the stress you are feeling. Martin, the trick is Tina drives and you navigate with a paper map. It works perfectly. The tom tom will be great in dear old Blighty. Jusr make sure your speed camera alerts are current.
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