Back to the Continent

Our final night in England was pleasant enough despite the fact that our B&B was across from the Dover Priory Train Station. It was fortunate we were on the second floor (that would read third floor in North America) so the tremors from the trains might be considered soothing rather than grating. The B&B has been run by a couple who both are offspring of Cypriot parents who immigrated to England in the 1950s. They started the B&B when she was just 17 and he a few years older. They have been running it for the past 27 years and have three kids either in or just having completed university. They say it has been a great living and a wonderful way to always be around for their kids. When you look at them and talk to them they certainly are the picture of contentment and she still looks incredibly young for someone who has raised a family and done all the cleaning and upkeep of the business together with her husband.

The B&B is a quintessential British affair. The building is in the style of a large boarding house, some of the rooms have their own bathrooms while others share a bath down the hall. The original sitting room is the breakfast room and a classic English breakfast is served. Little if anything in the interior has been updated in the past several decades, nevertheless, it was all in great repair and spotless. Our stay here was an appropriate way to finish off our time in England.

After spending seven weeks travelling in the English speaking world (aka the British Isles) we took the ferry from Dover to Calais and dusted off our foreign language dictionaries. When we booked our tickets online, the website instructed us to be at the terminal 45 minutes prior to sailing. We dropped off our rental car after breakfast and then took a short taxi ride to the terminal and were there at precisely the requested time. While we were waiting to check in there was a final announcement for boarding the shuttle bus to the ferry. It was a piece of information that even got our kids attention. I am not sure if I was more shocked by the fact that we may be missing our ferry or that my kids were paying attention like savvy adult travellers. Apparently, the website meant to state that we should be at the terminal absolutely not later than 45 minutes before sailing. We just squeezed onto the shuttle and it zipped off towards the ferry. At least we can say we didn't waste any time waiting around.

The Dover port is huge and it is a bit a drive to the ferry. First the bus passes through a police checkpoint where an officer boards the bus and checks and stamps passports. A little further along the bus enters a secure garage where everyone gets off to go through an airport style security check and then reboards the bus for the final leg to the ferry. It was abundantly clear why they need us at the terminal well before sailing time.
We caught a glimpse of the white cliffs of Dover just after we cast off but the moment we passed the breakwater the waves of the English Channel made themselves known. It was not a crossing for being out on deck taking in the scene. It is an hour and a half trip across the channel.
In contrast to Dover, when we arrived in Calais the sun was out and the air was warm. We picked up our car lease right at the terminal. The young man who helped us had an uncle who worked as missionary for 40 years in the Canadian Arctic. You don't come across that kind of connection to Canada every day. We stayed away from the topic of residential schools just to be safe.

We have leased a Kangoo again since it worked out so well for the first two months of our trip. The vehicle only had 4 kilometers on it and the driver's seat was still wrapped in plastic. This is a bit nicer model than our first Kangoo; the back seating area is unlike anything we have seen. It is a bit like an airplane. There are small tables that fold out of the back of the front seats and there are three overhead compartments for the people in the backseat to stow their personal effects and overhead shelf up front as well. We are happy to have a built in GPS again, even though it is a quirky affair which requires that you use a remote and type in letters by moving a cursor over an onscreen keyboard. Most off all we like the audio inputs for our iPods. This is our seventh car this trip and only the Kangoos have had audio inputs. We have missed listening to music and podcasts together as we travel. Without the audio inputs the kids more often than not have been plugged into their own headphones while we travel, limiting family interaction while driving. Listening to podcasts together makes for great family discussions and mutual education regarding music both ancient (anything the parents listen to) and modern (anything our kids listen to).

Our final destination today was the tiny village of La Bazoque, which is 30 minutes from Bayeux. We are staying in a converted extension of a very old farm house. Our section used to be a garage, workshop and dog kennel. I am happy to report it neither resembles nor smells like any of these previous functions now. We are in rural paradise. Abby fully approves of the place since the owners are British expats. If Abby were to rule the world everyone would speak the Queen's English and the weather would be as warm as it is this afternoon.