Recently Mike and I took a week long trip to France. It was full of so many new and exciting experiences. France, a big ferry, strange food, driving on the right side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side. Exciting indeed!
Our trip started on a Friday night, we drove from London to Dover so that we could catch the 5:15 ferry the next morning. We woke at some ungodly hour Saturday morning and made the ferry. It was a blast. I loved the big boat and there was something magical about seeing the White Cliffs of Dover. I nearly forgot, our hotel room was tres cute. Probably the smallest hotel room I've ever seen. The door opened into the bed and I had to back into the bathroom. We arrived safely in Calais, drove for approximately an hour and a half and then got stuck in traffic for three hours. However it was sunny and we were on vacation so it was not a disaster.
I loved driving through France. The Northern bit was flat and immense. It reminded me a teensy bit of Michigan. Driving through we also got to see fields of those huge windmills. I think that they are majestic. We avoided Paris like the plague because while driving through Paris was technically the most direct route to where we were staying, it would have added eight hours to our trip. So countryside driving it was!
We stopped off for a few supplies when we were nearly there and arrived in time for dinner despite our three hour delay.
We parked, stepped out of the car and the view took my breath away. We were looking down over a valley. It was woodland, hills, and farmland. No motorway, no cities, just peace and quiet and fresh air. I spent the whole week breathing it in.
Our little cottage (or Gite as the French say) was perfect. Perfect for two. It had a kitchen and dining area downstairs, upstairs was the bed with a TV (a real treat since we don't have one) and the loo and shower. Outside were lounge chairs, a table, and our very own private pool. I went in often but Mike found it a bit too chilly. It was very funny watching his twenty minute long process to get into the pool.
So we settled in and had, you guessed it! Bread, meat, and cheese for dinner. It was divine. We watched the sunset, read our books, and then went to sleep. Absolute bliss.
Sunday we decided to go into the nearby town to get some supplies for the week. Our supplies consisted of bread, meat, and cheese, some wine, and some salad. It went pretty well except for me having the "Ok we're on vacation and I'm relaxing now which of course means having an emotional breakdown in the grocery store." Mike handled it well. He let me cry and get mad and then eventually apologize. He's very understanding.
Sunday night was a lot like Saturday night.
I have loads more to tell but this is getting long so I'll end it there and finish the story over the next few days.
If you want to see pictures take a look on Facebook.
Janet
