France

Hello

Well I am back from my French 'adventure'. To include pictures I am going to spread it out over a couple of entries. One of the problems of having an incurable disease is getting travel insurance but fortunately as my bank provides free travel insurance I was able to convince them that I was fit enough to travel and give me cover.

The outward journey went very well, at least until Calais station. On SNCF (French Railways) you have to 'composte' your ticket before boarding your train. In reality this means you have to insert your ticket into a machine to date and validate your ticket but the instructions are slightly less than clear. When you walk onto the platform you are greeted with a big sign that says All tickets must be composted. After a bit of head scratching I worked out how to do it and probably just as important why. French rail tickets are valid for one month as opposed to the British system of a specific date and to prevent fraudulant use the stamp indicates the specific date of travel.

The journey from Calais to Etaple Le Touquet took less than an hour and was very comfortable, in fact nearly as comfortable as what I consider to be one of the best British trains the class 375 Electrostars used on Southeastern but that would be a biased opinion!

After a short taxi ride to the Hotel Windsor it was time for a quick wash and brush up and than lunch..... more about that next time.

On the subject of health I have an appointment with the oncologist on Tuesday afternoon to get the result of the latest scan. It is now a year since I had any treatment and I still feel very well in myself so fingers crossed.

Bus from Dover station to ferry terminal

White Cliffs of Dover as seen from the P&O ferry Pride of Kent

Double deck train at Calais Ville station

Journeys End Etaples Le Touquet station

Andy