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Location Date Paris 1410217200 Modane 1410217200 Calais
1410130800 Chambery-Le-Vieux 1379545200
"If is the middle word of life"
If only the first bus hadn't been 45 minutes late.
If only the second bus hadn't been 10 minutes late.
If only we'd been 1 minute earlier at the ferry terminal........
This trip started with Grant dropping me off at our good friends Helen & Rhidian Morgan's house. Rhidian & myself then went to his local Ale House to get in the spirit of the upcoming trip. the locals were all a well traveled lot and so a good conversation was had by all. Then back for a superb dinner back at the ranch. We managed to hit the hay at not a too unreasonable hour as Helen would be dropping us off at 7.15 am in Chepstow to catch the National Express Bus to Victoria in London, from there we'd catch the next bus to Dover Port onto the Ferry to Calais. It was always going to be a bit of a tight schedule as personally I like the madness of just making it on time to the next mode of transport. Where I thought we'd have some problems may be Calais and so had given us a gap of 1.5 hours there to get on to the TGV train to Paris.
In Chepstow we were informed that the bus was running 45 minutes late, so the stress started quite early. Eventually the bus rolled in and an eager Rhid and myself got on board, hoping the driver could make up some time. He did and it looked like we'd manage to get the Dover bus which left Victoria at 11.30. The old Dame, London was looking good in the September Sunshine, her only downside was the busy traffic blocking her arteries. We got into Victoria coach station with 3 minutes to spare. We both agreed that we'd never seen it so busy there and thought us lucky to get onto our bus. Then we got stuck getting out of Victoria and once we'd hit the main roads we were told that we were running 20 minutes late and that the driver would try to make up some time. Fair play to him he did blast it on the Motorway and did a great job of throwing people off the bus in Canterbury very quickly. I quite like the National Express Bus service, the guy made up some time and we would only be 10 minutes late. We would have to be in the ferry port 45 minutes before departure. We honestly thought we'd made it. 15 minutes later it dawned on us that we'd missed our boat and that we'd been put on the next ferry. This was now going to make things really tight as the hour and a bit I'd planned was going to be whittled down to 30 minutes. We'd need to get a Taxi from Calais to Frethuan to catch the TGV to Paris, we were in the lap of the gods. The ferry was busy, only a few foot passengers but the ship soon filled up with people who had come on with their cars and on coaches. A right motley crew they were as well, lots of South Wales was represented as we'd spotted an Edwards bus from Beddau in the queue earlier on. We had the pleasure of sitting next to one of these families. Mama had a voice that could have grated the hardest of cheese and her offspring we decided were not sure if they were male or female. The rest of the travelers were all Great British Exports, and I wondered what the French must think when the Heavily Tattooed Bellowing Apes of Grande Bretagne descended onto continental soil.
The ferry was also running late, we ran outside the terminal and as luck would have it there were no taxis waiting for us. We had 15 minutes to get the TGV to Paris. I then ran back in and managed to get a French Slob security guard to order a taxi. Time was ticking by. There were a few young German back packers also waiting and I asked if they'd booked a Taxi, Yah, they had and that they too were heading to Paris on the TGV....just then two taxis came in together. It was 6.50pm, the TGV would leave in 10 minutes. We quickly told the driver where to go and to do so swiftly, saying we had to get to Frethuan within 9 minutes. Our brave French taxi driver totally got into the spirit of this new allied venture and promptly capitulated. "Non, c'est impossible!" he told us.....No get going, we could do it and for one second he actually made an effort and the Krauts who had got into the taxi behind us overtook us at great speed....Would the Germans once more proudly march into Paris whilst the Brits were left stranded. Yes they would. We got in at 7.02 pm and so missed the TGV by 2 minutes. Our backpacker friends were nowhere to be seen. They'd made it.
b*****.
If only the first bus hadn't been 45 minutes late.
If only the second bus hadn't been 10 minutes late.
If only we'd been 1 minute earlier at the ferry terminal........
This trip started with Grant dropping me off at our good friends Helen & Rhidian Morgan's house. Rhidian & myself then went to his local Ale House to get in the spirit of the upcoming trip. the locals were all a well traveled lot and so a good conversation was had by all. Then back for a superb dinner back at the ranch. We managed to hit the hay at not a too unreasonable hour as Helen would be dropping us off at 7.15 am in Chepstow to catch the National Express Bus to Victoria in London, from there we'd catch the next bus to Dover Port onto the Ferry to Calais. It was always going to be a bit of a tight schedule as personally I like the madness of just making it on time to the next mode of transport. Where I thought we'd have some problems may be Calais and so had given us a gap of 1.5 hours there to get on to the TGV train to Paris.
In Chepstow we were informed that the bus was running 45 minutes late, so the stress started quite early. Eventually the bus rolled in and an eager Rhid and myself got on board, hoping the driver could make up some time. He did and it looked like we'd manage to get the Dover bus which left Victoria at 11.30. The old Dame, London was looking good in the September Sunshine, her only downside was the busy traffic blocking her arteries. We got into Victoria coach station with 3 minutes to spare. We both agreed that we'd never seen it so busy there and thought us lucky to get onto our bus. Then we got stuck getting out of Victoria and once we'd hit the main roads we were told that we were running 20 minutes late and that the driver would try to make up some time. Fair play to him he did blast it on the Motorway and did a great job of throwing people off the bus in Canterbury very quickly. I quite like the National Express Bus service, the guy made up some time and we would only be 10 minutes late. We would have to be in the ferry port 45 minutes before departure. We honestly thought we'd made it. 15 minutes later it dawned on us that we'd missed our boat and that we'd been put on the next ferry. This was now going to make things really tight as the hour and a bit I'd planned was going to be whittled down to 30 minutes. We'd need to get a Taxi from Calais to Frethuan to catch the TGV to Paris, we were in the lap of the gods. The ferry was busy, only a few foot passengers but the ship soon filled up with people who had come on with their cars and on coaches. A right motley crew they were as well, lots of South Wales was represented as we'd spotted an Edwards bus from Beddau in the queue earlier on. We had the pleasure of sitting next to one of these families. Mama had a voice that could have grated the hardest of cheese and her offspring we decided were not sure if they were male or female. The rest of the travelers were all Great British Exports, and I wondered what the French must think when the Heavily Tattooed Bellowing Apes of Grande Bretagne descended onto continental soil.
The ferry was also running late, we ran outside the terminal and as luck would have it there were no taxis waiting for us. We had 15 minutes to get the TGV to Paris. I then ran back in and managed to get a French Slob security guard to order a taxi. Time was ticking by. There were a few young German back packers also waiting and I asked if they'd booked a Taxi, Yah, they had and that they too were heading to Paris on the TGV....just then two taxis came in together. It was 6.50pm, the TGV would leave in 10 minutes. We quickly told the driver where to go and to do so swiftly, saying we had to get to Frethuan within 9 minutes. Our brave French taxi driver totally got into the spirit of this new allied venture and promptly capitulated. "Non, c'est impossible!" he told us.....No get going, we could do it and for one second he actually made an effort and the Krauts who had got into the taxi behind us overtook us at great speed....Would the Germans once more proudly march into Paris whilst the Brits were left stranded. Yes they would. We got in at 7.02 pm and so missed the TGV by 2 minutes. Our backpacker friends were nowhere to be seen. They'd made it.
b*****.
- comments
Nerysevans Now they’re OFF. Hang on tight. XxxxxxN
Ma Gibbs As amusing and hair-raising as ever. It wouldn’t be the same blog if you had caught it!!! Luv Ma XX
Rhidian Morgan Well may off missed the TGV but we then made up for it in Calais starting at a spectacularly dreadful 1 Star hotel .
Rhidian Morgan I can’t remember if I wrote in my blog how dreadful Dover ferry terminal is. It is typical shoddy Britian with a shoddy British workforce. That goes for the ferry too. Before I end my whinge, I have to have a moan about the rip off prices. I paid £3.50 for a pie. I think fish and chips was a tenner. Handy hint .... Save your money and get something in France.
Rhidian Morgan Oh my god Victoria was crazy busy. I had never seen it like this. Here’s a thing, I headed to the heads it cost was 30p to use them.... Bloody 30p !!! So I declined and was going to use the toilet on the bus......bad move!
Rhidian Morgan It is unsurprising that Lloyd has camera shake for this shot………. It is pathetic and in fact alcoholic! Mind you, I am being steadied by the post. Behind me is the Hotel Non Classe!!
Patricia McGarr I star !!! was there a bed ?