A Couple of Days in France - Boulogne

    The three of us set out around four in the morning to drive to the ferry port in Dover. Dusty had the unenviable job of having to drive on the left in England, then on the right in France in a right hand drive vehicle. I think the driving was harder for him coming home because we returned to England late in the day, so he had to switch sides of the road yet again, and this time it was dark. Dusty managed the driving changes like a champ, he always does.

    The car ferry was three levels with various shops, restaurants, arcades, gambling rooms, and seating areas. Big J and I, felt right at home in the video arcade, and started playing shoot ‘em up games straight away. None of us are gamblers, so we left that part alone. The duty free shop was nearly bare, and the deals weren‘t impressive. On the ferry ride home, at one of the many restaurants I ordered a lamb curry, a “Rogan Josh“. It was good, better than the curry I ate at a fancy Indian restaurant back in England. We were never able to see the white cliffs of Dover, coming or going. It was foggy leaving England, and dark coming back.

    In Boulogne, our very first project was to find the hotel we had booked online, a three star, named Hotel Alexandria. Dusty had visited Boulogne many times, but not recently. He said the town had grown a lot, and he had always come in on a private sailboat way at the opposite end of the waterfront. So, we drove in circles for a while. Dusty always insists we are not lost, because “we don’t do lost“. Dusty is great to travel with because nothing fazes him; and he always knows east, west, north and south.

    After a few passes through town, we parked the car to narrow our search to a few square blocks. We asked two young guys passing by, but they had never heard of it. Once we found the hotel, we realized we must have passed it by, over and over. At check in the desk clerk explained that the parking garage was around the block and next to a Chinese restaurant. Along with the room and garage keys, she wrote down a pass code to open the overhead door.

    If the garage were not being used for parking, it would make a great dungeon. As you drive in, there is a steep descent into a dark, damp, dingy, space. The ceiling is so low that most American trucks or SUV’s wouldn’t clear it; Big J’s head nearly touched the ceiling. We snatched our luggage and hurried out of there, happy not to have met any resident rodents.

    After dropping off our luggage in the room, we set out walking to explore. It was raining and cold, and I was the only one of us that was decked out for the weather. I planned ahead this time, and wore a pair of boots borrowed from Dusty’s mum, and an authentic Antarctica jacket, borrowed from my mom. Since I’m a Florida girl, I don’t own much in the way of winter clothes -- exactly one pair of shoes that cover my feet, and those are my sneakers. 

    We walked through the old town to the fort, and then back down the hill another way. Then we stopped in a coffee shop to warm up. To me the look of Boulogne is completely foreign and European -- tall old worldy buildings towering above narrow winding streets. The differences from one place to another is what I like -- the different look, different customs, and different languages. After living in Japan as a military brat, and then returning to California, the sameness of it all made me feel like the whole of the United States was one immense military base. This was the beginning of my love of travel.

Christmas Vacation - London

    Dusty, Big J, and I went to England and France for the Christmas holidays. It was very cold. We narrowly missed the even bigger chill that set in the day we flew home. The Saturday after Christmas, the three of us took the train from East Sussex to Charring Cross Station in London, walked across the bridge over the Thames and headed for the London Eye. We had high hopes that the lines wouldn’t be too long so early in the day, around 10:00 in the morning. But, no, the line was already deep enough to have made us stand shivering in the cold for hours. So we paid the extra money for the Fast Track tickets instead. It worked out to about $45. per person, and well worth it. We were onboard in less than 20 minutes.

    The London Eye, built by British Airways, is a huge glassed in ferris wheel; each compartment holds about twenty people. The highest point of the ride takes you 400’ above London, and offers breathtaking views of the city. The Thames snakes out of sight amid the rooftops. Having Dusty there to give us the guided tour and identify all those old buildings was a huge plus; but the handy guide books they give away on Fast Track might work almost as well.

    The views seen from the London Eye are impressive, and so is the way they handle security. Before boarding, handbags are checked and everyone is scanned with a metal detector. After the ride, security personnel enter each compartment and make a thorough check for anything left behind.

    Our next destination was the National Gallery of Art. Dusty and I had visited there before, and Big J couldn’t have cared less. The first time I went I cried in the Impressionist Room. I had seen so many of the paintings in books all my life, I was overwhelmed to see them in real life. The impressionist collection includes many paintings by well known artists like Degas, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Manet. The show rotates so the paintings I saw there on my first trip had been replaced by others. I didn’t cry this time. I was happy to see more of my familiar favorites for the first time. Dusty and Big J seemed to enjoy some of the art, and patiently seated themselves on a bench once they grew bored. 

       Next on our list was a pilgrimage to Harrod’s so Big J could see the world’s most expensive store. Before doing that though, we headed to Leicester Square and into a  pub. Dusty and I had meant to have one and go. But, once inside the warmth, Big J planted himself comfortably at the bar, and we stayed a while. It was Big J’s first trip to London, and now his first pint in an English pub. Our turn to indulge him.

    We took the subway to the other side of London to get to Harrod’s. Dusty had warned me that London subways, the tube I think they’re called, gets very crowded. I reminded him that I once lived in Japan, nothing can be much more crowded than a Japanese subway at rush hour. I was right about the London subway, crowded, but not so bad. But, Harrod’s, the crowds there were intense. It was absolutely heaving. Dusty and Big J each bought something for friends back home. I just wanted to get out of there.
    Our day trip to London went well. Like most big cities, it is impossible to see all the sights in one day. The three of us were perfectly matched for this trip. Wherever I go, I’m happy as long as I see the art gallery. Dusty knows his way around London and never gets lost. And Big J was happy to see any of it, since it was all new to him.