Back in France - The Drive Part I

Firstly I want to thank each and everyone of you who wished us well on our journey, and also for the condolences - we were very touched by the large number of messages we received and both appreciated your kind thoughts.  

We have now been back in France for a few days,  but due  firstly to the fact that the garden looked like a jungle on our return and required some urgent work  and secondly, the need to resolve some chronic computer problems, this post is a little delayed.  I will try to catch up with everyone's posts as soon as I have a little more time.

We had a foul drive across the UK to Dover.  It poured with rain most of the way, and the amount of spray from the trucks was, to use Jean's word, "beastly"! The shot below was taken on the M25 London ring road, south of the city - in mid morning!

For once, we were spared the major traffic hold-ups for which this road is notorious and we exited, still in heavy rain and spray, onto the M20, southbound towards Dover. Thankfully we were driving that way; a Mini had somehow managed to get itself squashed  in a collision with a lorry, and the M20 Northbound to London was barely moving. Had we encountered that going south, we would surely have missed the ferry.

It was a delight, finally to  see the white cliffs of Dover from the departing ferry, and a break in the weather.

Heading back to French soil with a happy sigh.  The roll-on roll off ferry port at Calais is pictured below, after a smooth 90 minute crossing of the Channel.

I might add that the weather here at home is also not particularly good and although the garden seems to be enjoying the weather, we are not!  

I am hoping to catch up with Leon and Sue in the next couple of days.  They are travelling around France at the present time and if you have not seen their blog, I recommend that you take a look, if you enjoy touring France. They are visiting many places we have yet to see.

For 'My Life before Charente' see HERE  updated 23 May 2012

Travelling Back to the UK - Part 3

On the ferry, leaving Calais harbour.

Our first view of the UK; the "White Cliffs of Dover". This photo was taken from the ferry, through salt covered windows!

The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline, facing the Strait of Dover and looking across the  English Channel to France, about 20 miles away. The cliff face, which reaches up to 107 metres (351 ft) above sea level, owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk (pure white calcium carbonate) accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent, an ancient and still important English port. The cliffs have great symbolic value for Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened, and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of the UK for travellers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_cliffs_of_Dover
For the song click HERE

Leaving the ferry at Dover.

Driving through the ferry terminal at Dover, with the White Cliffs in the background.

This is on the M25 four lane ring road all around London. The sign reads "Congestion, stay in lane, 50mph". We think this sign was inaccurate,as there was no congestion, but these gantry signs are notoriously unreliable. If you dare drive faster than 50mph while the signs are up, however, the cameras will zap you and you get a fine in the post!!

The planes were flying over at very regular intervals as we neared Heathrow Airport, west of central London. London Heathrow,  in the London Borough of Hillingdon is the largest airport in the UK. It is the fourth busiest airport in the world, in terms of total passenger traffic and it handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world. It is also the busiest airport in the European Union in terms of passenger traffic and the second busiest in terms of traffic movements, second to Paris CDG airport in Paris, France.

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow}

I gave up with the camera after this; there is little of the countryside to be seen from the road on this route. Everything is built-up area, concrete and tarmac and the drive loses all viewing interest!!