Day two, the big drive.
We got up early for breakfast this morning, and with better daylight we were able to appreciate the enormous Georgian Manor house we were staying in. Breakfast was provided by our hosts, and it set us up for the long journey ahead. We left Maidstone and headed for Dover.
Our plan to leave early and catch the earlier ferry didn't quite work out, we were pulled in for a customs check and with a bit of a queue to book in, it meant we were 10 mins too late so we had an hour and a half wait for the next ferry.
Never mind, this gave us extra opportunity to stretch our legs and prepare the car for left hand driving! I grabbed a coffee and when I got back to the cars we had a few people around us. There was a minibus next to us with some guys travelling to Le Mans, and we passed the time of day with them a little. I utilised the unexpected spare time to do a little pilates. I couldn't do much without a mat but it felt more productive then just standing about!
We were soon on the ferry and leaving the UK behind. We bagged a set of seats in the food court by a window and Rob and I went for a wander. I headed to the shop for a little look around and got some water, then I went out to the back deck to watch the shore disappear. It felt a little lonely out there, despite the crowds, and I wished Keith was with us. I shan't be too soppy about it, he's joining us when the big group comes to the Alps. So I took my lonely selfie and headed back to our table. I decided to make a start on my book 'The little prince’. It's one I've had in my 'to read’ pile for while. I forget who suggested it, but I remember it being on a suggested reading list from a horse trainer, and I'm finding it rather divine.
At Calais we set about the LONG journey we had to make to get to Pforzheim. We made our way along the top of France and I took over driving from Rob for a stint after a lunch stop at Lille. We had already had an accident and some road works slow us down, so we kept our stops short. I drove us into and out of Belgium, and we swapped drivers again at the fuel stop in Luxembourg. Once in Germany we had a short stop to have a bite to eat (courtesy of Robs cooking and advance preparation!) And made the final push on to our overnight stop in Pforzheim. With only one misjudged exit that barely slowed us down by a few minutes, it had been a successful journey, and we made reasonable time. That slight mishap gave us a little laugh though....!
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| We drew a penis! 😂 |
At the Air BnB the host had arranged for his son to be there to talk English for us, and once the bikes and boats were locked on the car we got the kettle on! We cooked the pizza Rob had bought along, some to snack on now and some for lunch tomorrow, and we discussed the plan for tomorrow. We all went to bed and quickly drifted off to sleep!
See you tomorrow for the first paddle day!
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