And we’re off …
To a great start! We started the day at 5am - even though the alarm was set for 6, the adrenaline had kicked in way too early.
I had a hypothesis that traveling with Stan would make me feel less lonely and encourage others to have the occasional chat! I was right. That said this new friendlier travel experience has had some unexpected consequences. Stan has so far eaten a poochiecino from Le Shuttle terminal, some French cheese in the lovely town of Compiegne and horror of horrors the dog’s dinner at the place we’re staying. To say he’s blotted his copy book is an understatement.
So first things first, how was the journey? Absolutely straight-forward. Though we hadn’t bought a flexible ticket we were allowed to travel on a train an hour earlier than expected. Handing over the paperwork for Stan ignited trepidation - what would I do if we were turned away! That kind of thing - but everything was in order. The Bip and Go, beeped as intended as we approached the toll booths and, with some degree of concentration, I managed to remain driving on the right hand side.
And what about where we’re staying! This did not go as smoothly. Whilst we were always intending to stay at the place featured on the way back, it wasn’t our planned stop on the way down. The lady I was exchanging with went AWOL which left me without anywhere to stay the day before we left. Fortunately Perrine was able to accommodate us on short notice and it’s nice as we’ll see her on our way home too. Homeexchange were great at helping when things went wrong with the original swap, but since I’d already got an alternative lined up we didn’t really need them. The family that own the property are here, but we have a wonderful room and used their second kitchen to cook dinner. What a life! Thank you Perrine and homeexchange.
And, how about Compiegne? I’ve never been here. And I’d like to come back. It’s an exceptionally beautiful, historic French town. We had a lovely walk around the town and took in the architecture. The most impressive building was without doubt the Imperial Palace, Louis XV and XVI spent their summers’ here and you can visit the rooms dedicated to Marie Antoinette. However, the best part was visiting the stables. Like the Imperial Palace they date back to Napoleon 1, it wasn’t hard to imagine the pomp and circumstance that would have been an everyday occurence. The copious stud can accommodate over 270 horses. It’s free to walk around the stables and it’s fine to say hello to the horses. Stan didn’t seem to like them too much so we didn’t stay too long!
Next time I come, as well as going inside the palace I’d like to take a trip to the railway carriage in which the Germans signed the Armistice in November 1918. Ironically this same location was chosen as the place at which the French formally surrendered to Germany in 1940. Perhaps we’ll have time on our return trip to drop in.
But for now - we’re shattered. Tomorrow we drive to Chamonix so night everyone I hope you sleep well!
Your dog ate my dinner …
The beautiful Compiegne
Night night!
