We were up at about 730, putting the last packing together for a 9am departure. Had a last light breakfast with John and Susan, who were leaving a bit later. Gorgeous day. Probably the best this week. A cloudless sky and bright sun.

We’ve really enjoyed our stay at the Marriott and the company of John and Susan. It’s been a busier week than previous stays because the weather hasn’t been swimming pool hot. Normally we’d have had 2 or 3 days around the resort. Anyway, it was great. There is a lot to do in this area and no reason to ever be bored. Just reflect, we’ve been there for a week without visiting Paris or Disney, probably the two most famous attractions right on scene.

Anyway, we were away by 9am and had a smooth trip down the autoroute. It cost about 24e and we did the trip in 3.25 hours. We parked up at the Cite Europe complex and grabbed a quick lunch at Flunch. I had braised kidneys in an espagnole sauce with spinach, green beans and mash. Bob had a burger and chips and we had a large bottle of Pellegrino. It was just under £20. Flunch is great for a quick lunch. You can help yourself to all the vegetables and potato and even have seconds. The kidneys were yum.

Then we went into Carrefour and stocked up. At the moment France has foot and mouth disease so you cannot bring any meat or dairy products back to the UK. So that’s the cheese out….. We stocked up on red wine, fizz and some white. Also got a supply for Penny. I also bought tins of petit pois, white beans, jar asparagus, fish and crab soup….. I like to have all those things in the store cupboard.

We got to Calais ferry port for 3pm for our 355pm ferry with Irish ferries. And….. sigh…… it was delayed…… No one could say how long it would be. Gradually information trickled out that there had been a security emergency with illegal boat people in Dover this morning and it had delayed the whole fleet. Nelson had the right idea with his telescope to the blind eye and “I see no ships”…… Eventually we boarded at about 5pm and were quickly away. Irish ferry boats are very nice. Built for longer crossings than the channel.

This has been a great break a la Francais! Thanks so much to Mike and Sheila for making us so welcome in our first week. We had such a lovely relaxing visit there and it was wonderful to see them and Shelly again after far too long. And we love staying at the Marriott and will no doubt be back there again over the years. It’s a real home from home.