Up at 03:30 for our tour to Portoroz in Slovenia. A long way to go but I have two overnight stops each way which makes the journey a lot easier.
The pick-ups all go without a hitch and by 08:30 we are driving into Dover docks for our 10:00 ferry.
Both the English and French passport booths are manned, which is unusual, but we are waved straight through, which is usual! Before reaching the ticket booth we are called in to the security shed for a check. They ask for five people to get off the bus with their hand luggage and walk through a screen to make sure they are not carrying any illegal bombs or suchlike!
The five who do this volunteer which is all a bit silly because if you had something to hide you would stay on the bus. Even if you had something you shouldn't have in a bag just leave it on the bus, nobody checks inside the vehicle and I have the impression that it is more of something for the security people to do rather than a serious check. The five survive and are allowed back on and we drive to the ticket booth.
I always find driving into Dover docks far more exciting than the shuttle terminal and feel a real sense of adventure for the journey ahead.
The crossing is a little wobbly but not too bad and we arrive in Calais on time.
Two hours later we stop for lunch at a service area north of Brussels. I remain on the coach, still full from my breakfast on the boat, and manage to find 5 live on the radio allowing me to listen to the Chelsea Man City game. I wish I hadn't as they lose 1-0. Gone off football for a while.
We have another comfort stop before reaching our overnight hotel in Leverkuesen on the outskirts of Cologne.
I could see the hotel as we approached but it still took a couple of runs around the block to finally reach it! I blame the sat nav!
The hotel is very comfortable and ideal for an overnight stop. Before dinner I go into the bar with Frank and Val and join the queue for a beer. There is another English coach in and I think most of them are in the bar for a beer before their dinner at 19:00. We are eating at 19:30 so they should clear soon. After about fifteen minutes I am asked for my order but point to a man who is ahead of me saying he is first. The man thanks me and orders his drinks. While he is doing that another man appears (the driver of the other coach) and waits at the bar.
The lady serves the first man and as I'm about to order the driver steps in and orders his beer.
I am not happy and say that I am next but he just says something about having to collect money and carries on. The barmaid said he was before me but he wasn't and I wish I had now gone in front of the man earlier.
I know it sounds trivial but when you are tired after a long day and just want a drink before dinner then it rankles.
The beer was good when it arrived though.
Dinner is a buffet and although there is a bit of a scrum for the food it all goes down well.
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