We are away at 09:00 and I still need fuel and sooner rather than later! As we drove onto the motorway I noticed a Shell garage in the distance and wish I had gone looking before we left. The trouble is if I couldn't find any and I am wasting miles.
I am sure I have about 150 kilometres before we run out but it does make your bum twitch a bit! Why do I keep looking at the guage? I 'm sure it is going down quicker than yesterday.
We are soon stopping at a service area so panic over.
I take the pump out of its holder and insert it into the tank, nothing happens.
They must want to see my card before authorising the fuel. I walk to the cash desk only to be told there is a card machine by the pump. I have had this trouble in Belgium before with cards, machines and pumps.
I insert my card in the slot, key in my pin number and then put the pump back in the tank. It starts to give some much needed diesel.
I am filling up on a commercial pump where both lorries and coaches fill up and the hose is much broader than a car one which means you can fill a large tank (this one holds about 450litres) quickly.
At €125 the pump stops! It has only given me 87 litres!
So I go through the whole process again and once again it stops at 87 litres!
Now I remember why we don't fill up in Belgium anymore. I have the hump now and refuse to put anymore in. I have plenty to get home on.
We have a short stop at a very busy service area north of Brussels and rejoin a very busy motorway.
We are booked on the 15:00 sailing and I like to arrive at Calais a couple of hours in advance as passport control can take for ages. When they are busy they check one coach at a time with the passengers having to queue through passport control.
Today it is empty and we don't even have to leave the coach, the passports are checked while everybody stays on board. Why oh why can't they do this when they are busy when it is needed?
What it does mean is that we catch the 13:30 crossing and will be home that much earlier.
I can taste my chicken vindaloo already!
It is a shame I am not on the 15:00 as Peter Fenn was also on the same crossing and it would have been nice to see him again.
I did see him 10 days later and the 15:00 sailing was running 1 1/2 hours late!
We have had a right result.
I am finished by 18:30 and have thoroughly enjoyed the tour.
We have a had a good group on (when haven't we though!) and the tour has gone well. It is always good to hear a lot of laughter on the bus.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment