Second day of summer and it is pouring down!
Never mind I’m up at 03:30 for another early morning and
ready to drive all the way to Croatia!
Well I don’t know about ready but I’m up!
I only have 20 passengers which should have been 22 but a
couple sadly cancelled due to ill health last week. On these long trips with a couple of
overnight stops each way I never anticipate having over 25-30 passengers,
although 48 would be nice!! The tour is priced on a lower number so am happy
with my twenty.
The two overnight definitely puts people off which is a
shame as the holiday is exceptional value for money when you consider the
standard of hotels we use and all the excursions and guides. Also the third day
out and the first day back are easy days with stops off the motorway and gentle
travelling.
Anyway back to today and I pick up in Petersfield,
Liphook, Guildford and then four ladies from Maidstone services the on the M20.
The four girls in Kent – Jan, Penny, Penny’s sister and friend – used to live
in Ash and have been travelling with me for years. Jan and Penny go right back
to my Trueman’s days!
We arrive in Dover on a blustery day with the sea looking
a lot rougher than it should for the third week in June! No big queues at
breakfast today!
As we approach the port at the first roundabout after the
long descent into Dover a Polish lorry has pulled out of the Eastern terminal
road and joined our roundabout going the wrong way around! Lucky I saw him and
kept well over as he hurtled round with his passenger throwing his arms in the
air! Bloody dangerous.
I have cut it a little fine today as we only arrive at
the port at 08:50 for a 09:25 sailing! No problems as we don’t need to show
passports (the passport sheds were full of coaches disgorging passengers for
passport checks) and the security check shed already has a coach in it although
there is a bit of confusion near the ticket booths with a broken down lorry and
roadworks!
I collect our ticket and drive round to be loaded which
happens in about five minutes.
We are on the very large Spirit of Britain which has a
great drivers room complete with balcony for the smokers.
I enjoy a fatboys breakfast (one of the pleasures of
P&O) and then find a reclining chair to sleep for 45 minutes. Well I was up
early!
We dock on time at midday local time and I’m soon driving
out of Calais and towards the Belgian border.
It is pretty uneventful journey with a stop for lunch on
the motorway at Brussels and then another short stop at the Belgian/German
border before arriving in Bruhl, and the comfortable Ramada Hotel, at 17:50.
Dinner is at 19:30 so plenty of time to freshen up before.
I like this hotel as an overnight because you can park
here and all the food is buffet making it easier for everyone.
Am tired tonight so straight to bed for me after dinner.
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