SETTING OUT

Disembarking from the MS Ryndam we hired a car and set off on a 600 km 24 hour round trip to see the Rockies and spend

a night at Whistler the venue for the winter Olympics next year.  An interesting and varied view of the mountains both very green then very dry followed by a look and the very pleasant Whistler village with lifts directly from the village.  No doubt next year, with the Winter Olympics it would cost a lot more than we paid for a night.

The flight to London was marred by the non arrival of our third bag – it has never arrived and contained useful maps and Kiwi presents to hand out on the trip – no way we can replace.  All very annoying.

The very good news was after a train ride directly on landing we met the brother of the camper van vendors and yes there it was in the garden.  The brother Derek kindly gave us dinner and a bed, glad I think to see the van depart his back garden.

By the way van now named Stanley or  Stan the Van for short – why, the  van model is a Karmann ‘Davis’ with a tennis racket on the side, and through some convoluted train of thought we got to the principal NZ tennis courts venue in Auckland called ‘Stanley St’ tennis centre –  et voila, obvious isn’t it!

 

 

A week in England sorting out all things necessary based with my sister in Hastings.  The weather as usual in the UK was variable one day wet, windy and cold as only England can but finishing the week with brilliant sunny days. A long weekend and Hasting crowded with trippers on the beach, in the pubs, buying fish and chips, and getting sunburnt.

 

Exactly a week after arriving we were sailing away from the white cliffs of Dover on a flat calm sunny day for Calais.  What is extraordinary is we arrived on a long weekend – hence lots of people with the fantastic sunshine.  We have  managed to coincide with holiday weekends in Canada, US, UK and now in France.  We decided to see some of the Channel holiday beaches and ended up testing our driving skills with this new 6.3m home of ours.  Cars and people everywhere,  fairs, markets, beach crowds etc. New beaches such as Hardalot with exclusive housing behind the beach and ugly apartments on the beach front,   LeTouquet with it’s very elegant hotels and an air preserved from the rich English in the prewar  thirties.

  Thence the pretty fishing village of le Crotoy with huge crowds promenading the waterfront, hundreds of camper vans and a great market, it was all too much and we needed to escape.

Our first night actually sleeping in the van at Forges les Eaux on one of the ‘aires’ that France does so well at providing, water, waste disposal and electricity - all that a camper vanner needs for 5.7 Euro a night. Very pleasant, very typical town and we also road tested the bicycles that niece Vanessa dug out of her garage, some oil and adjustment and all go.