It's breezy crossing the chqnnel
Ah, The Channel Tunnel. The most extraordinary feat of engineering. We cqn breeze up to London, grab a quick tube train1, then sit back on the Eurostar to the very heart of Paris, relaxing with a glass of champqgne as the countryside rushes silently by.
We can, but we don't, because the ferry is cheaper. Also, we feel thqt unless you've come close to being sick in a bag, you haven't really travelled. So we go overnight from Portsmouth to Caen on the Nausea Express, lying in a cabin and groaning. It's exciting stuff.
We're travelling only with MicroGrump, as MiniGrump is in Thailand 'learning' and No. 1 son is at yoony, also 'learning'. Needless to say, qll this 'learning' is why we're travelling on the cheap. Micro once distinguished himself by vomiting on a cross-channel ferry before we actually left harbour. He's older and wiser now, and avoids illness by falling asleep early, and frequently equalizing bodily pressure, by farting from the top bunk.
But it's worth it. I love France. I love the people, with their high-spirited driving, and their ubiquitous yappy dogs('Je monte la garde'), which between them make for very lively jogging.
I love the booze and cheese (how do French people live so long?) I love the boulangerie, where you can buy (cheap!) bread so fresh the crust rips a hole cleqn through the roof of your mouth. And I love the pharmacy where you cqn buy any number of (expensive!) mouth ointments.
But one thing I don't love is French keyboards. You try using a PC where the A and Q are swapped. It's tqken me qbout four hours to type this. I might hqve missed q couple. Sorry.
1 - Seasoned London travellers might spot a hole in my argument here. 'Quick tube'? About as likely as 'Considerate Parisian'
I love booze and cheese too! I'll be right over.
ReplyDeleteI love Frqnce too. I lived in Pqris 14 yeqrs, qnd then moved bqck to Finlqnd (where I hqdn't been in 24 yeqrs!), talk about q culture chock!
ReplyDelete:)
Never been to France but would love to someday. Enjoy the booze and cheese. Q fqvorite of mine qs well.
ReplyDeletelol...
Bonnes vacances!
ReplyDeleteYou don't have dramamine over there? The ferry sounds like fun. I think I should head across the pond soon and experience it for myself.
ReplyDeleteAh, UberG, I adore your musings. I love Paris too......wish I were there. Salivating over the cheese and the bread and some Pate.....Here is a thought for you......if I had a French keyboard I might have an excess of "q's" but I'll bet I would be able to find some sort of accent to clearly identify that Pate has nothing to do with one's head and everything to do with some delectible nibble from the boulangerie. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteLove, Lo
Quelle surprise! I never knew that about French keyboards. I took Dramamine for thqt voyage years ago--it took three days to emerge from being groggy, but qt least I was too sleepy to be nauseated. Your post is tres amusant. Merci.
ReplyDeleteI suspect 'nibbling' is the key with the "cheap crust".
ReplyDeleteI love France! You could have asked me to go along with you! I really don't take up that much space.
ReplyDeleteHow romantic to spend Valentine's Day in the City of Lurv!
When we lived in Harlow, Essex, we often used to go across for the week-end. It wasn't that far to cross to Dieppe, but we used to have to have a really early start...not so good for a night-owl!
Hilarious as usuql. The 'q's had me going for awhile.
ReplyDeleteAh, Gay Paree. Enjoy!
make sure you take your own keyboard with you next time you go there. it's driving me crqzy!
ReplyDeleteGood gracious Uber!! My eyes were buggy!!
ReplyDeleteI have that same keyboard nonsense when I am in the UK. Did no one tell you that the @ sign goes above the '2'? Whenever I use my mum's computer I swear a lot because, where the eff is it? Oh of course, it's by the quotation thingies or somewhere random like that. Sheesh.
ReplyDeleteI only get sick on cross channel ferries when they're very faintly moving. Choppy I can handle. It's that faint movement that kills me when your equilibrium just isn't quite sure... BARF!
Hope it was warmer for you in Normandy than it is here in the Languedoc - -8 this morning! Quite right about French pharmacies: they sell medicaments that actually work.
ReplyDeleteKiKi - Careful! It's snowing
ReplyDeleteRA - Finland, eh? Brrrrr
VL - Do it this year; jump on a plane. Go for it
Nat - Merci
Jen - We do have dramamine. Thereby hangs (another) tail
Lo - Welcome! Or should I say Welcomé?
Blissed-OG - Three days! Sounds like my sort of journey
Blasé - Well I realise that now. Sigh
Alice - OK, come along next time. We're skiing at Easter
RefGeek - Ha! Gotchq
Sarah - That's not such a bad idea actually
You're a scream. Not in a 'go away or I shall summon the police' way, either.
ReplyDeleteThis reminded me of those olde-english gravestones where all the S letters were done as Fs - or was it the other way around?
Hey 'Grumpy! I also have something of a liking for the French. I've visited a few times, but as a Brit who tries to speak schoolboy French, I've never encountered problems beyond having to repeat myself. Nice people. Indigo
ReplyDeleteJenJen - Buggy eyes? That sounds uncomfortable
ReplyDeleteVege - Try these French ones. Seriously. They'll do your nut. On a related topic, Ikea are on strike here
Christopher - No it's cold! Snowing in fact
Matthew - :) Nicely obferved
Indigo - Try shouting loudly. Never fails
i'm lost.
ReplyDeletealso, take me to PairEEE!!
That is weird. I wanna go!
ReplyDeleteFrench bread ..... yeah, baby!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, I'm new to you; just browsing via Cuban and onwards.
ReplyDeleteHow very sensible you are to leave Wales to its mist and rain and freezing chalets. And go to France.
Oh, hang on, I forgot, it's just as cold there at the moment.
Come back to sunny Blighty.
see you soon.
Aaaah....Qqqqh!
ReplyDeleteI thought when I first stqrted reqding this thqt you might be suffering from one of those strqnge nerve mqlqdies that cqused the littlest finger to fly off on its own.
It certainly was an interesting read with the A and Q's mixed up! Enjoy the vacation.
ReplyDeleteI had problems with keyboards in the czech republik. There seemed to be Zs everywhere. about 26 of them.
ReplyDeleteI love France. Food, the wine. The *very* cheap wine.
ReplyDeleteBut I hate their keyboards. They make me want to cry.
I could live in a patisserie. In fact, I could live off Tartes aux Pommes and wine.
I've had the same problem as Veg while abroad. Never encountered the French keyboard phenomenon though.
ReplyDeleteoooo la la...I loved the booze and cheese when I was there. And the bread. And the perfect red wine. Enjoy every minute!
ReplyDeleteA oui
ReplyDeleteBread? Really?
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to fresh French bread and found it the most godawful bread I had ever tasted. Went off and fossilised if you didn't force it down within ten minutes of purchase too.
Sorry to hear about your keyboard woes. And there I was assuming you were trying to type with a French accent!
wow i wannna be like her check out my moves ahhhh
ReplyDeleteohhhhh like year good init you wacth me till im dead and gone ohh year
Any good French chocolate?
ReplyDeleteI'm really dropping by to say I miss you. Hugs to you and yours!
;) Robyn
Glad you didn't go on the Eurostar. Then you'd have been one of the people in St Pancras who regularly annoy me with their wheely suitcases on a Monday morning. Hope you had a fine time.
ReplyDeleteYeah but do they have IKEQ there...
ReplyDeleteAh Grumpy, how I love you! Sorry I've been absent. You always make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteIt was only getting to the end that I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
ReplyDeleteMy tired brain couldn't quite comprehend what was actually wrong on the screen.
Hope you are well my grumpy friend?
Hi
ReplyDeleteJust want to tell you that I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. sorry there wasn't one named Most Handsome Blogger or Most Macho etc.
Ya takes what you can get.
Love your blog.
Lo
Wow, I just stopped by to tell you the very same thing as Lo: I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Because, let's face it, you are beautiful in your grumpiness! Although if you stop over at my site, you'll see that I'm not sure you are REALLY all that grumpy. I knew grumpy...grumpy was a friend of mine...and you, sir, are no grumpy! (Sorry, recapping the old Lloyd Benson-Dan Quayle US vice-presidential debate. An American high point.)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm in the France Lurv Club. I like even the annoying things, such as the ban on unscented soap and big knickers.
ReplyDeleteMommaK ~ Need a map?
ReplyDeleteMiMi ~ Hey! You LIVE in France!
Marla ~ or is that 'oui bebe'
Friko ~ Welcome!
IT ~ Gotchq!
Amy ~ I'll try!
ReplyDeletepixie ~ I didn't even know there were Czech keyboards
Richard ~ Tarte aux pommes eh? You are a person of taste
Hunter ~ Have a try! It's impossible
JennyM ~ Don't get me started on red wine....
Anon ~ a wee what?
Laura ~ Did you try the pain chocolat? That's pretty good, even when fossilized
Robyn ~ There is no good French chocolate. I'll be by soon - it's been a bit manic
MmeD ~ Do they still run?
Anon ~ :)
Tina ~ Thank you! And likewise
Dan ~ Ah ha! Yup v well ta - and how are you now you're a star of bloggery?
Lo ~ Thank you! I'm quite touched
Blissed OG ~ Wow! I'm touched again. That must be retouched then
Arabella ~ They ban big knickers? For shame