On a day so blustery that it recalled the worst of Vancouver in December, with nasty horrid rain, we went to the Chateau Gaillard, what’s left of one of Richard Lionheart’s castles.
It’s amazing, but after 10 minutes Tammy and I were only too happy to get the Peugeot down the 15 degree slope of the access road and into Les Andelys, one of the most delightful towns imaginable, for a little bit of shopping and a meal of seafood salad and bifteck (18 Euros, cheapest meal you can imagine in this part of the world, and Marvellous). We picked up some yummies for the morning, and some wrapping for my liquid gifts (which will have to be checked baggage, but c’est la vie). Then some very very very interesting travel. First a trip to the train station at St Pierre de Vauvray and god help me if I miss the 7:32. Then an hour trip into Paris if nobody does anything stupid like strike. Then hopping out at Gare St Lazare and grabbing a cab for a 60 Euro ride out to Roissy-Charles De Gaulle airport. Then checking baggage, checking in (because it turns out I can’t print my boarding pass) and then hopefully not experiencing any difficulties with the return flight. So there are potentially four places things can fuck up tomorrow, and I’m on a super tight timeline.
I have credit cards. The way I figure it, the worst that can happen is I get stuck in Paris overnight;I may have to stay at the hotel at the airport. Or maybe I’ll forget to composte my ticket and be grilled on some out of the way siding by the French transit police.
What’s all this about the Canadian government falling? I understand the Troughmaster General may prorogue Parliament sometime shortly. I mean I hope Harper experiences a conversion to humanism on the road to Hull, but are we all ready for another freaking election?
I have more pictures of cats than anything else. They really are adorable, and only one of them is tame enough to allow itself to be touched.
Best of luck in making your connections. Horrid Horrible Harper will use the time until the budget twisting the governor general’s arms until she looks like a swizzle stick to get her to call an election instead of letting the frogs back into power. Then HHH can blame the frogs for an expensive and unnecessary election. Still wishing for none of the above on the ballot. (PS Way back when, my ancestors were frogs.)