THE JOURNEY HOME OR SATURDAY

There is nothing more exciting than waiting to see if you will get your cash deposit on your holiday gite back on the morning you leave as it will be your petrol money. We passed muster, although the bill for a week’s worth of croissants and pain au raisins and baguettes was surprisingly high end.

Baguette or gold bar? I am not sure which ended up being cheaper.

9am – on the road, we decided that we would arc back via Caen, then shoot off to the North Normandy coast and town hop. This meant by the time I got home to Leigh on Sea I had been driving for 13 hours and a bit, but it was worth it.


We dropped in on the edge of Cabourg (a bit like Brighton but smaller), then into Houlgate (a Hove to Cabourg’s Brighton), Villers sur mer (dunno, but it was sweet), Blonville sur mer (gorgeously sweet), Deauville (Chigwell on Sea), Trouville (older than Deauville) and then in Honfleur for lunch. Guess what we had for lunch? Yeah, ha ha ha moules *twitches*.

Honfleur is basically a much bigger French version of Padstow, where incidentally Mrs M’s Grandfather was once harbormaster (that last bit of info is my gift to you all). The food was again of a high standard and, once again, remarkably cheap. The drink however was a slap in the face with an iron glove €6 for a Coke seems a little steep to me.

Really very lovely. If a little bit of a tourist pit of fleecing.

Back on the road we headed for The Bridge! Or Le Pont de Normandy. As a Kent born chap, married to an Essex born lady, we are very familiar with the Dartford crossing and the QE2 Bridge, which is essentially our version of Le Pont de Normandy, both straddling the large river that descends from our respective capital cities and spills our pollution into the sea. However, our bridge only costs £1.50 to cross (free at night) and even in the longest traffic jam only ever takes 20 mins to cross. Our French brethren like to charge €5 something and took us well over an hour to creep over. We were not impressed.



Equally unimpressive was the bloody minded Frenchman who turned us away at the Channel Crossing because we were 20mins too early. Or the incredibly inefficient way they seemed to be unable to get you through check in and customs. I was convinced I saw Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in a car alongside us. When I got a proper look they turned out to be a couple who had more in common with Bert and Ernie. I was tired.

Daniel and Rachel

Bert and Ernie

We got home late. The kids went to bed, we went to bed. Breton was a triumph. But I think we will go back to Italy as soon as we can afford it again.

Where we live. I know, why would you go on holiday if you lived here?

Coming soon, Summer 2012, the Magill Family holiday on Romney Marshes.