We arrived safe and sound at 6.30am Saturday morning and, after nearly 30 hours in transit, were happy to be home. I really needed to hug Rhiannon. I miss my daughter badly whenever I am away.  And I wanted to speak to my lovely friends. Long, chatty phone calls are not an option when roaming charges apply!  But we weren’t ready to leave France either and could have easily have stayed for so much longer. So, conflicted emotions.

Unfortunately, before leaving, we again experienced ‘un  petit problème’ at Charles de  Gaulle airport. We arrived at  6.15pm  for our  9pm flight,  in plenty of time, or so we  thought. Since I had done some shopping, I had tax to  claim so, after checking our bags  in, I headed for the  queue. Not everyone is organised in regard to claiming  VAT I’ve  found, as I stood and watched many, MANY  people shuffling through suitcases, running to friends  and/or family, all in pursuit of an errant receipt of proof  of purchase.  Or, if the receipt was unable to be located,  showing the  disinterested customs officer the specific  item: ie handbag,  shoes, dress or hat, in the hope that it would  suffice. (It doesn’t, by the way..which meant it was then followed by an argument as to why it should) All this of course took time….so, 50 minutes later, I had my form stamped and was told to go to the Travelex counter to obtain my refund, where I faced another long queue! A further 45 mins later and, as only two staff were working, no closer to being served, I gave up entirely in sheer frustration. So, a lesson learned – in future I will mail all VAT claims. Our plane was due to board at 8.20pm, it was now 7.50pm and we still had immigration to clear and a shuttle to catch. Unfortunately for us, immigration staffing was also at a maximum of two people. As there was probably 50-60 people in the queue in front of us and hundreds behind, the pressure was now on and, like the last time we were here, I could picture our flight departing without us on it. Long story short, we made it with only a few  minutes to spare, so our vision of having ample time to have a coffee and relax a bit before our flight never happened. We were the lucky ones though, because there were many others who missed theirs.

So, more staff please, CDG!!

Les morceaux……

I’ve added some random observations, in no particular order, to finish up:

Not just the usual Jean-Paul,  Didier or Pierre. No, we noticed that Les and Des are also very popular names in France (think about it….)

We saw signs early on during our holiday for ‘Festyland’. Turns out, it was a fun park, with rides and fairy floss in abundance. But for me, there wasn’t much appeal. Anything ‘festy’ does not suggest to me a great time to be had…….

Unisex toilets are common in France. The result? I’ve become accustomed to seeing one or maybe two french penises, almost every day. No embarrassment on either side though, a jaunty ‘Bonjour’ on the way out the door is all it takes…

Apparently it rains so much in Normandy and Brittany, the sheep get mouldy. True story.

High visibility vests are worn by allschool children and bike riders, in the regional areas anyway. We thought it was a great idea, which Australia should adopt. .

Fun fact: Moles are a bit of a scourge for gardeners in France, particularly anyone proud of their lawn. But the mounds of soil they leave in their endeavours to tunnel through the garden is fantastic if used as a potting mix…

Cobble stones and high heels. How do they manage it???

I saw many car parking spaces in many different towns labelled ‘PM only’. No, not the Prime Minister, it’s for ‘la Police Municipale’

When driving along narrow country roads, where do you go if trying to avoid an oncoming car that has elected not to move over? There are no verges, only often a very dangerous looking ditch. Breathe in and think thin, that’s all I can say…

Bicycle riders are not required to wear helmets, strangely. And, apparently it’s also okay for them to text and ride as well. It must be, since we saw plenty doing exactly that, particularly in Paris. They’re brave, if nothing else..

Small children are beautifully dressed in France, including matching sun glasses and scarves to complete the outfit.  They look fantastic and very cute…

Don’t assume a green walk sign means that cars and bicycles will stop. It doesn’t.

If your phone needs charging, head for the nearest TGV ‘gare’. Several times during our travels, we saw small pods set up in the train stations. For 4 people  and free of charge, you can charge your phone by pedalling. Yep, that’s right, it’s fitness first in France! . Hop on a seat and pedal madly. You are in full control, depending on how hard, or long, you are prepared to pedal . What clever idea! And, if you can multi task, why not read ‘le journal’ at the same time…

Holidays allow time for reflection and Jeff and I talked a lot together about the things we’d want to change in our lives. Sometimes the realities of day to day life get in the way, but I am determined to try and maintain the mind set we’ve come home with. Alors, je croise les doigts….

 

C’est tout de moi,  à la prochaine!