Originally Posted by stapfam

Coming up for Christmas and I get invited to take a few friends to Calais (France) for a bit of Christmas shopping. Mainly because I speak the lingo and I have a car with a big boot (Trunk?). Well tomorrow is that day for this year. Booked last Weekend for the Ferry but realised that there was a problem with the boats yesterday. High winds in the channel mean that there is a delay in Docking the boats at Dover and there are now a couple of thousand trucks waiting for boats to get them to France. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse so have just rebooked the crossing to the "Chunnel". For the unititiated- this is the Channel Tunnel and is a train. Never been on it before and don't like the idea of it. I used to do rock climbing and had a go once at Pot Holing. Only tried it once and never again- I said then that you were never going to get me down a hole in the ground- and that is all this is. A BIG hole in the ground. I am not frightened but at least on a boat- there is something to do and something to see. All you do on the Chunnel is drive your car into a container and sit in it for the ride. No Scenery and no where to go.

Let you know what it is like when I get back but in the Hypermarket at Calais there is a bike shop- About the standard of Wallymart but at least it sells French bikes that are supposedly Superior- and they sell a lot of accessories. Then there is the wine. I play innocent at the wine store and ask for a taster. If I don't like the first bottle- then they keep offering till I find something I like- Wonder if I can still drive after a couple of hours in the Cellar. Then there is the Food- Moules Mariniere and fresh bread. I could live on that with creme broullee for desert and I dare say there will be a decent bottle of Plonk to wash it down with.

So providing the head and stomach are clear enough- I'll give a full report on the Bike shop when I get back. Mind you- Wonder if I can take pictures lying horizontally. Better do the wine shop after the bikes.


Edit---I know it does go against the grain but never found a decent pie in France- Couple of decent Fruit tarts available though but if Creme Broullee is on offer- Tarts do not stand a chance.