By Saturday night we were off, on an unexpected cross-country road trip across France in a little Renault Clio. By midnight we were just south of Paris, so we stopped for the night in a roadside hotel and the next day cruised through the French countryside to the big city. It’s a perfect spring day in the city of style: we stop for lunch al fresco alongside the Eiffel Tower and marvel at our good fortune!

A short while later, we’re a tad lost on the notoriously hard-to-navigate back streets of Paris. By the time we’ve found our way back onto the expressway we’re running behind schedule, so it’s straight through to the port of Le Havre. But despite our best efforts, it’s well past time check-in time. The queue is out the door and the car still has to be returned to the depot, so Kristin joins the queue while I rush back into town. Would you believe it? The depot is closed on Sundays and there’s no drop box for the keys! After a quick call to the emergency help line, I’m searching the streets for a local to leave the keys with. The bartender at Le Bon Aix doesn’t speak a word of English, but with a little translation by a friendly local, I manage to convince her to hold onto the keys and return them to the depot on Monday. Thank you! And I’m out the door, literally running for the ferry. 

In the meantime, Kristin has convinced the ferry - and its hundreds of passengers – to wait for us. When he spots me in the distance, a ferry employee jumps into his car and races down the road to collect me, and then we’re whisked on board – 15 minutes late. Unbelievable! The folk at L.D. Lines certainly know how to look after their customers! So, although I may be gasping for breath, we are on our way to the U.K. where the London Book Fair awaits.