Long time no write! There were no internet cafes open in Arras when I was there, and the hotel wants $20.00 an hour!

Travels for May 3/08:

Rouen, France. A phone call to Avis at the gare gets no response — I'm trying to find out where to drop the car keys, and there's no slot in the office door. It sure would help to know the rules of the road here. Maybe I just drop the keys at the SNCF office. I'll find out tonight.

A stroll to the old market place reveals some interesting photo opportunities.

After lunch I'm off to Dieppe, the site of the failed Canadian raid in 1942. It's a little over one hour’s drive away, and as I get closer the traffic gets thicker. The line of cars crawls into town, and at the beach front I join a convoy of cars going in circles around a huge parking lot. There must be 500 parking spaces and not a one to be had. All the spots in town are "payant" which I think requires a special windshield permit, as there are no meters or ticket dispensers. A little bit further out I squeeze into a tight spot at the port authority, and walk back.

Half of the people in northwest France are here. It's warm out and I'm in shirt sleeves — about 24° at 2 PM. I find a memorial to Les Fusiliers de Mont Royal, and another to the Highland Light Infantry, and a Canadian flag flying beneath a large poster — it turns out it's from 2002, the 60th anniversary of the raid. Around the corner there's a boarded-up church in poor condition, with a flea market going on outside. There's also a small memorial stone to two fallen Canadian soldiers.

Just north of Dieppe is the town of Puys, which also claims a 1942 raid landing. Memorials are to the Royal Regiment of Canada, and there's a plaque for a visit by Mackenzie King. Apparently Canadian units landed at both places.*

The shore here is bare sharp rock at low tide. Just before I get to Le Treport (QOR), I find what has to be the shortest town name in France — Eu. Then into Le Treport, another beach town and small port activity. Just north of here is Mers-les-Bains which has a huge chemical plant and gives the area a distinct odour. When the QOR left Le Treport, they headed through Yzengremer and up the English Channel coast. The 1H wound up in Abbeville, and both have now left Normandy and are now in Picardy. The 1H harboured at Abbeville on the Somme at the beginning of September 1942, and there are some quaint scenes here — a half-Gothic-half-Norman church, the slow-flowing picturesque Somme, and a new old style gare.

It's now 7 PM and I need to drive 100 km back to Rouen to return the car at 9 PM, and I make it on the dot. It turns out that the key gets turned in at the SNCF office.

At 11:30 AM it's already quite warm in the sun. I read, people watch, and snack. Many people smoke; the desk manager at the hotel told me 40% of people in France smoke (it's about 16% in BC).

It occurs to me that I see lots of couples holding hands in France, but no same-sex couples holding hands. There are street people here and panhandlers, but fewer than in Vancouver. One street person is tipsy at noon, and no-one pays attention to him.

The cyber café opens at 2 PM and I catch up on e-mails. Then it's time to hike back to the gare, but I go too far east and walk in a big loop. It's a 15-minute walk but I manage to do it in 25 minutes! The gare is another zoo, Jane. Travelling on a Sunday evening on a long weekend is not advised unless you like crowds. The train to Arras via Amiens leaves at 18h14 (6:14 PM), and it's a local train so there is no first-class car and the train is jammed. At Amiens, some people get off, and even more get on, and the aisles are strewn with luggage. At Arras, I exit the gare and pull out my handy IBIS hotel guide which I use, along with street signs and asking for directions. Of course, I have walked the long way around, pulling my suitcase over cobbled streets. My hotel room is a familiar layout. IBIS hotels must be the McDonald’s of the hotel world — you always know what to expect.

I am grateful to my wife, Tia, for her suggestions about things to pack for my trip, such as a face cloth (not in any IBIS hotels), small pocket packs of Kleenex (none in any hotels I've stayed in), small knitted slippers made by our friend Mary Wilson, and a fleece pullover Tia made for me.

I have also used some of travel-writer Rick Steeves' suggestions — use of a day bag and washable, dry-overnight undies are two of them. I update my journal before bed.

Where to next? I'll find out tomorrow at the gare, as I have no reservations yet for train or hotel. My photo count is now over 500.

Tomorrow — more Arras and then Vimy Ridge.

Cheers,

Mike