Ferry Funny!!
.
Sometimes a funny experience just ups and bites you. We made our first crossing on the over night ferry having been allocated a cabin that although comfortable seemed to have been placed right next to the engines. As an ardent fan of eight hours sleep anything less is like managing on a cracker instead of a three course meal. Bedraggled and groggy we made our way to the car-deck, bypassing breakfast in fear of holding up the rest of the ferry drivers.
As the ramp came down we realised that we were the first off. Driving into a dark and cold Normandy winter’s morning we edged our way into unfamiliar territory followed by two hundred other cars. As leaders of the convoy we tried to follow the signs directing us around the ferry port, being ever watchful for the exit and aware of the hundreds of people following our lead.
As a lack of sleep and food depleted our normal good senses we came to sudden halt when presented with a closed gate. The realisation dawned on us that unlike Moses we had not led the travellers to the promised-land but to a dead end at which time we began to panic somewhat.
After five minutes trying to decide whether to abandon the car and disappear in the dark from what would surly be a lynch mob, a builders van laden with materials and hefty labourers from the back pulled out and proceeded to creep up besides us. In fear for our lives we locked the doors and scrambled for our mobile phones as it sidled up besides us. To our amazement instead of slicing up our car with their shovels and setting our feet in their bags of concrete ready to be thrown into the harbour, they continued to drive at increasing speed towards the closed gate. My God we thought, they’re going to ram it when at the last minute before impact a sensor automatically opened the gates and allowed the vehicle to safely pass through.
Trying to act nonchalant, if red faced, we gazed calmly at the procession of cars and vans passing us by with their enquiring, puzzled or amused drivers looking at two amateurs on their début onto French soil.
No related posts.
