August 13th - Light removals

15/08/2007 by Brigid.

With our car in France, and having left my bike with the dealers, any heavy shopping / collections would have to go on John’s Triumph. Thus, on Saturday morning, our neighbours were amused to see John and me riding around with a hired carpet cleaner on the pillion seat and a dozen or so flat-packed packing cases. Believe me, there is nothing that one cannot strap to a motorcycle pillion seat, providing one has enough bungees. Ask any Thai!

Starting with the kitchen, we cleaned as we packed but, by Sunday evening, we had to admit defeat having run out of energy and packing cases. John had located another suitable hire van, so we were up and out before 8am the following morning to collect it and return via the nice Boxes and Bubble people in Fulham Palace Road for more packing cases.

Always keen to save a few bob, John found that Ealing Car Hire were around £50 cheaper than the tried and trusted D&D Hire at White City. The price seemed so good that he double-checked all the details before booking: second driver, European breakdown cover, unlimited mileage, etc. However, when we turned up to collect the van, the story was a little different. The second driver would cost us £11 per day. OK, that could have been a misunderstanding. But European breakdown cover … sorry mate, you have to arrange your own. Then there is the £1,000 deposit. How will you be paying? “Lying, cheating, devious, b*st*ards”, were John’s exact words as soon as we were out of earshot! Instead we jumped back on the Triumph and headed over to White City.

We hadn’t booked, but D&D sorted us out quickly. For the previously quoted price of £600 + VAT and a deposit of £100, a van was quickly checked over and cleaned for us, and we were on the road. Full European breakdown assistance was arranged via the AA and a temporary membership number texted through to us within the hour.

It took all day to complete the packing and load the van. Despite leaving behind the majority of the larger items of furniture for our tenants, we were struggling to squeeze everything in. No chance whatsoever of stopping off via Ikea in Croydon to buy the units for our new kitchen in France.

We caught the 22:15 ferry from Dover and, as Freight, dined royally for half-price in the commercial drivers’ restaurant. It was after midnight by the time we arrived in Calais so we checked into an Etap motel on the outskirts of the Cité de Europe. Much better than the Première Classe.

I am not sure how amused our American friends would be by these French motels. But if any of you ever find yourselves in need of a cheap bed for the night to break a long car journey, you should try one of them just for the experience. Avoid Formule 1, which seems mainly frequented by chain-smoking travelling salesmen and has rather scary, self-cleaning, shared toilets and showers; and Première Classe which, as I have said before, is anything but. Otherwise, the facilities will be similar: a double bed with a single bunk above, a few hangers (which may or may not be attached to part of the bunk frame), a small TV, desk and chair, and a compact en-suite shower and toilet cabine; all slightly reminiscent of a ferry cabin. Watch your head when getting in and out of bed as thwacking your forehead on the upper bunk can spoil a night’s sleep.

Normally, no pre-booking is required and you can check in at any hour, using a credit card and key pad situated near the door. Work through the options: how many rooms, how many people, how many nights, how many breakfasts, etc.; and a ticket will be issued giving you an access code for the front door and for your room. It is all a bit spartan and impersonal, but by 1am or 2am after a long drive, one is usually past caring.

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