The constriction of Nicole's boots were really causing her so much discomfort that she actually began limping, so we went to go buy her a new pair of shoes that would be more comfortable.
Of course, this is Nicole we are talking about, so comfort was only one essential aspect. The shoe still needed to be cute, match her outfit, and (probably even more important than comfort) be affordable. Luckily, there are some great sales on at the moment, and she bought the most adorable pair of red gumboots - so they were even practical, when you consider the weather conditions we have dealt with in London!
Eventually, though, not even coffee could keep us awake anymore, and so we did get a chance to nap before we went to our pre-tour meeting. Held in one of the hotel function rooms, we got to meet some of our travel companions - ok, we met one. She's very pretty Canadian girl called Rebecca, who is very bravely travelling alone. We also met our tour operator, Jen.
We had the opportunity to socialise with the rest of our tour mates at the pub of the hotel, but Nicole and I weren't quite up for pub grub just yet. We will have some fish and chips or bangers and mash when we get back to London in three weeks time.
Instead, we headed to the pizzeria (also part of the hotel) where, to our horror, we paid R175 for a pizza to share and two soft drinks! We then waited over an hour for our meal because they had forgotten to make it! Thankfully, when we did finally get to eat, it was quite delicious and actually worth waiting for (although still hellishly expensive, if you ask me).
After that, it was straight to bed. Our quick nap earlier that day was not enough to make up for nearly 40 hours of sleeplessness before that.We had a very early wake up call the next morning, so we needed as much sleep as we could manage.
Despite my tendencies towards insomnia and the super busy (and noisy) street below us, I slept pretty well, only waking up one at about 3am but falling asleep again fairly easily. Nicole was out stone cold, not even waking up when my phone alarm went off.
Actually, stone cold may not be an accurate description. Our bedroom was overheated. We'd packed super warm clothing to sleep in and ended up going to bed in our underwear because we didn't have anything lighter than that.
The only relief was to open the window a little to let some cool air in, but the noise from the street prevented us from keeping the window open all night long. Seriously, there are a lot of emergencies in London. Either that, or emergency vehicles in the city just like to drive around with their sirens blaring.
Despite being almost 7am when we collected in the courtyard to have our bags weighed and packed onto the bus, it was still dark out. They're super strict about the weight of the bags allowed on the bus and were pretty impressed that Nicole and I had such light luggage.
I left her to keep an eye on our stuff while I quickly rushed to a nearby store to buy a new toothbrush. Most oddly, as I was brushing my teeth last night, my toothbrush snapped into three pieces. It was really weird. The new toothbrush has set me back R50 even though it is nothing fancy, but it sure as hell for that price better be less likely to break!
When I got back to the courtyard, I found Nicole (or rather, she found me, since I couldn't see her in the dark without my glasses) busy chatting up a group of South Africans who will be on our tour with us. They have all just finished their HR degree at Potchefstroom and seem quite nice.
We sat together on the bus, and Jen (the tour operator that we'd met the night before) pointed us out as the group to go to for safety advice in avoiding pickpockets. Apparently we will be picking up a few more South Africans in Paris, so it will be interesting to meet them as well.
Meanwhile, we have just boarded the ferry that will be getting us across the English Channel. We've watched the "white" cliffs of Dover disappear (really, they are more like sand dunes in colour than chalky, if you ask me) and so I'm killing some time blogging.
Like a tool, I have forgotten our money on the bus, so we can't buy anything to eat and drink. Maybe that's a good thing, though. We'll save some money rather than eat out of boredom. Well, I'm not sure that Nicole would've eaten much, anyway, since she is feeling her stomach unsettle a bit as the boat sways to and fro.
Maybe we should go explore the boat a bit to distract her, since my butt is getting sore from all this sitting. Also, maybe we can go find a wifi hotspot, since I am starting to experience internet-connectivity withdrawal. That's a direct hint to her, actually, since she is busy reading as I type this. Nicole, do you want to go and look around?
***
Ok, so after about 15 minutes of exploring, I can tell you that, for our entertainment on the ferry, there are about six different places to get food or something to drink (even stiff drinks that they will double up for only a pound extra), lots of gambling machines (which they call "video games"), and a large duty free store that takes up moat of the deck below us.
That is, of course, considering that you have money! And, well, we don't. *Blush*
For those of us with our funds locked away on the bus, there is plenty of seating as well as some passing landscape and other ferries to watch. People watching is also available, if that's your sort of thing. It's kind of funny to watch our fellow passengers nodding off but trying not to. I don't blame them, this isn't super exciting. And there isn't any wifi. Not for anyone.
Luckily, we've just heard an announcement that we need to head back to our bus, so it seems our journey is nearly at its end! We already cleared customs before even getting on the bus. It's something I find quite nerve-wrecking with my passport that has pictures of AK47s in it (thank you Mozambique), but we breezed right through.
So it is French landscape from here to Paris. Woo!
***
The French landscape was less impressive than I'd hoped :P It was very flat and mostly farmland. Turned out that the area was used as a battle field during World War 1. There's actually a small section of it that is still owned by the Canadians - so cute.
Most of our drive through that region was spent listening to Jen explain how our tour works, what to expect is Paris, and a sales pitch for the Moulin Rouge. I never went to the cabaret the last time I was here because it is SO expensive, and I have always regretted it, so I've been trying to convince Nicole (from when we were in South Africa already) to go.
She was very against the idea because it is still SO expensive, but I'm guessing Jen's sales pitch worked because Nicole finally agreed to take me as a Christmas gift to me. (Sorry dad, I know you were with Nicole on this one...) I think what sold it might have been the fact that we get to really dress up for it! We can never turn down an opportunity to dress up!
Afterwards, we spent some time playing musical chairs crossed with speed dating so that we could get to know our fellow passengers. The last time I did a Contiki through Europe, almost everyone was Australian. This time, the group is only about half Aussie, with some New Zealanders, Americans, Canadians, and the South Africans.
I like the two Canadians a lot (don't let my husband find out) but everyone seems really nice, actually. They're all quite a bit younger than me, but I get along well with young adults, so I don't mind. Nicole will tell you that its because I'm immature!
We stopped at a rest stop for a late lunch, where they had a fast food place called Quick, which is the French version of McDonalds. It was so expensive, though! For a burger, chips, and coke, it set each of us back R90! Thankfully, it was much tastier than McDonalds, but still. I'm actually quite amused that the French even have their own fast food chain. You'd think that'd be beneath them!
Anyway, I discovered at that rest stop what a wifi addict I am! There was free wifi there, and I literally spent almost all our time there uploading pictures and downloading messages. I had to wolf my food down at the last minute to ensure that I got back to the bus on time. I am really missing the constant connectivity that I enjoy in South Africa.
I know I am not alone because, when we finally got to our hotel in Paris, we had access to free wifi again and everyone's cellphones suddenly popped out to connect to it while we were all queuing for the lift to our bedrooms. It's actually taken me forever to upload the photos of our hotel because it has slowed connectivity down so much. But I can access the wifi from my bed, so I am not complaining.
I went down to reception to see if I could get better wifi reception there when I was uploading the pictures, and I overheard a lady crying over the phone because all her things had been stolen, including her credit card, which had already been used by the thieves.
She was tired, upset, and frustrated with whoever was on the other end of the line who didn't seem to get what she was saying. I feel so enormously sorry for her. What an awful thing to happen to you on holiday. Back upstairs, I spoke to Nicole about the importance of safety and we discussed the ways in which we can make sure that we will not find ourselves in tears at reception.
Of course, I think we're probably a lot less likely to get robbed than anyone else on the bus since, as South Africans, we are quite savvy about criminal activity. The people I should really be giving safety talks to is the Canadians, rather than Nicole. They live in the world's safest country and apparently don't even lock their doors. I will keep an eye on them so that their holiday isn't ruined by crime either.
Anyway, the rooms here in Paris are much nicer than the ones we had in London. Much smaller, too, though! I can literally just fit my suitcase upright between the two beds. I have to put it on my bed to open it! The other South African girls have it even worse than us. All three of them are in one room, and they have to stand their suitcases up in the space created between the room and bathroom door.
From the wet streets of London to the shores of the English Channel and now a very rainy Paris, we seem to be surrounded by water today. We're off now to see the city of Paris at night! Expect photos, and lots of them!
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