France 2011 with Polly Sim Mutch and Izzy

Fri Sept 9th

Left home at 7.15pm for an evening run down to Canterbury and with a 30 minute stop on the way down arrived at 12.30. Had a look at the bus park at the rear of Sainsburys but at £10 for 12 hours (and no sleeping signs) decide to go to Dover rd park and ride.As there were a couple of vans parked outside on the bus turn round i opted for there rather than try to get in the aire this late.

Sat Sept 10th

As the buses start early i was away into Canterbury at 6.30 and to Sainsbury's to change some cash and Morrison's for a bit of shopping and to meet Polly who had come down via Milton Keynes. We had shopping  etc done for lunch so headed to Dover Rd where we would be spending the night. After parking up we got the bus into town for a pleasant afternoon then back for tea and get ready for the trip down to Dover on the Sunday morning.

Sun Sept 11th

Up for 9 am and filled with water and toilet emptied we are ready for the trip down to catch the 12.15 ferry but the ticket machine would not work so it was a phone call to release the barrier and a free night .  As Polly was on the Dover - Calais and i was on the Dover Dunkirk we had arrange to meet at the aire at Gravelines.

It was a good crossing and i arrived at Gravelines which is fairly busy at 4pm ish Polly is parked up so we have a stroll round the town ,then back for tea and then another walk with Izzy after tea .
gravelines aire

 Gravelines is an ideal stop for your first port of call as you enbark in France .Its half an hour ish from the 2 port crossings of Calais and Dunkirk and tunnel .Here you will find a Lidl just across the road and an Intermarche within half a mile (for fuel) there is also another aire close by at grande Fort Phillipe. The town itself has a few bars and shops and a couple of cake shops or boulangeries if you only want bread. But when in France you have to check out the cakes .Note that there is a big price difference between the 2 cake shops as i opted for the expensive one and then saw the same cakes cheaper at the second shop :-) .  The aire in 2011 was free but now they have put a machine on and i think it is now 8 euro. The water and dump is about a mile away next to the police station but is signposted so not very hard to find .


This was Polly's first trip in the van to France and as she will not do much more than 100k in a day we are planning to go down the Normandy coast as far as maybe Arromanches as i have done this a few times i am hoping to visit places i had just bypassed previously.

Monday 12th Sept

Up and ready to go for 9.45 as the buses start early and run past the front of the aire .Our first stop is the aire at Le Crotey. We hit the A16 and get stuck in roadworks traffic which i must admit is a first for me .We arrive at Le Crotey at 12.30 and have lunch here but it doesn't seem like a very nice place to stop so we decide we will head off to Saint- Valery- Sur- Somme which is only just down the road.
The aire here is barriered all hard standing and 8euro a night and its only a 15 minute walk into the medieval town .

Its a very quaint village with narrow streets a nice prom to walk down and the odd medieval building so very photogenic. So we both had a wonderful time with the camera's . Just a note between us we took about a 1000 pics on this trip so i will try to get a good mix of mine and Polly's.

Spent most of the afternoon wandering round the town before heading back to the aire for tea and drinks.

 

aire at Saint -Valery-sur -Somme

Tues 13th Sept

Next stop is just down the road at Le Treport where we will have lunch and a stroll round the town,

We decide not to stop here and head off for Saint -Valery -en- Caux about 60k away and the aire there which is right on the alabaster cliff s overlooking the sea although we were on the second row of vans and it was very busy. Izzy found a few new friends on the grassed picnic area and again we had a look round the port and town before coming back for tea and wine.The aire itself was 5 euro a night . 

                                                       Saint-Valery-en-Caux aire

Wed 14th Sept

Next stop is again only 60k away and Fe'camp, here the motor home parking was right on the harbour with additional parking and services just across the road with a jeton available at the tourist office. There's quite a lot to see here and we visited a couple of churches and the Benedictine Liquer factory. Had a bit of a do with a German and his wife who seemed to think it was ok to use my water that i had just got a jeton for when i went to top my tank up. Overall it was one of best we have stayed up to now and even manage a steak barbecue night .

Fe'camp aire

Thurs 15th Sept

We left around 10 and headed for the chocolate factory just on the edge of town but after a bit of a walk round decided it was very overpriced chocolate so we headed off to Honfluer with a stop at the Normandy toll bridge to take a few pics.

The aire at Honfluer was very busy as usual but at 9euro with electric its not too bad as its just a stroll from here into the harbour. It was very warm and we decide we will stay here for a couple of days. Had a few trips into the harbour area for drinks while we were here also a stroll round the parks .Had a hangover on the fri due to to many beers mixed with wine and also got bit for the first time with midges (my fault as i was sat in a harbour bar with shorts on) also a bit of sun stroke so not a very pleasant couple of days.

       Honfluer aire

Sat 17th Sept

Todays destination is Arromanches with a stop at the canadian cemetry of beny-sur-mer where my eldest sister's father was buried and also Juno beach .

we were lucky at Arromanches because as we drove into the aire in the town there were 2 vans coming out so we were able to get decent spots.There is a campsite at the back of the aire and the car park in front is used as an overflow and there is an aire just out of town on the cliffs overlooking the beach .(i have stopped on the clifftop in the past and had to move as i thought the high winds would tip the van).

Arromanches is a great place to stop if you want to get an insight of the ww2 battles as it was the site of the main British onslaught and has a museum and 360 degree cinema(on the clifftop but with a small train running from the town).It also has the remnants of the mulberry harbours on the beach and some nice bars shops and café's.

Arromanches aire

Sun 18th Sept

Weather has not been to good last day or so we have had a bit of rain but cant complain really. A local cider farmer arrived on the aire early so i bought a few bottles to top up the supply then it was off in the direction of Deauville /Trouville.I had stopped here the previous year and it was glorious sunshine and spent a few days on the beach but this was another experience as it was torrential rain  we did manage a quick look round Trouville and to get to a local bar despite getting drenched but a tour of the area was declined .

Deauville aire

Monday 19th Sept

The rain had ceased so we had a tour of the very expensive shops in Douville and then down to the beach where we found the Casino with the most expensive drink prices i have ever seen.

From here we set off for Rouen but not the centre as there is a small free aire at Oissel just on the outskirts so we head to that with the intention of sightseeing Rouen on the tuesday. Oissel has dedicated parking for 4 sub 6metre vans and if your over that you will get stick from the neighbourhood watch .There are more parking places and at quiet times i would think it would be ok to use these. The aire is right on the river so plenty to see ,a country park estate just down the road and a large supermarket not far away.

              Oissel aire











Tues Sept 20th

Left Oissel for the 45 minute run down to Rouen and parked on the quayside opposite the centre and then had a good 3 hour trip around the centre taking in the tourist sites and even a trip to Mcdonalds.

From Rouen we are heading back up the coast as Polly will need to get Izzy to the vet before we go back. So we head off to Port -Mahon -Plage which is a nice seaside town with sandy beach. The aire is amongst the sandunes just off the main street so its sheltered from the elements and in 2010 it was 8 euro a night. We arrive about 3pm and have a walk down to the beach before coming back for a barbeque  for tea. One thing we did find was that when we went to a bar at 9pm for a last drink all the bars were shut ,maybe due to the fact it was the end of september.
Fort-Mahon- Plage aire

Wed 21st Sept

From here we headed up to calais to spend the day parking facing the marina and as i had never been round the town we ended up going for a drink in the centre and from here Polly could take Izzy for her injections the following morning.

Thurs 22nd Sept

We both drove down to the vets which was about 20 mile from Calais but as she had to go back a couple of hours later i left here there and headed up to Gravelines where we would spend our last night before getting our individual ferrys back home on the Friday.






 

France 2010 with Bev

France 2010

 Set off with at 2.30pm on Friday 18th June for the 280 mile trip to Dover. Had a good run down with not too many hold-ups and with a 45 min break at Starbucks at Hilton Park services on the M6 we arrived at Dover at 9.30pm so it was a trip to the chippie and supper on Marine Parade and settle down for the night.

Sat 19th June

 Up at 8 and after a spot of breakfast it was down the road to Morrison’s for a bit of shopping then to Dover Castle to spend a few hours here as the ferry was not until 6pm. I'm an English Heritage member so free for me but  was a bit shocked to find it was £13.50 for non members. It has a lot to see so easily managed to while the time away here despite it being a bit on the windy and cold side. Left round 5 and had an hour or so on the front at Dover Parade before trip  to the port.

view over dover from the castle

 The ferry was away on the dot of 8pm and  had a smooth crossing arriving in France at 9.30 (10.30 their time) ,as it was so late had decided to head down the A16 to Abbeville and stop on the aire at la Baie de somme.

This is the first motorway aire i have stopped on but it seemed a decent stop and did not feel unsafe (dedicated parking for caravans/campers separate from the cars and trucks)and the place has a nature theme.

Baie de somme aire

Sunday 20th June

After a good nights sleep and breakfast we set off for Rouen, after coming off the Paige i decided to stop at one of the roadside aires to check the address for the intended stop at Rouen, it was here while checking the map out that we had a chance meeting with fellow wildcampers Bill and Ange (pioneer) Pete and Ali(zeezee) and Nigel and Judy (Nigel 54) who i thought would be well on their way as they had got the ferry early sat morning (but then realising they were celebrating birthdays and they would have had to sober up a bit before heading on their way).Anyway  had a brew and a bit of cake with them and scrounged some eccles cakes off Nigel and then gave them a farewell and headed of our separate ways. Arrived at Rouen intending to stop on the Quayside on the opposite side of town only to find it all decked out and some sort of frame being built on the bridge. As the monday was Festival De Musiqe in France i presumed this had been done for this or for the July festivals. There were half a dozen Italian vans parked on the road nearby so parked amongst these and went for a tour of Rouen. With it being sunday it was a bit quiet but we visited the churches of Notre Dame and Joan of Arc and had a pleasant few hours. Back at the van decided  i would not stop on roadside and would head up to the aire at Oissel. On arrival at the aire which i knew had only 2 dedicated spaces we found they were taken (by 2 british vans) so decided to have a look at the other aire close by that was listed in satnav. This aire turned out to be a Leclerc supermarket so went back to Oissel and as it had many car parking spaces and they were empty tucked myself into one of these and after a brief walk round the village settle down for the night.

Rouen 

Aire at Oissel

Monday 21st June

Beautiful sunny monday morning so after filling with water etc we set off for the Camp PA.J. at Versailles

Camp P.A .J

€7 per night per person includes basic toilets ,showers and emptying facilities cross between an aire and a campsite but really handy for the Gardens and Palace at Versailles.Versailles. The station is also only a 15 min walk and i think it was in area 2 and on the main line for the Eiffel tower so also handy for Paris .(I had already booked campsite but in hindsight it would have been cheaper to stay here and easier to get into Paris)The gardens are literally across the road from this site but one to note is the Palace is shut on a Monday. This particular monday was the Festival De Musique so there was some sort of band on almost every corner in the centre of Versailles so we had a really good day and night and we even found a Starbucks

Versaille gardens

Tues 22nd June 

Decided to do the tour of the palace on the tuesday so parked on the road outside the camp as there were no restrictions and parking in Versailles a nightmare ,so  walked through the gardens to the Palace, unfortunately the queues were massive so  decided to give it a miss and headed to the campsite at Camping Beau Village and chilled for the rest of the day

Beau Village had all the usual facilities and the pitches were quite big and at €20 a night inc electric was reasonable for a site so close to Paris. I bought a ticket at the station to cover extensive and unlimited travel from Paris Visite which gave 2 day unlimited travel for €58 which was made good use out of. In the 2 days  went into Paris and did all the usual tourist sites and it also gave discount of some of the major tours.

 Also visited the chateau at Fontainebleau and surrounding area which is well worth a visit

beau village

beau village

Bev in Paris

The 3 nights on site and 2 days touring Paris then brought Friday 25th June and as it was still glorious sunshine it was decided we would head northwards and to the beach. First stop would be Honfluer.

Left the campsite around 12.00 and went non stop to Honfluer arriving at 3.30 so it was chill time with a bit of sunbathing and and a brew before exploring the fishing town, returned around 7 for a barbeque and then it was time to get ready for a few drinks in the port. The aire was €9 for 24 hours and included electric and all other facilities and has the usual boulangerie van calling in the morning. Honfluer is well worth a visit if your on this coast and has an array of seafood eateries (i'm not into seafood so not for me) but  found a cheap bar just off the main st and enjoyed a few pints of their finest beers.

Honfluer

Honfluer

Back street bar in Honfluer

Harbour at night

Sat 26th June

As Honfluer has no beach headed south in search of a bit of beach, had a quick look round Deauville/Trouville which lookes very nice but decided  would go as far down as Houlgate and see if there was anywhere better. Villers sur mer did look a very seasidy place but was not camping friendly and even though  had lunch on the quay at Houlgate it did not seem as good as the towns of Deauville/Trouville so it was back up to there and  found a place on the rather small aire (room for about 8 vans ,free with elect).There were many vans parked on the Quayside and the only restrictions seemed to be no picnicking signs . Spent Sat and Sunday here with a very nice meal overlooking the beach and got in a bit of beach sunbathing. We moved over to the pier for the sunday parking as it was a bit closer there is also a massive sunday morning market that runs right down one side of the pier for the bargain hunters. 

Trouville

sunset at trouville

at trouville at  pier

As the ferry was 10.30 on monday morning  left it as late as possible at Trouville (6pm sun night) and then set off for the return to Calais. A couple of tolls on the way ,Normandy bridge €5 and a stretch of m/way €6.70 arriving about 8 at Baie de somme where i used the showers courtesy of a very pleasant cleaning lady who got the keys (think they are meant for the lorry drivers).Decides to get a bit closer to Calais and find a chippy as had run out of gas and so couldnt cook. Had a look at Le Tourquet but it seemed expensive and a bit out of the town so called at a McDonalds on the edge of town and carried on to Le Portal at Boulogne which has had a revamp and is now an aire across the road which is barriered and has a €4 charge payable via credit card.

Monday 28th June Up at 8 and a quick breckie and down to Calais for the ferry. We were spot on time wise as we were straight on the boat and back in the uk for 11 ish (uk time).Stopped at the park and ride on Dover rd in Canterbury £2.50 and free bus into town and spent the day sightseeing in Canterbury leaving at 6pm for the trip home which despite a few holdups on the M6 and a stop at the services at Northampton took  6.30mins.

Canterbury Cathedral

The Costings without food drink and entertainment. Mileage 1300 miles

Ferry cost £50.50 (including an ammendment)

Fuel in france was €1.15 per litre at major super markets filled up twice £117 not including the full tank i started with .      Tolls £30.73

Campsites and aires £71.71

Belgium and Holland 2008

I booked a deal thro' the Caravan Club Dover -Dunkirk with Norfolkline for £33 return and i thought if i do not go for any reason i have not lost a lot of money. So with holidays left and a week’s break in between xmas i decided to spend xmas abroad. I sorted the Family and all who i buy cards and presents for on Sat the 20th Dec and prepared for the trip down to Dover on the 21st.

I left Stockport with a quick call at Aldi to buy a 300w inverter (to add to my collection) at 10.30am on Sun 21st Dec .I arrived in Dover after a 45 min break at Northampton services at 5pm. Went to terminal to see if they would let me on earlier ferry as mine was a 2am crossing ,but was told i would have to pay if i wanted earlier than 12am, so i settled for that. I went back to town centre car park and had a stroll to local chippy and then chilled until it was time for ferry. On the 12.00am crossing which was a good crossing and came out of the terminal 2.30ish i then headed to Dunkirk town centre as i had seen an aire near the beach the year before but after half an hour of looking i gave up and parked on coach park in centre.

Monday 22nd Dec

Bruges Aire

After breakfast i was away for 10.00 and heading into Belgium to Bruges to see the xmas markets i had heard so much about. I arrived at Bruges just before 12.00am and headed for the aire next to the station. Surprisingly it was nearly empty when i pulled in and at 15 euros inc elect and water (from the car park attendants hut) i didn't think that was to bad. After a spot of lunch i had a stroll down through the park to the centre to take a few pics of the local architecture. Was amazed to see how many bikes were parked up at the station when i passed and loved the Christmassy feel to the place. Spend about 3 hours wandering round then return to the van for a bite to eat then at 8pm a return trip to see the Christmas lights etc.

Bruges

Bruges

Antwerp

I left Bruges on the 23rds Dec at about 11.0am and headed up to Antwerp arriving 1.30pm ,I parked on a road on the outskirts for some lunch and to check out the parking situation.. It was very busy traffic wise so just riding about looking for an aire was out of the question so i consulted laptop and motorhome list had a reference to a parking on the quay.(ref N 51.21325 E 4.39016) so i headed down there and found a spot right on the river and only a ten minute walk into the centre.

Xmas market

Antwep centre

waterfront at Antwerp

Amsterdam

Dec 24rd

Top Bikes

On the road for 6.30 for the trip up to Amsterdam and arrived at Camping Zeeburg in Amsterdam. I was disappointed with the campsite, going off the previous years website xmas was off season but they had now jumped on the bandwagon and had now changed the holiday period to high season which amounted to 20 euro for 24th and then 24th up to new year went up to 26 euro. I booked for 2 days as site was only a short trip to centre. Note for next time double check directions as i spent 4 hours on bike trying to find centre and gave up first day and ended up getting the bus in at the night time. 

Brewery

Xmas day i ventured out on bike again and this time took right route and ended up at main station in 15 mins so did get to spend a few hours in the city, with visit to Dam Sq and Rembrandt Sq and met a geordi who had been there for 7 years and now resorted to begging .Back to site for xmas lunch via the windmill brewery for a few pils. Asked site if they would do a deal if i wanted to stay another couple of days but was told no it was high season and they would be busy (THERE WERE 2 VANS ON SITE ME AND AN ITALIAN VAN.) So decided that even though i would have like to see more of Amsterdam i was not paying 26 euro and on top of that you had to pay for showers and water.

Camping Zeeburg

Pot Cafe

boat cruise

Left Amsterdam on 26th which was a Friday so headed off to Aalsmeer to have a look at the flower market as is the largest in Holland and the place all flowers are exported from ,the problem I found when i arrived was that apart from being a holiday they were not open until Monday. The market itself is possible to overnight and is as big as an industrial estate. Set off back to Belgium via the scenic route so non motorway and calling at Rotterdam and Ghent and then on to Antwerp for the night. One piece of advice for Ghent is check you have left enough room for the trams to pass you if you park roadside as i parked in a lay-by about a mile out of the centre and luckily as i was checking map out a tram came up the road and couldn't get past me, don’t know what would have happened if i had locked van and walked into centre.

27 th Dec

Ostende aire

After a day of sightseeing in Antwerp and a stock-up of some Belgian chocolates decided to make my way back to Dunkirk with a day in Ostende as the temperature was dropping drastically and also having problems with water pump.Did call at Bruges on the way back but the aire was full so decided to give it a miss and carry on to Ostende. I found a dedicated aire just off the roundabout next to the marina (down the road from the main railway station) with access to a country park across the road which would have been a fantastic spot if the temperatures had been a little higher.Had a short sightseeing trip but its freezing so back to the van for some brandy and baileys

Ostend

Dec 28th

country park

Gas ran out at 3.30 and i had to get up to change it,it was 5 degrees  inside the van and -3 outside so had a job to get back to sleep til i had thawed out.Again had another trip into Ostend but it is to cold to sightsee or shop so i head back to the van ,this is when i encountered about 200 belgium pensioners on a mass walk into the country park ,(didn't know if it was a regular sunday stroll for them or a sponsored walk but had to admire them in this cold).
29^th Dec

Ferry home with a stop at Brownhills Canterbury to sort out water pump, got no sense out of anybody here so phoned Newark who told me to bring it in and they would sort it. As it was on my way home arrived at Newark 2ish and the job was done and I was on my way in a couple of hours. (So much for Brownhills Newark bad service reports).  Brilliant service Very pleased.

My first solo trip to France 2008

France 2008

I set of for Dover on sunday 22nd June 2008 with a stop at Canterbury to store up on food i caught the 10pm ferry to Dunkerque. A trouble free crossing had me docking at 11pm French time. Setting of towards  Abbeyville /Paris i drove for about an hour before coming off the A16 with the intention of a few hours sleep at the aire at St Valery sur Mer but i found a quiet layby on route so got my head down there. Up at 5.30 for my trip down to Charles-de Gaule  airport, with the satnav giving me problems i found my way to terminal 3 where the family were arriving. Here my problems started as my phone which i had recently taken a new contract with Virgin did not change to roaming. I now had the problem of how do i get in touch with daughter when she arrives. I had got there about 8 ish and knew they were due about 10 but with no means of getting in touch how would i find them, luckily the terminal was most probably the quietest so i set about finding a route round the terminal. I sussed out you could do a circle of the terminal in about ten minutes and as  i could not get in the car park for hight restrictions i decided i would just circle the terminal and hope i spotted them. After about forty circles to include a couple of stops at the terminal building parking in the taxi bay i found them or should i say they found me as the saw me on one of my circles.

I spent 3 days on the hotel Cheyenne car park in Disney where the daughter was staying, i had asked at reception if it was ok and was told yes, not sure if they thought i was staying at the hotel but on the fourth day i found a ticket on the windscreen telling me i had to move from the car park. There is a garage outside the Cheyenne that’s listed as an aire in the aires book so i went and filled up with diesel and used the services and asked the attendant if it was ok to park overnight  and was told no problem.

Disney

As daughter and family were only there for 4 days i dropped them back at the airport and set off round the ring road of Paris heading for Oradour -sur glane.

After leaving the airport i headed down the A10 towards Orleans and with the intention of sampling the pleasantries Loire River.After consulting the aires book i opted for a little village just through Orleans and not too far out of my way for Oradour. I arrived at the aire and found it full but with a couple of vans parked on the road outside i opted for parking with these and so settled down for here the night. A stroll into the village revealed a typical sleepy French village and a couple of glasses of the local brew put me on course for a barby back at the van. The next morning a few vans had moved on and as it was a glorious sunny day i moved the van to the front of the aire overlooking the river and decided to stop a couple of days and do a bit of cycling and explore the area.

Beaugency

On the Loire at Beaugency

After a pleasant couple of days at Beaugency and meeting a few new motorhoming friends ,French and Dutch i carried on to Oradour. The story behind Oradour sur Glane is that on Saturday the 10th of June 1944. an attack was carried out by soldiers of the Der Führer Regiment of the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division Das Reich. On that day they killed a total of 642 men, women and children without giving any reasons for their actions and to this day there is no universally accepted explanation for the massacre. The village was left as it was as a memorial and a new village built. I stopped here a couple of days toured the village and visited the memorial and found the experience very sombre. The aire at Oradour i must say was one of the best i have stayed on and was a typical example of the way the French cater for the tourist

Oradour

with the doctors car

                                                   

 I left Oradour and made my way to the Atlantic coast and to La Rochelle arriving late at night and helped by the Vicarious books All the Aires France i found the Aire at Esplanades des Parks which stated  was within walking distance of the town centre. The Aire was just a car park but with water and waste facilities (although the waste facility was not one i would use as it must have been the most unhygienic  i had seen it looked as though a motorhome with a large black waste tank had not bothered to open the waste cover and had just dropped it on top) but there were about 50 vans parked here so it seemed very safe. I parked for the night had a brew and then as it was ten o'clock ish decided to have a wander and explore the route to the centre. I strolled through the park that the car park backed onto and was surprised to find many people out jogging and walking at this time of night even though it was a summer evening, because of the location i was half expecting it to be a hangout for local dropouts but i was so wrong and it just confirmed to me why i prefer to be in France than in my home country. As the book said the centre was a 10 minute stroll thro the park and the harbour maybe another 10 minutes.

La Rochelle harbour

La Rochelle

Aire in centre of La Rochelle

The following morning i had decided that i would spend 2-3 days here and maybe take the bike to the Ile-de-Re'  i did not fancy three days on the car park  so found a nice little campsite  at Marina des Minimes which was one of the 10,12,15 euro sites in the Camping Card book, very cheap and 2 minutes to the beach, there is also a Motorhome service point across the road for anyone in the area that needs these facilities. La Rochelle was a wonderful place and i enjoyed the three days i spent there and would it recommend it to all

I left La Rochelle with no particular destination in mind but as the Loire Valley was on my route home

and the recommendations i had from fellow travellers on how nice the villages on the Loire were i headed off to Poitiers via Nort. After a whistlestop tour of Poitiers it was Tours next stop. I took the motorway which was toll free, I came off the m/way before Tours as i dislike large towns /city's and headed for  Blois via St Avertin and Mont Lois and intended to stay at Chaumont. On arrival at Chaumont the town centre aire was very busy so i then decided to head on a bit further to Blois. 

Blois

Loire at Blois

My view at Blois

This decision got me a great parking spot with a fantastic view on the Loire in a delightful little town .I also again met some fellow very friendly fellow motorhomers with whom i spent a couple of delightful days and then continued my journey back up to Calais and sadly back home to await my return trip.