Our journey from Paris to London begins with lots of farewells along the way to members of the tour group. Some don't even need to rush for the early breakfast as their planes are leaving later in the day, others are dropped at the Charles de Gaulle Airport Terminals. Our driver, Frankie, leaves us at Calais to return the coach to Belgium where he lives.
The Channel crossing is smooth we can see the white cliffs of Dover from France. Our ferry is The Spirit of France - very comfortable with plenty of food and entertainment options, including free wifi.ii
On arrival in the UK, the remainder, about half the tour group, continue on to London to be at various locations. We are in the last group offloaded at Earls Court.
After a short taxi ride we meet Steve at the apartment in Hammersmith. It is great to catch up with the newly engaged couple who then prepare a sumptuous meal for us to share. We discuss lots of things over dinner including our tour, their trip to Seville and of course wedding plans. Steve and Eryn graciously look at our photos on the IPad for some reason the guru can't get his Apple TV working.
After a great night's sleep we have a leisurely breakfast and occupy the rest of the morning with domestic chores most especially at the local Laundromat. Then we head off in the rain in search of John Lewis Department Store at Sloane Square, it's still raining when we emerge from the tube station and discover John Lewis is really 'Peter Jones'. Not to worry it is still a fantastic store with great customer service. We have fun choosing a hamper of gifts for the engaged couple.
During the course of the day we pick up bits and pieces for the evening meal for which we have volunteered our culinary services. It was pretty good, following a menu we were recently served in Rome. So we go all out Italian - bruschetta, salade, pasta, roast chicken and vegetables all washed down with Chianti then followed by tiramisu. However before having dessert we head off to check out a couple of local pubs that have function rooms where we hope to celebrate the engagement with S&E's London friends next Thursday evening. We settle for the Dartmouth Castle.
A great day with lots of leisure time draws to an end. Tomorrow we travel south to our friends Andrew and Diana in Lymington and the weekend in Kent with S & E to follow.
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