Back to France! (A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Lao Tzu)

I love the quote from Lao Tzu, and some of our best travel adventures have been when we’ve gone with the flow! However, on this occasion we had already planned and booked our return journey to France, never imagining that these plans would have to be changed at the last moment. Perhaps a more appropriate quote would be from Robert Burns: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

On arrival at the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle terminal, Mr FF discovered he had left his rucksack containing our laptop, travel paperwork, and Zeph’s passport at home. Luckily, the staff at the Tunnel were very accommodating and transferred us to a later train for no extra charge. We live less than a two-hour drive from Folkestone, and early on a Sunday morning, with little traffic, plus dry, sunny conditions, all helped manage an unfortunate situation.

We also had to cancel our overnight stop in a hotel just outside Tours. Luck was again on our side, as there was no charge for cancellation of the booking. However, we had to workout an alternative route and book new accommodation. We arrived in Calais late afternoon and drove to Le Touquet, where we found a lovely hotel that accepted dogs.

The last time I visited Le Touquet, I was accompanied by a large group of excited school children! The hotel was situated on the outskirts of Le Touquet, on the edge of a forest, which made it ideal for exercising Zeph. I liked the exterior of the hotel, and our room was very comfortable. Zeph had a welcome pack, including treats, a portable water bowl and poo bags!

The next day, we set off for St. Marcel. Many French villages and small towns are named St. Marcel, but the one I’m referring to is located in central France, specifically in the Indre department. We found a suitable hotel, Logis Hotel Le Prieure.

The Logis is a network of independent hotels, typically located in rural areas. This hotel has a highly recommended restaurant where we enjoyed a tasty dinner. It is also situated conveniently close to the A20 motorway, leading to Toulouse!

St. Marcel is a lovely medieval village. We only had time for a short stroll round, but below are three photos from our walk. The ancient buildings below the blue skies looked very attractive.

The church of this former Benedictine priory is famous for housing the relics of Saint Marcel (the ninth Bishop of Paris), and his disciple Saint Anastase. They were martyred in the 3rd century in nearby Argentomagus, an ancient city that is still being excavated. If we ever return to St Marcel. i would like to see inside the church and visit the excavations.

We were pleased to be back at the house and we reprised our habitual evening walk around the port.

Luckily, Zeph is a very good traveller. He’s never been car sick.. and happily settles down to any journey he experiences. Considering how sensitive he can be in certain situations, this is very fortunate!