24 May 2009 Calais France

Today I got up early, ate breakfast and finished loading my motorcycle. I was anxious to get underway. I departed from the hotel sometime before 12:00 noon. I programed Matilda with the cities I planned to travel and we were off to Dover, England to get on the ferry to Dunkirk, France. I camped at a campground about 7 kilometers from the seaport. It was just starting to rain. I loaded my bike in haste and left. I always wanted to see the white cliffs of Dover so I drove up the coast and stopped to tour a castle which was used to protect the coast, and at another where I took pictures. I then rode back to the Dover seaport and proceeded to get a ferry ticket and tried to change some money. I purchased my ticket but wasn’t able to change any money. This money changing business plagued me for several days. Just as I was leaving the ticket office it started raining again and for the 2nd time today I put my rainsuit on. Rain always complicates everything including getting on the ferry. As I went from one checkpoint to another I was directed into security. I thought for sure they were going to go through that bike. They just asked if everything on my motorcycle was mine. I said, yes and they said ok and let me go. So I got in line 51 and sat in the rain and thunder waiting to embark on the North Fork ferry. I probably waited 30 minutes in the rain. I was directed to the front of the ferry and my bike was strapped down. I went upstairs and changed my British pounds to European Euros. They wouldn’t change my US dollars to Euros except at a great loss to me. I passed on that and tried purchasing some Euros with my check card. No way, they wouldn’t do that either. I was sure having problems getting Euros. I went up to the lounge during the crossing, which took two hours. I was soaked to the skin with perspiration from being inside my rainsuit along with being wet from sitting in the rain. I opened up my rainsuit and took some wet clothes off to dry and cool down. Anyway, I cooled down some and it was time to disembark. I was one of the first vehicles to disembark without any idea where I was going. I looked for a hotel without any luck. I had Matilda, my GPS unit find a hotel, but it was closed. I was standing in the parking lot trying to think up a new plan when this guy showed up. He was bringing some out of town work consultants to stay at the hotel. They had room reservations and special arrangements were made for the keys. Anyway, the guy saw my license plate was from the U.S. and he was generally impressed that I would come to France to visit or be a tourist. He also rode motorcycle and so we had something in common. When I told him I had no place to stay he offered to let me stay at his home. I was shocked and accepted his offer. I followed him to his home and he showed me his boy toys and we talked motorcycles and jobs till midnight. I finally got to bed sometime around midnight. I got up at 5:00 a.m. Patrick was a great host and I am very grateful for his hospitality. Before his offer to stay at his home I was thinking I might be sleeping outside. Not a pleasant thought.