Hmmm....not so organized day

Friday July 25, 2014

Friday was bright and sunny I had a good sleep in my pink room, had my nice English breakfast at 8 and was out the door at 8:30......a short walk to the ferry terminal hoping to walk on the 9:30 ferry.....then I figured out my connections and I could make it back to Sneek by 5 or 6 (new time, I loose an hour).....well it was not to be.....foot passenger quote for the 9:30 and the 10:15 were all filled up......I left on the 11:10...making a mess of my plans. On top of that there was no wifi in the terminal or on the ferry to figure out new connections...(what did we ever do before internet!!??)

The pink formal dining room at the hotel

Mural on the Dover terminal wall

The 11:10 ferry!!

When I landed in Calais it was now 1:00 and they can't book tickets into Netherlands....so ticket to Lille.....by the time I get to Lille it is now 4:00 and I am in Gare Lille-Flanders station that also doesn't make tickets for places other than regional destinations. I now have to go to Gare Lille- Europe.....about a 400m walk. The nice young ticket person figured out that by now (5:00) I would not be able to make any possible configuration of connections to get me to Sneek tonight........so I booked a hotel.....which he could too right there.....I was so frustrated by this time I was happy to have a bed for the night.

When I got to my room the TV was on and there was a message for me!

Gare Lille-Europe

A piano that anyone can play anytime!

Looking back, at the way the last couple of days were going....if I had gone with plan A (the trip to Poole for a ferry to Jersey) I probably wouldn't have gotten on that ferry either!

I had a bit of a look around the area of the station (caches leading me around)....it does see to be a pretty town and a very busy hub for travel 

Central Plaza

A plaza that is over the freeway!

The only thing that disturbed me was the armed men in army fatigues at the Lille Flanders station and then later when I was walking in the giant fashion mall.....teams of 3 men just wander....with rifles across their chests, held at ready.  But then I remember seeing them at Gare Paris Nord  2 years ago....

Going into the mall....

There they are again....can you see them?