On Our Way to France via the Oscar Wilde

@JudyEv (382693)
Rockingham, Australia
November 17, 2015 7:13pm CST
After a month in Ireland touring in a motor-home and visiting our son, it was time to head for France. We went via Powerscourt, another lovely mansion now much in demand for up-market weddings and corporate affairs. We didn't pay to go into the gardens and the rooms were bare, waiting for the next influx of tables and chairs. We spent the night near Rosslare where the alstromerias at the caravan park were beautiful. My mother used to call them 'Alica and Marys'. Next morning we joined the queues at the ferry. It was noisy and a bit frantic with whistles blowing and orders shouted as they got us all on board. We travelled on the Oscar Wilde and, as it took some hours, we had a cabin which was adequate if not flash. We met friendly people on board, some of whom had done the crossing many times. We were looking forward to landing in Cherbourg, France, and wondering what was ahead of us.
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8 responses
Sharon
@simone10 (54180)
• Louisville, Kentucky
18 Nov 15
Was this trip before the recent events in Paris?
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Sharon
@simone10 (54180)
• Louisville, Kentucky
20 Nov 15
@JudyEv I'm so glad that you are home safe and weren't there when it all came down.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
Yes, thankfully. Our last stop was in Luxor for five days. We left there the day before the plane was brought down. So it's nice to be safe and sound at home.
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The Horse
@TheHorse (238397)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Nov 15
I enjoyed the friendliness of the people in the smaller villages South of Paris. It reminded me of the friendliness of small town people here in the US.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
We mostly kept away from motorways and tollways and kept to the country roads. And you're right, people in the smaller towns were very friendly.
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rebel_woman06
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
18 Nov 15
Aren't you afraid of the just recent killings that happened in France , my friend ?
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rebel_woman06
@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
18 Nov 15
@JudyEv Oh My you are lucky indeed . Stay safe .
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
Luckily we were home before the latest troubles. We were in Luxor, Egypt, a day before the plane crashed but were on our way home by then. We did avoid catching the ferry at Calais when leaving France because they told us it wasn't safe.
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Arthur Chappell
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
18 Nov 15
quite an impressive and extensive tour of Europe
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
Even though the countries are quite small compared to Australia, there is a lot to see. But we did our best.
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Arthur Chappell
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
18 Nov 15
@JudyEv sounds like you did really well though no doubt there would be much more to see on future visits too
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
@arthurchappell Every bend in the road brought something new and interesting.
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Anna
@LadyDuck (502957)
• Italy
18 Nov 15
You did the right thing not to choose the port of Calais, it's no more a safe place.
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Anna
@LadyDuck (502957)
• Italy
18 Nov 15
@JudyEv No, there are always riots in Calais, too many illegal immigrants are trying to cross to reach the UK.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
@LadyDuck The silly thing is that at Roscoff we could have smuggled people in in the motor-home. No-one looked in the van to see if we had extra passengers so if they'd kept out of sight and stayed in the van for the crossing any illegals probably would have got through.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
We had to pay a lot more to sail out of Roscoff but we didn't want to risk Calais.
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Jillybean1222
@jillybean1222 (6406)
•
18 Nov 15
sounds like such a wonderful thing to do
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Nov 15
Now we're safely home again we're really pleased that we did it. We had a few challenges along the way but mostly it worked out well.
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Inlemay
@Inlemay (17712)
• South Africa
12 May 16
I want to also go on the "Oscar Wilde" I would just do that crossing for that name sake
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 May 16
We saw a monument and statue of him in Dublin too. Some of his quotes are very clever.
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PaintsOnSlate
@PainsOnSlate (21845)
• Canada
2 Dec 15
That is a huge Ferry. I've never been on one that big. I recognized the lines of vehicles waiting, been there before. Love Oscar Wild's sense of humor.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382693)
• Rockingham, Australia
3 Dec 15
Some of these guys were so quick and witty. I love browsing books of quotes by them.
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