Today was last day of our holiday and we had pains au chocolat for breakfast in Café Mamatte on the Rue de la Republique. Our last stop on the way to the airport, appropriately I thought, was Compiègne to visit the place where the Armistice was signed on 11th November 1918. The railway carriage is not the original because the Nazis burned that after taking it to Berlin during the 2nd World War. However it’s very similar to the original one and there are a few pieces of the original in a glass case. The railway carriage was (and is) refurbished as an office, with desks and armchairs and a conference table where the last details of the Armistice Treaty were discussed and then signed.
Our onwards journey to the airport went smoothly, but we had a worrying moment when the car hire official found a big scratch on the front bumper of the car which she did not have noted in the paperwork from when we hired it. Luckily our hero Davie had taken photos of the car when we picked it up and one of them showed that the scratch was already there so we were in the clear. It was a slow process through baggage drop, security, and passport control, to the extent that we were beginning to be worried that we wouldn’t arrive at the departure gate in time for the flight! But we got there and shuffled on at the back of the queue. By 3.45 p.m, only a quarter of an hour late, we arrived in a drizzly Glasgow, noticeably cooler than France and Belgium have been. When we got home and said our farewells to Davie and Chanel, I dived into bed absolutely exhausted; my sleep last night was disturbed by early morning deliveries and bin lorries right outside our hotel. Flora was extremely affectionate and cuddled on top of the duvet beside me. Meanwhile James and Tommy were having a loving father / son reunion, it was all very heartwarming! I got up for some supper later and I’m now back in bed looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
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