Well, here we are, nightmare trip to fetch Casey (Synvillans Skyeline at Barkly)
from Calais is finally over.
Our day started on Saturday morning 6.00 a.m., preparing
and, subsequently setting off for, the trip to Calais (France) with a degree
of naive optimism. Everything had been arranged in advance and the only
anxiety was that there may be a hitch with the Pet Travel Scheme. We had
heard plenty of horror stories of problems with petty bureaucracy, but
optimistically put these down, in part, to scaremongering by Quarantine
kennels trying to keep their businesses afloat.
We travelled by Euro shuttle and apart from having to buy the most expensive
(club class) tickets, arrived at the terminal just outside of Calais in
plenty of time.
Casey, with Mats and Ann-Britt had left at 10.00 a.m.'ish the previous day
(Friday) travelling by Ferry and then driving overland through' Denmark,
Germany and France. We had arranged to each take Mobile phones so that we
could co-ordinate a rendezvous in Calais.
We had planned to do a little shopping in France, but first tried to call
Ann-Britt to find out where they were. It all went slowly downhill from here
on in.
Our mobile wouldn't recognise their number, even with the international
codes. Mad Panic whilst we tried to contact daughters in England to relay
messages to our friends that we couldn't get through' to them; No reply from
one daughter and the other 2 unobtainable!!!
Luckily Ann-Britt got through to us and just had time to tell us that they were
delayed (got lost in Germany)and could we meet them in Lille (an hour away
from Calais), before the phone went dead.
Shopping abandoned, we set off for Lille, with me having kittens driving on
the (to us) wrong side of the road. After a few near misses we remembered we
have Bull-Bars, stopped driving like wooses, and got the hang of it.
Ann Britt had called again to give instructions on where to find them in
Lille; almost ridiculously easy?
Sounded like a small town, and we were to meet them in the town centre
(Saturday!!) outside a very large ancient building; the ????? de Republique.
Line crackle causing problems, never mind; we were on an adventure and still
high spirited despite the heated discussion we had indulged in earlier about
the differences in our driving styles!!.
We dutifully followed instructions given until we realised that we were
heading back out of Lille, without getting to the town centre!? AAAAAGH.
Another call from Ann-Britt during which we managed to establish that we
were lost, before the cell phone cut off. Ran out of credit; couldn't
believe it!! We had been well topped up and hadn't been making any calls.
(Subsequently discovered that's how it works abroad, just receiving calls
charged at £1.50 per minute.
That started a 2 hour chase around Lille. We found a town plan, which showed
4 different buildings with ????????de Republique, and getting around the
large and busy town, driving on the wrong side of the road (to us) with the
whole town seemingly populated by Speedway drivers, and one-way system signs
popping up from nowhere every time we needed to change direction. There were
more 'large ancient buildings' than there were people, every one a red
herring in a real life 'snakes and ladders' game
Eventually, we just happened to spot Mats locking up his car in a no
parking/clamping area, pure fluke!, and all of us extremely hot. bothered
and exceedingly irritable by now. Poor Casey, such a long and tedious
journey this was turning out to be.
Hurried hello's and goodbye's, hardly giving Ann-Britt (a notorious weeper)
time to shed more than an ocean of tears, and off we all set again on our
respective return journeys. Lille proved impossible to depart from, as all
roads lead to Lille, even the exits. We had 3 abortive attempts to leave,
following the official exit routes, which took us round in a circle, and
back again to Lille.
Made an exit plan of our own and eventually escaped. We decided there must
be a shortage of tourists in Lille, apparently they didn't want us to leave!
Now dark and the Speedway drivers seemingly joining us for a grand night
out in Calais, and still the Pet Passport gauntlet to run, but surely
nothing else would go wrong, didn't bear thinking about.
Duly arrived at the Pet Travel desk, to be checked in by a French official
with the sort of attitude that would have looked good in thigh-high leather
boots and a whip. Torturous hours passed by while she checked the
documentation. The very silence was filled with a sense of approaching doom.
Yep! you guessed it "FAILED" came the verdict in accusatory tones. Help,
what now? The vet in Sweden had apparently not filled in a certificate
properly; the parasite one, very time specific. Although he had signed and
dated the Cert., the date wasn't INSIDE the SPECIFIED BOX!!!
After an eternity Miss Whiplash volunteered the information that she could
arrange for us to visit a vet in Calais "to correct the paperwork", for a
fee of course. Another trip back back down the road to Calais town centre,
with me now fuming at what appeared to be a total con., Kelvin trying to
impress upon me the need to keep everyone sweet as the consequences were
that if Casey didn't get back to England tonight then more parasite
injections with the attached 24 hour delay. A possible total delay of 48
hours in Calais. Tempers rising (quietly so as not to frighten Casey who
was now dead to the world on his fluffy blanket), we completed formalities
with the Vet and managed to catch the last train out of Calais. We had had
another 20 minute delay whilst they did the complete Pet Passport check
again (WHY??)
We arrived back in England to a Pea Soup freezing fog, travelled down the
motorway at 30 miles an hour with 170 miles to travel, missed a turning and
ended up in central London at midnight with mayhem breaking loose, police
cars everywhere and millions of merry revellers thronging the streets.
Nightmare journey eventually completed at 3.30 a.m. Completely shattered
(Kelvin desperately trying to keep severely bloodshot eyes open) but
introductions to be made, dogs all got on really well, and thankfully
everyone as tired as we were, so settled down to sleep after about an hour
when we went thankfully to bed.
And so to bed said Zebedee!
Casey slept at Kelvin's feet the whole of Sunday, Kelvin, apparently, is
'THE CHOSEN ONE', probably through' Kelvin's inability to move bum from chair
(or keep his eyes open) that day.
Poor Ann-Britt and Mats called to check on Casey Sunday morning (we were up
at 9.00 as Beardie family didn't realise we needed SLEEP), they were not
going to arrive home until 8.00 that night (58 hour journey).
Casey is an absolute Sweetie, and so are the rest of our family, they are so
tolerant and accepting, you just wanna hug 'em.
Don't think I could put a dog through' all that again, poor Casey was
travelling for approx. 40 hours (not my choice).
Glad it's over, glad we have him, and so sorry for him that it was such an
ordeal,
Cathie and Kelvin at Barkly Bearded Collies.
visit Barkly Bearded Collies site on :-
http://www.barklybeardedcollies.co.uk
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