Somewhere Along the Road: Angers to CDG (June 12)

I was organised and out the door before 8am. I was hoping my car was still in the car park - it had been there for more than 24 hours. Luckily it was, and I only had to pay 8€, so the day started well. I found my way onto the motor way, had a quick break for petrol and breakfast, and I was soon on my way. Breakfast was from a chain called Quick.

The young woman who served me was delightful. The coffee was bitter, even with sugar, but luckily there wasn't too much of it. The doughnuts were doughy, but the chocolate filling was good. The apple juice was great - slightly sour and refreshing. I juggled this eating and drinking while speeding along at 130kph. I was wistful, glancing at the beautiful countryside whizzing past, and the old houses and barns I'd seen so much of. It took me about 3 hours to go nearly 300km to the outskirts of Paris, at least 1 hour to get around the peripherique and get on the road to the airport, and then about 1/2 an hour to deal with returning the car. There is a law in travelling, that the closer you get to your destination, the longer it takes. Going from the terminal to the airport hotel nearby took about 20 minutes of roundabout driving, pickups and dropoffs, but even that came to an end, and I found myself in a wonderful haven, a retreat. Look - a real bath! I'm filling it, ready for a reading session among the bubbles.