Reminders of how lucky I am.

Up at 8.30am and I sat down for the free breakfast at the Chambre d'hôtes I'Avocette. It was quite a strange affair. Myself, a French bloke and the French hotelier lady. The table was laid out, jam, butter, orange juice. Plates, a bowl, a small glass tumbler, a knife & spoon at each chair. I took a seat, opposite the French guy.

The lady brought out a jug of coffee, the French guy looked confused and although he spoke to the lady in a foreign tongue, he didn't ask for a cup, so he poured some coffee into his bowl, and drank from it.

I could see cups in a cupboard behind him, but who was I to say? Maybe this was how you drink coffee in France. I didn't conform, preferring instead to pour the coffee into my glass tumbler. 

The lady left and returned shortly after with two small baskets of bread and chocolate croissants. Food at last. This I understood, slicing a piece of the french baguette in half and spreading on the butter and jam.

I was the first to take a chocolate croissant too, if there's free food or food I've paid for I don't need inviting to help myself.

With no sign of cereal I went to pack my things and hopped on the bike, giving my room key back and saying 'au revoir' to my host, she smiled and said something, I guessed it might have been 'have a safe journey'. 

The ride to Calais would take me through the city of Le Mans, and to any fan of motorsport this city is a special place, home of the famous 24 hour motorcycle and car races.

The circuit itself is called 'de la Sarthe' and unlike many race tracks, almost half is on normal public roads that are closed for the races. This means if you visit when a race isn't being held, you can ride your bike down the famous Mulsanne straight and more. After stopping at the entrance for a photo of the bike, I rode the part of the track I could, recognising every feature and turn from the computer game 'Gran Turismo' and also much TV coverage of the races I've watched. The corners named the 'Esses’ and ‘Indianapolis' provided another great photo opportunity.

Continuing my journey to Calais, the French motorways remained as smooth and easy to ride as they had done at the start of this great adventure. Miles ticking down were effortless, often raised above the countryside on great viaducts. I didn't feel as if I'd missed seeing France, maybe I'd seen more than those that took much longer routes through the towns and valleys.

Still 15 minutes from my hotel destination in Calais I caught glimpse of the English Channel. The air had cooled significantly since yesterday, but the blue sky remained without a hint a rain. 

How lucky I'd been.

11 days riding my bike in the dry. The odometer, tripped when I left Leeds, now approached 3800 miles.

In Calais I easily found the 'Hotel Pacific', directed once again by my trusty SatNav. Parking though I couldn't find. I locked the bike up on the pavement outside reception and went in to check in. Thankfully, after asking, secure parking was found, after a small charge of €5 I was given a fob that opened a secure garage door next to the hotel. So I locked the bike up in its home for the night and decided with the time to go and sit out on the beach front.

Via a supermarket to pick up some cans of lager. But the only supermarket open on a Sunday evening was in a rough part of town. I'm glad I didn't come on the bike, it would have drawn too much attention. Children played in the littered streets in dishevelled clothing, with nothing. How could they ever escape this life? 

I have so much, how lucky I am.

Leaving the run down neighbourhood behind I walked to Fort Lapin. On the map it looked a good place to watch the sun set from. I wasn't naive to the fact it was likely a remnant of World War II. When I arrived there I saw the abandoned machine gun post that was Fort Lapin. Like those made familiar to my generation through films like 'Saving Private Ryan'.

And so I sat on the beach, looking out across the English channel to the P&O cruise ferries, cargo ships and twinkling lights of home. I am no expert on the facts of either of the great wars, but I know many brave men and women gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy now. I thought about them.

How lucky we are.

Lest we forget.