Folkestone

Monday 30th January 1984

We quickly polished off our scant breakfast and packed our gear ready for the off. George claimed a furry jacket that nobody appeared to own, and we set off for our final trek up the Boulevard de Magenta (named after the battle of Magenta, a battle fought on 4 June 1859 near Magenta in Italy).

We had a coffee in a glass-fronted establishment opposite the impressive statue embellished railway station frontage and watched the Vogue parade outside. The sculptural display represents the principal cities served by the company. Eight of the nine most majestic statues, crowning the building along the cornice line, illustrate destinations outside France, with the ninth figure of Paris in the centre. Fourteen more modest statues representing northern European cities are lower on the façade.

We walked about to kill another hour, ending up in a standing only O’Kitch café, sipping coffee and watching the video screen. Outside the Metro trains ran above the street on a raised platform reminiscent of the New York subway that we had seen in Hollywood movies.

We joined the train to London early and during the wait for the 12:20 hrs. embarkation we were forced to move by the abundance of soapy people accumulating around us. In our new position we were still unwitting spectators to an American chump verbally putting the world to rights (by American domination) for the benefit of two Maltese boys who were sitting behind him.

At the English Channel we transferred to the ferry with little fuss and soon pulled out for Blighty. The pedestrian transfer dashed speculation by the Yank and his new branchers (friends), that the train was going to drive straight onto the ferry.

The ferry crossing was turbulent but uneventful. We sat at a café table and looked out at a grey green seething sea and a dark grey bleak sky. At Folkestone I passed straight through Immigration and Customs and waited for George who had to answer a few questions.

We boarded another train and whizzed back to Victoria Railway Station in London in the company of a group of drunken pensioners who were returning from a day trip booze cruise to France.

Back in the London Borough of Hounslow we had two Whoppers each in the near deserted Burger King in Hounslow High Street. I arrived home at 166 Woodland Gardens in Isleworth at 21:00 hrs!

We had visited 16 countries:

Country and nights spent there:

Belgium 2

Luxembourg 1

Deutschland (Germany) 3

Austria 1

Italy 1

Jugoslavia 12

Greece 7

Turkey 8

Iran 3

Pakistan 6

India 17

Nepal 24

India again 35

Malaysia 2

Singapore 7

U.S.S.R. 1

Greece again 9

Italy 4

France 4

Arrived home in England on Monday 30th January 1984.