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St Patrick’s Day March 2020 A YEAR AGO TODAY
It was St. Patrick’s Day and the eve of my flight to Dublin. I went to the shop nearby to print out my boarding pass. Instead of that, I read an email sent at 5.55am which began with the words ‘We regret to inform you’…it was a cancellation of my Ryanair flight. There was no time to lose. At first the options seemed to involve a stop-off in Paris but happily I succeeded in reserving a flight from Bordeaux to Dublin with AerLingus. I knew that if Béa could drive me to the station I would be able to make it in a few hours to Bordeaux, spend the night there and arrive in time for the flight at 2.40 the following day.
I was overburdened with luggage. Fortunately people helped me at each stop, including Henri and Yvette. Henri, a retired employee of the French National Railway, SNCF asked me the number of my car. I was a bit perplexed as he already knew that I was travelling by train. When he suggested helping me to print off my ticket everything became clear. Voiture means car or carriage in French.
18th March. 8am I checked in for my flight and got my boarding pass printed before I relaxed and enjoyed my Ibis breakfast. I got the airport bus and recognised the Irish accents of two young girls nearby. From that point on the Irish community seemed to form a circle of support. Doireann from Co Galway who had been an English Language assistant would be met in Dublin by her anxious mother, the two girls on the bus were friends already on their Erasmus year. We touched down before the anticipated arrival time of 15-40 home safely, home sweet home.
That is the story of my quinzaine, a zany French term ( I beleive ) for a fortnight in Perpignan France. Thanks for sticking with me
Author Lily Anne