Last Day

Last day today. Sob!
We overslept slightly and had to drag the half asleep Little Misses to breakfast. Miss L ate her cereal, toast and melon, and Miss E ate her bread and several pains au chocolat before heading back to their room to play Mikado. 
Mr K and I stayed longer working our way through all the bread and homemade jam, pastries, and amazing stewed fruits. There were two nice American couples that we chatted to before heading to pack. It's always nice - and envy inducing - to chat to people about their travels.
Once we'd packed we said au revoir to Mme S and headed off to Richard the Lionheart's castle - Chateau Gaillard - at Les Andelys. The ruins are in a spectacular setting on cliffs high above the Seine. 
As luck would have it there was a small camp of Musketeer re-enactors there which made it very atmospheric. More tents and meals being cooked over open fires and Musketeers sword fighting. Miss L got to wear one of their huge hats and wield an even more enormous sword which she loved!
Miss E was having a huge sulk because we'd had the audacity to tell her to stop hunting for grasshoppers on the walk from the carpark to the castle. I'm all for being a nature lover but she was moving an inch an hour and Mummy wanted to get to the castle! I got cross because she said she didn't want to go the castle and we had our usual row calm and reasonable discussion about not always being able to do what we want and the importance of thinking about the rest of the family not just ourselves. It did not go well!!!
She had just about got over it by the time we got back to the car!
We tootled through some beautiful scenery across to Jumièges and got the little ferry across the Seine which we love. A tiny little car ferry chugging back and forth across one of the Seine's giant meanders. Lovely!
Then it was back to our favourite St Aubin sur Mer for the rest of the day before our ferry home tonight.
We popped to Carrefour on the way to stock up on all our favourite  French goodies - muesli bars for Miss L and her favourite cereal, rice puddings and chicken flavoured crisps for Mr K and I, and some cereal bowls and milk so we can eat breakfast on the ferry in the morning using the plastic cutlery we nicked from the cafe in Giverny yesterday morning!!
It was super windy and a bit chilly on the beach and the Little Misses decided not to venture into the water. Wimps! Instead they built sand castles and collected yet more shells and stones to bring home. Mr K and I sat up on the prom watching them with our beers in hand!
Just before 8pm we decided to go inside the restaurant to eat. 
Do we have a reservation?
Er, no.
Oops!!!!
I was so disappointed as I love the restaurant and was so looking forward to my moules-frites before heading home.
The next restaurant up the beach was booked out too.
Bank Holiday Monday in France. Who knew?!!
We had over two hours to kill before the ferry and we are only fifteen minutes away. And hungry. Annoying!!
We decided that rather than fruitlessly searching up and down the coast to find somewhere to eat we'd just cut our losses and head back to the McDonalds next to the Carrefour we went to earlier. 
It was heaving so we obviously weren't the only ones who couldn't find anywhere else to eat!!
There was a climbing frame outside and the Little Misses made friends with loads of kids on it - a few French bit mostly English, killing time before the ferry too. It was brilliant - the feral pack of them entertained themselves  while Mr K and I chatted and drank our drinks.
It was soon time to go and ten minutes later we were checked in and waiting to board. 
The sight of soldiers with huge machine guns was a bit unsettling. This was the ferry that armed French guards were airlifted onto mid-Channel a few days before we left. I tried not to think about what sitting ducks we'd be if some nutter decided to run amok on the ferry......
Once we were onboard we headed to our cabin and made up all the bunks. The Little Misses were cross because they couldn't go and do all the things they usually do on the daytime ferry. I was cross because I thought they'd be giddy at sleeping in their bunks - as I had been at their age - but they were whinging instead. Sigh!
We all settled down eventually and I think they grudgingly enjoyed snuggling down in their bunks. I loved it!! 
A fabulous last day to our holiday. Au revoir France!!!