| A mystery tour | | | | Then again, perhaps it's because I've |
| | | | encountered so many new experiences there - |
| For many years, France was that mysterious | | | | the one that springs most readily to mind |
| place over the horizon whose shadowy cliffs | | | | being a great skiing holiday. |
| could be faintly glimpsed from our local | | | | |
| beach on a clear day. | | | | Or maybe it's simply because I enjoy the |
| | | | great outdoors; there's so much more of it to |
| Now, as an adult, I know what lies there - | | | | go around over there, to the extent that the |
| Calais and the open road beyond. Although I | | | | French themselves seem to have little need - |
| holiday there most years, however, the allure | | | | or desire - to desert their country for |
| remains and I always look forward to the | | | | foreign shores in the high season. The |
| prospect of another visit. | | | | weather is an added bonus, especially after a |
| | | | British summer like last year's. |
| I've been camping there, stayed in all kinds | | | | |
| of accommodation in France , ranging from | | | | Whatever the reason, it never fails to |
| mobile homes and hotels to self-catering | | | | surprise me how many people haven't crossed |
| properties, since the early days of the Gite | | | | the Channel and succumbed to the charm of a |
| boom when local farmers, not Brits, formed | | | | holiday in France, indeed, who professes not |
| the backbone of owners in the holiday rental | | | | to like the place. |
| market. | | | | |
| | | | If you're one of them, perhaps it's time to |
| Why do I keep going back? Perhaps it's the | | | | think again before flying over this rich and |
| familiarity I like; the fact that it's a | | | | varied country en-route to some far-flung |
| foreign place, but not too foreign. There's a | | | | corner of the globe. There are more reasons |
| particular kind of pleasure to be had from | | | | now than ever before to enjoy the perfect |
| noting the similarities between cultures. It | | | | holiday destination on our doorstep. Perhaps |
| helps us to appreciate the differences. | | | | I'll bump into you there this year! |
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