Drizzle in Dieppe

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Thu 13 Aug 2009 10:52
Position: Alongside Dieppe, France
Weather: Overcast, drizzle

A light but steady drizzle falls, mimicking my mood, perhaps the result of enjoying a glass too many of cheap French wine with dinner last night. Dieppe, Port de Plaisance, an expensive marina but a lot cheaper than having a collision or worse due to being overtired. And I am glad we stopped even if only for a day. I was on my way to the police station to clear in for immigration and passed by an old church, first built in about 10 hundred something. I was fascinating and went in for a look. It was clearly very old, and magnificent without being overstated. I have often found Catholic iconography over bearing and sympathise with the puritan inclination to call it idolatry, (though not their inclination to vulgarly destroy it) but this had gotten the balance almost right. At a glance it seemed to connect a long struggling heritage with a peaceful spirituality, as if to say, yes it is a struggle but it is a very worthwhile struggle and I am here, courtesy of so many who have gone before, to help you see it - perhaps not so much a symbol of God but of our mostly pathetic, and therefore to be mostly pitied, and occasionally our grand humanness.
I continued on my way to the police station. The lady behind the counter spoke little English, I think I made myself understood showing her my passport. She advised me I must go to the 'Sous-Prefecture' in the morning.
So this morning I made my way to the ' Sous-Prefecture' and was dismayed as I entered the door, it was packed. I approached a lady behind a counter to ask what I should do, but she spoke even less English than the lady at the Police Station, namely none. I looked around at the sea of faces and asked, with a weary smile, "Anyone speak English, Anglais?", and was met with blank looks and shrugs of shoulders. In a way I was pleased, it is nice to see a country retaining its identity, confident that it does not need to learn American to get on. A moment's pause, what to do? I decided I was not going to queue indefinitely for dubious results, I was only going to cause everyone a headache, especially myself. I left. I figure I'll take my chances as an illegal immigrant for now, try again at the next port of call and in the meantime plead ignorance.
The tide turns at 16.10, there is little wind, so I wait for a bit, we will get underway about 3.30.
Bob Cat:
I think denial might be the best strategy for dealing with old Elbuort, I slept peacefully last night, skipper Bob ignores my attempts to communicate the dilemma. We seem to be in a place that is pretty old, maybe Elbuort will find some friends here to look after him. All this worry, I am just an old cat seeking peace in the world, best place I've found it so far is .. Zzzzzzz.