George's Grand Tour by Caroline Vermalle

Author:Caroline Vermalle [Caroline Vermalle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910477052
Publisher: Gallic Books
Published: 2015-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

If the family was going to come back here, it was probably a good idea to smile at the receptionist.

Charles was eager to visit Auray, where he had been with Thérèse many years earlier. The summer tourists had all left and this little corner of Brittany was just as beautiful as he remembered. The town sat majestically on top of a hill, with the old port, Saint-Goustan, at the foot of it. Charles and George walked down Rue du Belvédère, with its terraced gardens and medieval houses, until they reached the banks of the Loch. They stopped in the shade of some large trees to take in the stunning view of the port. They could even see the watchtower that saw the ships in every day. They walked for a long time, panting as they climbed the steep streets and uneven steps that led to the church, totally forgetting to buy a torch for George, even though he had kept going on about it. Finally, the exhausted visitors were grateful to sit down on the terrace of a restaurant with purple walls and striped sofas. By now they should have been in Baud, or even in Pontivy, about sixty kilometres from where they were, but never mind.

George started to compose another text to Adèle. Ever the ‘text message minstrel’ (Charles’s expression), he sang the praises of Auray, and recommended various attractions for her potential holiday in the region. A few passers-by smiled at the sight of the granddad frantically texting on the terrace of a hip restaurant.

Adèle responded soon afterwards; filming was going well, but she was tired. George read the message aloud to Charles, not without a surge of pride, and said that she worked too hard. They had a large lunch and took their time over it. They would head straight for the next hotel after lunch, which was in Mûr-de-Bretagne, eighty kilometres away. After a starter, main, dessert, coffee, and post-coffee liqueur, they walked slowly back to the car and left Auray.

Just after they had left the town, and Charles was calmly driving onwards, comforted by the soothing sounds of the GPS, George suddenly yelled:

‘There! TURN!’

Charles yanked the wheel, narrowly missing the flower barrow in the middle of the roundabout, almost crushing the car on his left, scraping the one on his right, knocking over a signpost and driving into a trolley that had been left at the side of the road. Miraculously they came away more shaken than actually hurt, but at least three cars honked furiously at them. Charles in turn yelled at George.

‘What in God’s name was that for?’

‘I just saw a supermarket! The torch!’

‘What? You almost made us crash because of a bloody torch? This torch thing is becoming an obsession, it’s really getting on my nerves now!’

‘But I need one by this evening! It might be the only supermarket for miles!’

George was getting worked up too; this was the first time in thirty years that he had been told off by his neighbour.

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