Brexit finally ends channel Crossing

Fleurpepper

LOL/MDR- this is hilarious - never heard this one before.

Worst official mis-translation I ever heard, and not funny at all, was at Masstricht. Jacques Delors said 'bien sûr, l'union fait la force'. (united we are stronger). And the interpreter said 'of course unions will have more power'. You should have seen Mrs Thatcher's face!

There was also the agricultural policy about frozen semen which ended up as matelots surgelés. 😂

LOL/MDR- this is hilarious - never heard this one before.

Worst official mis-translation I ever heard, and not funny at all, was at Masstricht. Jacques Delors said 'bien sûr, l'union fait la force'. (united we are stronger). And the interpreter said 'of course unions will have more power'. You should have seen Mrs Thatcher's face!

We we never have any trouble like that in this bit of France. We are all Normans.
Reminds me of the EU parliament translation that made the Brits laugh.
"Il faut profiter de la sagesse normande" (We must all learn from Norman Wisdom).

Joseanne

And the rugby! 🏉

Especially the Rugby

And the rugby! 🏉

Katie59

MerylStreep

Mamie
I can’t comment on other counties but I don’t think the French forgave us over Calais 😱

It was Agincourt that really upset them.

Well, the Brits did cheat at Agincourt. All those archers. And they arranged for it to rain so that the horses got bogged down and fallen knights couldn't get up again.

Don't mention Waterloo. The Brits arranged for some strategic rain there, too. And cheated by hiding half the army on a reverse slope...

MerylStreep

Mamie
I can’t comment on other counties but I don’t think the French forgave us over Calais 😱

It was Agincourt that really upset them.

We've spent many a happy hour trailing round the ferry trying to find somewhere to sit and entertain the children. No cabins for holidays on a budget.. If your car was one of the last onto the ferry the floor was where you sat for the crossing...
Or the kids' playroom. The crash mats are very comfy!

MaizieD

Mamie

MaizieD

I would say that the time to disembark at Caen Ouistreham in the car has got slightly longer since passports have had to be stamped

Our passports were stamped at Portsmouth by French passport control, Mamie.

We had to queue twice at Portsmouth; once for check in at the UK booth and then at the French booth for passport check and stamping,.

(Actually, between the two booths all cars had to go through the fairly stringent security checks, goodness knows what they do on a busy day )

PS I never know whether the ferry is packed or not because I'm in my Commodore Class cabin, highly recommended!

We've spent many a happy hour trailing round the ferry trying to find somewhere to sit and entertain the children. No cabins for holidays on a budget.. If your car was one of the last onto the ferry the floor was where you sat for the crossing...

Blimey that's new. Not there when I went in December. So did they check them again in Ouistreham?

They were checked again at Ouistreham, but the stamping happened at Portsmouth.

Stamped at Ouistreham on the way home to the UK.

I wonder if all this happens for the ferries to Spain.

I have always thought it odd that you got checked by BF check-in and then UK border control as a foot passenger, but not in a car before boarding at Portsmouth. I could understand putting in UK border control for cars, but French ones when they also check on the other side seems bizarre.
So now we have to not get our passports stamped twice!

😄 Indeed. They’ve beheaded Henry V111!

👏👏👏

Mamie

MaizieD

I would say that the time to disembark at Caen Ouistreham in the car has got slightly longer since passports have had to be stamped

Our passports were stamped at Portsmouth by French passport control, Mamie.

We had to queue twice at Portsmouth; once for check in at the UK booth and then at the French booth for passport check and stamping,.

(Actually, between the two booths all cars had to go through the fairly stringent security checks, goodness knows what they do on a busy day )

PS I never know whether the ferry is packed or not because I'm in my Commodore Class cabin, highly recommended!

We've spent many a happy hour trailing round the ferry trying to find somewhere to sit and entertain the children. No cabins for holidays on a budget.. If your car was one of the last onto the ferry the floor was where you sat for the crossing...

Blimey that's new. Not there when I went in December. So did they check them again in Ouistreham?

They were checked again at Ouistreham, but the stamping happened at Portsmouth.

Stamped at Ouistreham on the way home to the UK.

I wonder if all this happens for the ferries to Spain.

MaizieD

Whitewavemark2

As an aside the government is rapidly backtracking on the repeal of the EU laws - pet project of Smogg- because of the strong opposition from businesses, environmentalists, farmers, unions and the House of Lords.

The project is to be shelved certainly until after the May elections and possibly until after the general election.

I think this deserves more than an 'aside' Wwmk2. It's a huge relief for those of us who are interested in the British constitution and the implementation of Parliamentary Sovereignty!

I understand that the tory Lords threatened to revolt if the government tried to persist with it. God bless the Lords...

😄 Indeed. They’ve beheaded Henry V111!

GrannyGravy13

I would have thought that days spent in any EU Country will be on their computer system as it is in most countries.

That is why they don't just stamp the passport, but scan them to register electronically dates and times.

Whitewavemark2

As an aside the government is rapidly backtracking on the repeal of the EU laws - pet project of Smogg- because of the strong opposition from businesses, environmentalists, farmers, unions and the House of Lords.

The project is to be shelved certainly until after the May elections and possibly until after the general election.

I think this deserves more than an 'aside' Wwmk2. It's a huge relief for those of us who are interested in the British constitution and the implementation of Parliamentary Sovereignty!

I understand that the tory Lords threatened to revolt if the government tried to persist with it. God bless the Lords...

MaizieD

^I would say that the time to disembark at Caen Ouistreham in the car has got slightly longer since passports have had to be stamped^

Our passports were stamped at Portsmouth by French passport control, Mamie.

We had to queue twice at Portsmouth; once for check in at the UK booth and then at the French booth for passport check and stamping,.

(Actually, between the two booths all cars had to go through the fairly stringent security checks, goodness knows what they do on a busy day )

PS I never know whether the ferry is packed or not because I'm in my Commodore Class cabin, highly recommended!

We've spent many a happy hour trailing round the ferry trying to find somewhere to sit and entertain the children. No cabins for holidays on a budget.. If your car was one of the last onto the ferry the floor was where you sat for the crossing...

Blimey that's new. Not there when I went in December. So did they check them again in Ouistreham?

I would say that the time to disembark at Caen Ouistreham in the car has got slightly longer since passports have had to be stamped

Our passports were stamped at Portsmouth by French passport control, Mamie.

We had to queue twice at Portsmouth; once for check in at the UK booth and then at the French booth for passport check and stamping,.

(Actually, between the two booths all cars had to go through the fairly stringent security checks, goodness knows what they do on a busy day )

PS I never know whether the ferry is packed or not because I'm in my Commodore Class cabin, highly recommended!

We've spent many a happy hour trailing round the ferry trying to find somewhere to sit and entertain the children. No cabins for holidays on a budget.. If your car was one of the last onto the ferry the floor was where you sat for the crossing...

MerylStreep

Mamie
I can’t comment on other counties but I don’t think the French forgave us over Calais 😱

Queen Mary losing it to the French in 1558? Well I know it isn't the most attractive town in France, but did they really not want it back? 😂😂😂

As an aside the government is rapidly backtracking on the repeal of the EU laws - pet project of Smogg- because of the strong opposition from businesses, environmentalists, farmers, unions and the House of Lords.

The project is to be shelved certainly until after the May elections and possibly until after the general election.

Mamie
I can’t comment on other counties but I don’t think the French forgave us over Calais 😱

I would say that the time to disembark at Caen Ouistreham in the car has got slightly longer since passports have had to be stamped (or not stamped in our case). I haven't noticed any change as a foot passenger.
Interestingly our Spanish granddaughter is going on a school trip to England and needed a passport as she only had an ID card. The office in their local town produced the passport for free while they waited.
You have to wonder why other countries (including France) make it more complicated.

In other words.

British government: Here's this law we think is important.

Still the British Government: Why are you trying to maintain that law! Bl**dy French bureaucracy. We're British, don'tcha know!!

I have yet to see a passport officer make any attempt to add up the number of days we have spent in France to check whether we are there too long. This is not something passport officers are going to waste their time doing. Given that at least 98% of all people passing through the port will not be anywhere near the limit.

Anyway, I doubt that anyone who is already over the 90 days limit is going to be trying to go to France. It is people who once they are in France, quite legally, then overstay the 90 person limit that they want to pick up, and you do not catch those people at passport checkins. They are found in areas where Brits live or have second homes.

To be honest the law is there to be used when it suits the French. I think the French authorities have better things to do than chase up holiday makers going to the mediterranean for the winter and staying a couple of weeks over the limit.

The French have the sense not to waste their time chasing up inessentials, Pity the British cannot act similarily.

Yes, I'm not planning on cheating the system before the vigilante jump on here!

I would have thought that days spent in any EU Country will be on their computer system as it is in most countries.

And, unless the 90 day rule is going to be ignored, I can't see that having to check all the passport stamps to tot up the number of days already spent in Schengen is going to be a quick job for the passport control staff.

It isn't watertight, as I've got a missing stamp in 2022, so I could have been anywhere!