As the car coming to collect us wasn’t due until 4.30, we had a fairly leisurely day, doing the final bits and pieces of necessary packing. We had time for a visit to the gym (me) and a yoga session (Jean).

Slight panic ensued when I got a message at around 3.30 that the chauffeur had arrived! No visual sign of him, so we relaxed and got on with things. He actually parked up at around 4 o’clock.

The journey down to the hotel was uneventful, but I did get rather irritated by the driver trying to flog his taxi services. It was a nice car and his driving was fine.

Checked into the hotel and we were shown to our room. Okay-ish, but a cracked sink bowl and old-fashioned round pin plugs for the electrics (really?) did not raise the spirits. Setting up the vital charging points for phones, tablets, etc., proved challenging. However, bath and shower were provided, and Jean availed herself of both later that evening.

A rather indifferent and fairly pricey meal was partaken of, followed by a quick recce to find out where we had to go in the morning. Straightforward, fortunately.

And that was it, basically. The real stuff starts tomorrow. A long day awaits.