Normandy - France

From Cambridge we travelled via Eurotunnel to Lille (the channel is crossed in 20 minutes). Miraculously the seven of us(Adams and Portmans) plus luggage fit quite comfortably in a Renault 2.2 TDi seven seater people mover.

We stayed just outside the town centre at a new hotel called--------. It was very kid/parent friendly with rooms positioned around an atrium courtyard, complete with pool tables, bar and comfy, if not over the top, 'Safari' lounges (all this nestled amongst olive trees planted directly into the ground).




Next morning set off to the Australian War Memorial Villers Bretonneux , Somme. Situated with an idyllic vantage point, overlooking extensive fields of freshly harvested hay and the picturesque town of Fouilloy visible in the distance, it was a very fitting tribute to the men that fought for the peace that ensues there today.

We now have first hand knowledge why people say not to travel in France on long weekends. The traffic to the gite near Villers Bocage was atrocious, particularly getting over the bridge across the Seine near Honfleur, which added a couple of hours to the trip(thank goodness for Gameboys!).

The gite
The closest village was Montchalvet (a 20 minute walk along a blackberry laden road) . Main shopping in Viller Bocage.
Kids spent many hours playing in the pool, while parents spent many hours playing cards, lazing in the sun or picking wild blackberries to go with the meringue dessert.

Day Trips:
Bayeux.
It's main treasure is the 70 metres long Bayeux tapestry which we all enjoyed seeing with audio commentary retelling (the French version) of William the Conquerors ascension to the English throne in 1066. Afterwards we wondered through town and poked our head into Bayeux's gothic Notre Dame Cathedral during the Assumption day service.
Centre Guillaume-le-Conquerant-Tapisserie de Bayeux

Arromanches/Gold Beach:

Perfect afternoon was then spent at Arromanches, just north of Bayeux. Remains of Mulberry Harbour jut out of the ocean and the sandy beach. Gold Beach was the main assault beach of the British forces during D-Day landings, and proved to be the most important of the entire invasion because they were able to establish a harbour and port/unloading dock for the invasion.


Mont St Michel:

Next major attraction visited was Mont St Michel on Mont-Tombe (Tomb on a Hill). The Benedictine Abbey and church sit atop the hill surrounded by high walls. Below this is a small town full of restaurants, souvenir shops, a post office, small B&B's and museums. Until a courseway was built, comings and goings from the hill were determined by the fast moving, very strong tides. The lower carpark (cars to left in picture) still goes under water with each high tide. Quicksand is another of the dangers the intrepid tourist is warned of if planning a walk on the flats. But you must also be intrepid to enter inside the walls with the other thousands of tourists fighting their way up the narrow streets! We survived...just!

Granville

Luckily for us we couldn't find any parking in lower Granville. Instead we ended up in the upper town of Granville. Lucky because we stumbled across private little beaches at the base of the ramparts (where the locals go!). We all had a swim and the kids played in the rockpools.

Omaha Beach
The most horrible, rainy day we had was the day we went to Omaha Beach. Needless to say "no pictures!" We did visit one of the D-Day museums while M&M Adams enjoyed a bowl of 'Normandie mussels'.

William the Conqueror's Castle, Falaise

Falaise is famous for its medieval fortress(Château Guillaume-le-Conquérant), where William was born in 1027. Nikita bought a sword and shield (because she really liked J.Adams swords), but once she got it she didn't want to use it(in case it broke) much to the disappointment of J.Adams.

Honfleurs
On the trip back to Lille we stopped in to the pretty, little seaside port of Honfleurs. As we approached Honfleurs the sun decided to shine, for the first time all day, so we decided to stop. We were all glad we did. Very picturesque, even when it started to rain again.