D Day beaches and more….

On leaving Honfleur we made our way towards the D day beaches. Our next stop was a free camping Aire in Merville-Franceville-Plage. This was our first overnight in a ‘proper’ camping aire....it’s basically a car park that allows campers to stay overnight. It was full when we arrived...there was a large family having a BBQ....and several other large vans parked up....as you can see from the photo...we look tiny!!!

[caption id="attachment_132" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bluebelle hidden in amongst very large campers![/caption]

After a short cycle ride around the town...to see if we could find somewhere for a shower and toilet....not really having one on board ourselves...although, I will introduce you to our toilet facilities at a later date!....we climbed into bed.

By the way, Simons son Tom and my brother-in-law Scot, ran the London marathon today and both finished in good time. Well done guys, we are so proud of you both xx

Monday 14th April 2014

Today is the beginning of our brief tour of the D Day beaches. We have learnt so much and read so many stories as we have travelled these amazing places, that our heads are almost full....and we still have so many unanswered questions and many facts and figures to read. What has struck me most has been the tales and accounts of individuals who have gone to war...of their heroism and sacrifice. These have really brought home to me the human tragedy of it all.

Our first stop today was to visit Pegasus Bridge. Have a look on the internet for more information.... It was one of the first places to be liberated on 6th June 1944. The story is amazing and the planning and accuracy superb. I’m staggered by the skill of the glider pilots....and they are huge gliders carrying up to 30 men in each. The house on the bridge was the first house to be liberated and is now a cafe.

[caption id="attachment_133" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Pegasus Bridge cafe[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_134" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Above the door[/caption]

At the time of liberation a four year old girl lived there with her parents. The young girl, Arlette, is now running the cafe daily welcoming people into her world of memories. The cafe is crammed full of memoribilia....on the wall next to where we sat and had a coffee were several poems written by the loved ones of those who had died. We were once again in tears!

[caption id="attachment_135" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Pegasus bridge..not the original[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_136" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The original bridge, now in a museum[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_137" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Replica of a glider[/caption]

Moving on from there we made our way to Sword beach. On the way we hapeened to come across a boat yard......funny that.....but, we were able to have a sneaky shower....much needed at this point...and fill up with water. It’s amazing how different the world seems when you are clean!!!

We cycled along Sword beach

[caption id="attachment_140" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sword beach[/caption]

as far as Lion sur Merwhere we read a fantastic quote from Franklin D Roosevelt, January 6th 1941.....hopefully you can read this...

[caption id="attachment_139" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Roosevelt quote[/caption]

We drove along by Juno beach, on through Courseilles sur Mer....for those of you who live in the westcountry...it’s twinned with Dartmouth!...and on to Arromanches, which is at the far end of Gold beach. Simon’s step father, Richard, came ashore here as part of the D Day landings, so it is particularly poignant to visit. Again a bit of extra reading is needed here....google ‘Mulberry Harbours’.

[caption id="attachment_141" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Remains of the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches[/caption]



Simon was so looking forward to our visit here and was certainly not disappointed. We arrived a low tide and saw the remnants of the vast (the same size as Dover) temporary harbour...designed to last 100 days in 1944!!!...scattered across the beach.

[caption id="attachment_143" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Scattered remains[/caption]



It really has to be seen to be believed.

[caption id="attachment_146" align="aligncenter" width="640"] …and a fly past![/caption]

Our spot for the night was right on the beach, overlooking Arromanches beach.

[caption id="attachment_148" align="aligncenter" width="640"] BBQ on the beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_150" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Our spot for the night[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_151" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Shells on the beach[/caption]

Tuesday 15th April

 

Just on the outskirts of Arromanches is a 360 degree cinema showing a film of ‘100 days of the Normany war.’

The 25 minute film is a compliation of archive photos and film of the D Day landings and onwards. It is a truely amazing and film and just brought the war alive to us. Having looked at numerous photos and read many articles, to actually hear the sounds of war too had a massive impact.....yes, more tears!

Being so close to Bayeux, we just had to go...also, we desperately needed some internet connection...good old McDonalds...to be able to upload our blog and catch up with a few people. Neither of us have seen the Bayeux tapestry so we walked into the city to take a look.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is where the Bayeux tapestry is housed[/caption]

It is impressive! At 70 metres long and only 50cm wide it tells the story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. I was amazed at the quality of the craftmanship and the depth of colour after all these years. It has an amazing history too...how it has managed to survive is beyond me! Yet another history lesson...not only about the battle but also of how the wools were spun and dyed, how life was back in 1066.

A quick walk around the city, into the Abbey

[caption id="attachment_153" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Bayeux Abbey[/caption]

and we were back on the road heading for Omaha beach. I am ashamed to say that we didn’t get out and walk this one...we have either cycled or walked the others, but, because, despite the sun shining, the wind was howling a gale and was bitterly cold!

One of the places that I was fascinated by the most was Pointe de Hoc. This is where American rangers scaled a cliff to overcome German guns that were overlooking Omaha beach. The site has been left as it was once the forces eventually moved out...broken and shattered gun implacements, but also many, many craters that were made as a result of bombing raids made by the British. Having seen footage this morning of bombing raids, and the devastation they caused, it was amazing to see the craters themselves.

[caption id="attachment_156" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The view from Pointe de Hoc[/caption]

And here our tour of the D day beaches ends. Its been an emotional journey so far, but so good to learn and understand more and also to come to the place where family were involved.

 

Our resting place for the night was again by the beach. This time alongside one of the biggest mussel and oyster farms we have ever seen.

[caption id="attachment_158" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Camping on the tractor motorway!!![/caption]



[caption id="attachment_157" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Nighttime spot[/caption]

An amazing site...however, we didn’t realise that we would be kept awake most of the night by tractors and lorries passing by! We had plonked ourselves slapbang next to the tractor runway to the sea farms!

 

Wednesday 16th April 2014

 

Its amazing how much time one can spend doing everyday chores...have you ever thought about how long it would take you to do even the most mundane of things, like laundry, if you didn’t have the necessary means on your doorstep? We drove to Carentan to do just that. First its a trip to the oturist office to locate the laundromat, then physically locate it, then move the van close by...remove bedding, collect together the washing and finally pop it into a machine to wash it! Next challenge...finding water! These days we are always on the look out for taps. Simon says there is always water available in a boat yard but I think it’s just an excuse to look at yet another boat yard...one is much the same as another isn’t it??? Fortunately, Simon had the foresight to bring along a monkey wrench and spanner....(!!!!)... which came in handy when locating water today. The tap we found had been capped off, so with a little help from monkey and spanner, we have a full tank of water! By which time the washing was ready to be dried, so off we trundle to the laundromat and pop the washing into the drier...another 30 mins wait. But wait, there is some happy news....across from the car park was a Boulanger....and YUMMY cakes, so after all this trundling and popping we felt we deserved one...each!

Two hours later and the washing was done....yay...clean bedding and clean pants!

Back in Bluebelle we crossed the Cherbourg penninsular. Just leaving the town and being so overwhelmed at the thought of clean clothes, we had a very near miss with a VERY low bridge. We came screeching to a halt within inches of it when we realised that it was only 2m 40cm high and we are 2m 35!!!! It was a very close shave!!! One of the other things we find ourselves doing is to search the map for dead end roads, near canals or the sea, for places we can camp at night. (So far we haven’t paid for any camping at all) Today was no different. We found the most perfect spot about 4km away from Agon-Containville. This time it was definitely empty...no tractors and no lorries!

[caption id="attachment_160" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Our favourite overnight stop so far![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_161" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Warming up after a ffffffreezing shower![/caption]

The sun was shining and the beach was calling. We walked it all the way back to the town where we had a beer...big mistake ...no lunch, hot sun + beer makes BT and Billy very squiffy and it was a LONG way back! Funnily enough neither of us remember much of the journey home....but we made it! Somehow, I was persuaded that a shower...outside, with cold water would be a good idea....the screaming could probably have been heard at home!...But, we are clean...again!!!

[caption id="attachment_164" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Evening on the beach[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_165" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Happy![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Fantastic colours[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_167" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Bed[/caption]

At the beginning of the week we had some very sad news. Our dear friend Di Abrams lost her battle with leukemia. Charles, her husband, rang to let us know and encouraged us to drink a glass of pink fizz on Wednesday, and by doing so, join others celebrating her life at that time. Di was one of the worlds genuinely nice people. We will miss her. Thank you for the memories Di. We send our sympathies to Charles and the family.

[caption id="attachment_162" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Remembering Di[/caption]



 

Thursday 17th April 2014

 

Today has been a truely wonderful day. An amazing sunrise. Breakfast by the beach.

[caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Mont st Michel[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_171" align="aligncenter" width="427"] We had the most expensive coffee and pain au chocolate here![/caption]



 



[caption id="attachment_176" align="aligncenter" width="640"] View from the top[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Looking out to sea[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_179" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A view of the Mont from the canal[/caption]

A visit to Mont st Michel with its higgeldy, piggeldy streets, nooks and crannies and the discovery of a beautiful little village on the banks of the Rance river where we had lunch...beer and gallettes, follwed by a snooze in our deckchairs on the bank of the river.

[caption id="attachment_180" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Lunch spot[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_181" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cheers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_182" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Gallettes[/caption]





We must have looked a right picture...hopefully we didn’t snore too loudly! We are now looking very rosy indeed as the sun was hot!

We made tracks towards Dinan…parked by the canal and walked up a narrow cobbled street into the city.

[caption id="attachment_185" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Dinan[/caption]



It's obviously very old and quaint in parts, but very touristy and busy. The prettiest part was the road we walked up…and guess what I found???

[caption id="attachment_190" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Bead shop!![/caption]





Yes…a bead shop! If I didn't have so many beads already at home I would have been VERY tempted! Makes a change from looking at boats!!!

Our spot for the night is by the Ille/Rance canal.







We are the only people here. It’s beautifully quiet, but really cold now that the sun has gone! We've just cycled along the canal to the next town…hoping for a bar in the sun for a quick beer, but, none to be found, so back to camp for  BBQ and our last Crabbies!!