D Day beaches

26 Dec  D Day beaches

Hitting the road early in the morning 

It was a 40 minute drive from Caen to the American War cemeterie off Omaha beach in Normandy and the sunrise along the way was one of the most beautiful we have seen on a road trip.

The exhibition area has exhibits of American war heroes who laid their lives down so that France can be delivered from the German, which were touching and comprehensive.

In garden of remembrance where the graves were was beautifully laid out and offers a panaromic view of Omaha beach. Thousands of crosses were neatly laid with the occasional flower wreath from visiting families. It was both a poignant and somber place to reflect, worth more than 2 hours of our time.

30 minutes down , we came to Arromanches les bain area where the remains of the Mulberry Harbour was, strewn in the waters bordering the horizon. This section is Sword beach where the British troops landed.

Lunch was at restaurant of hotel de normandie -  2 crepes, 1 mussels and an assortment of desserts and coffee ( €50 ) – which H did not find as impressive. We sesarched for Arromanches 360 high and low but could not exactly pinpoint it with the natsav because it lead us to the no-entry road. Pat found a little hiking path that led us to the cinema. The view of the Sword beach was breathtaking, spanning from west to east. It was not difficult to understand the difficulty of the troops landing because the enemy was stationed off the beach on the cliffs. D Day was a suicide mission for many that 6 Jun 1944.

At 10 minutes past the hour, we watched the 20 min silent documentary that details the events that led to the D Day attack. ( €5 per person  ) It was so touching I was having problems controlling my emotions – those who died on that day were folks doing it for a bunch of people most did not know.  Perhaps that is what makes a nation great – the spirit of generous and big hearted men and women who believed in the ultimate good of freedom.

Juno Beach. The Canadian's sacrifice are not any lesser.

Another 30 minutes down east, we stopped by Juno , the beach where the Canadians landed. Here,  300 odd Canadian soldiers died doing what the Allied forces did, to secure the beach and push back the Germans. It was a smaller memorial place, just set up in 2003. There was not enough materials to detail the sacrifice of the Canadians and the place did not do those who fell justice. We saw the cross of Lorraine, to mark the place General de Gaulle landed with the troops and a couple of beach bunkers overlooking the sea. It was hard to imagine that a fierce battle happened there 70 years ago with a sea of blood further down the sea.

We made our way back to Caen Kyriad in 30 minutes, and most of the time spent in the thick traffic to the carpark !

Dinner was a fancy affair at Hippopotamus – steak set, set dinner, desserts, wine and cocktail, salads etc for only €100 ! We made a second 1.5 km back to Kyriad where we prepare to check out and leave for Avranches the next day.

Christmas at Caen, Pegasus Bridge and Sword Beach

25 December 2014 Christmas at Caen, Pegasus Bridge

It is one of those strange Christmas we have whenever we travel in the holiday season , out in a place where no Protestant church is nearby.

We checked out of Honfleur La Closerie on a very overcast and rainy day, hoping to hit Deavuille enroute to Caen. It was a fighting of the will as Garmin won the tussle and we totally missed the coastal road. It was such a pity !

It was raining at Deauville and we had no use for the place there. This time more proficient with the manual transmission car, Pat used part of the coastal path against Garmin’s wishes to get to Pegasus Bridge, a 30 minute drive. The museum was closed for Christmas, the weather dank and dreary and all food places were closed. We saw the original bridge and glider behind the fences of the museum grounds and made do with the working but replica one. Monuments of Gen Howard Johnson and other heroes were set up near the handglider landing place. We had even the good opportunity to see the bridge lifted up for the passage of a ferry. It was a magnificent sight and I sort of understand then the significance of taking over the bridge that D Day , so that Allied forces can enter inland via the waterway.

5 minutes down at Ouistreham, we had one of the most elaborate dinner at the Ouistreham Casino because we could not find any restaurants nearby. The €45 Christmas lunch was lengthy and elaborate with foie gras and salmon. But I will only remember it as the day I got drunk before the 1^st course of the meal with Champagne. Pat must have regretted not being able to drink it because he was driving and we could not risk getting caught. Hertz had not provided us with a breath analyzer in the car.

I had the impression that the British had left a mobile bridge crossing at the beaches of Ouistreham but it was not to be. We searched the beach for miles but I must have mistaken somehow. However, the stretch, called Sword Beach was a long sandy beach where the British soldiers landed. How exposed they must have been that day, jumping off the carrier onto the beach and running the length of the endless beach  , in full view of the enemy and very vulnerable. A statue of Officer Lovat, the famous piper who led the soldiers inland, was nearby.  Though I could not locate the discarded bridge relic, the sacrifice of men who put an end to the world war made me grateful. It was human spirit at its best for the Allied forces.

With Garmin’s guide, we reported at Kyriad Caen at Republique Square. We were given the use of a day pass ( from 4 pm – 4 pm ) that will cost us €9 per day. Room was small but then we have been spoilt silly by the fancy Honfleur apartel. Briac, the concierge, was friendly and alone on duty on the wet Christmas day ,all ready for us . We hurried off to Caen Castle where we captured breathtaking shots of the setting sun against the backdrop of the city’s steeples. It was an impressive, enormous castle that was William the Conqueror’s base.

Caen was a dead town with not much in terms of food, if any at all. We took a  quick bite at Quick ( 2 burger sets, 1 solo burger €19 ) and were caught in a shower the moment we left the fast food chain.

The takeaway of the day – the Allied forces came to put an end to the Germans and their evil plans some 50 odd years ago but that Christmas 2000 years ago, Christ came to put an end to Satan’s plot forever. And for both, I will always be grateful.

Christmas eve in Honfleur , chalk cliffs of Etretat

24 Dec 2014

Just the second day and already driving like a pro. With Garmin's help.

The weather did not start well for the morning of Christmas eve. It was overcast, high winds were forecasted but we forged ahead. Etretat was the highlight of the day but before that there was this architectural feat, Pont de Normandie.

We gladly paid a toll of €5.40 and €1.10 to get onto the highway to Route d’Etretat. Rain come in spurts casting a gloom on our way there. It did not help that we were somehow led into a small town in Etretat – handling the car in a start-stop situation was tough on Pat.

Entretat at last!

We parked at De Gaulle Square, just meters off the beach (  3hr for €4.50 ). Waves were crashing it, powerful and ominous. We saw 2 arches from where we were , the one northwards with the quaint church above it. It was a lovely sight, even in the cold drizzle.

Don't say we didn't warn you!

Sea spray and foam sometimes crash onto the walkway but it was noway as scary as Vik, Iceland. We walked up the path onto the centre arch, mindful of the gusty wind. At one point the winds scare the daylights off me as I recalled the near incident at Vik.

We say lots of horshradish on the way up and seagulls roosting on the top of the arches. One seagull family was even caught having a domestic spat.

Above the arch

We did not attempt to walk to the arch nearer to the golf course, tired of braving the winds. Despite the holiday, lots of visitors also braved the rough weather to enjoy the wonder of mother nature.

All crepes should taste like this

We had an enjoyable lunch at La Grange Creperie ( 2 mussel and frites set, 3 crepe set, 2 coffee and 1 salad for only €54 ). Then we set off for Honfleur, with the helpful Garmin.

A little pre-dinner stockup at Lidl and then we were off, this time on feet, to Honfleur. We saw the gothic façade of St Leonard church and walked up the steep Bourdet Street to ogle at the old houses. There were lots of architectural details that were worth recording.

We retreated and checked out Eglise St Catherine and her woody interior. Nearby at the Christmas market, we had our chocolate crepe and  coffees, totally unneeded because of the heavy lunch but still fun to have.

Now sundown, we reluctantly made our way back. I was glad I planned dinner because Honfleur was a ghost town and a faint shadow of the bustling dinning scene the night before.

Normandy – here we come !

23 Dec From cold to cool

I cannot decide if Iceland or Normandy is the more difficult of the holiday. The former was more of the weather with all the travels taken care off by guides while the latter was challenging in terms of travel even with good weather.

Iceland Airlines dropped us off at CDG 30 minutes later than planned, from Reykjavik. We had a rather hurried standup lunch ( €28 ) before picking up our car at Hertz. I started to get nervous because Pat had problems with the car. How to open the boot, how to start the engine and most importantly, how to reverse the car !

After all the issues were solved, we set off, with Garmin and an inbuilt NatSav. It was the scariest drive I had for a long time because despite the unfamiliarity of left hand manual drive, he managed to push the car hard, at one stage more than 130km/h. I was audibly hyperventilating.

Reyjavik Airport breakfast

Against our will, we paid toll for the highway 4 times, totally €17.70 to get to Honfluer La Closerie Apartments in record time. Now totally relieved, we stopped at Lidl to stock up on emergency supplies ( €8.40 )before pulling up at La Closerie Honfleur that is right across the road.

Dinner in Normandy, Honfleur

Honfleur

We were given a lovely 1 bedroom unit in the apartel ( room 104 ) with a lovely view of Pont de Normandie. We celebrated our safe arrival downtown, in a restaurant near the marina. It was a lovely place with attentive service. 3 of us had 3 course dinner with a total bill of €50, a steal in one of the tourist hotspots in France.

Closerie - Lovely!

Lovely ktichen, small but adequate

We walked back to our hotel to ooh and ahh at the place before tiredness overtook us. Our first night in Normandy had gone well. I am sure God had a major role in this.