Normandy Post # 3

09.05

 

Travelled 60kms South of Honfleur through typical Normandy countryside, with it’s half timbered houses, apple blossoms and pastures of cows (brown and white markings ) to the little village of Camenbert.  Camenbert is the most famous name in Normandy in the world of French ‘fromage’.     

We visited the Camenbert Museum, (6 euros including a tasting) a mixture of videos and scenes showing the history as well as the the making of Camenbert.  Camembert dates back to the 11^th Century with the present day varieties emerging in the 17^th Century, the invention of which is credited to a farmer, Marie Harel who was given the recipe by a monk escaping the revolution. 

We sampled the different varieties of both the cheese and the cider and were surprised by their unique flavours. Back 3kms to Vermoutier to an ‘Aires’ camp for the night.  (Aires are free camps for campervans only with limited facilities organised by the village).

10.05

100kms today through Caen back to the coast and to the D-Day Beaches.  Arrived at camp ‘Le Robinson’, (ACSI Camp book is a must have) situated on the coast near Colleville sur Mer, about 13kms from Bayeux and only 1.5kms from Omaha Beach.   Off we went to explore, starting at an old gun emplacement  with an amazing panorama of Omaha Beach.  It’s difficult now to imagine the horrors that took place, looking down on such a calm and beautiful scene. The D-Day landings were the largest military operation in history. On 6 June 1944 six divisions stormed ashore at five Beaches backed up by 6,000 sea craft and 13,000 aeroplanes.  Initially 45,000 troops from the USA, Canada, the U.K. and the Commonwealth landed on French soil, 15 more divisions were to follow.  Omaha Beach was the assault by the US 1^st and 29^th Infantry Division and was by far the bloodiest of the day (now known as “Bloody Omaha”) . On the first day over 1000 US soldiers were killed within the first hour of the landings.
 

We walked along the sandy beach for about 5kms to the American Cemetery and Museum.  A very emotional experience seeing the thousands of white grave markers planted in neat rows on the beautifully manicured lawns overlooking the beach. Inside the museum were videos and accounts of the landings with many individual stories of heroics performed by the men and women buried in the cemetery. It took many contractors until the 1950’s to remove the 150,000 tons of debris from the beach and sea.  We were still able to see some remains at low tide as we walked home along the beach

11.05

Windy and cold so decided on a walk to warm up.  Walked the bike path towards Port-en-Bressin and back along the cliff face.  Drinks with our English neighbours and a Boeuf Bourguignon in the remoska for dins.  Great comfort food!
 

12.05
 

Bike ride to Arromanches today following the coast.  First stop, the pretty little port town of Port-en-Bessin with it’s quaint shops, inner basin and fish market on the pier. Onward to Longues-Sur-Mer and the massive 150mm German guns overlooking the sea, designed to hit targets 20kms away including Omaha Beach to the west and Gold Beach to the east. 

Continued onto Arromanches and it’s “Mulberry Harbour”, prefabricated marinas  towed over from England  and set up by the Allies to form a semi circular breakwater.  Their purpose was to protect the huge quantities of cargo being unloaded which included 2.5 million men and 4 million tons of equipment. 
The remnants of this are still clearly visible.  Watched a 360 degree digital video of the invasion and the liberation of Paris.  Hard, cold bike ride home against the wind for a total day of 42kms.  Hot shower and a cuppa!

13.05

The rain calmed down and we hit the road!  100km stopping at the Decathlon store at St. Lo where some adjustments were made to the break discs on Pamo’s bike, and a puncture repair to Col’s bike.  A quick tour of the store and bike pants and gloves later we were back on the road.  Passed Avranches and our first glimpse of the iconic Mont St Michel, 20kms away in the distance – spectacular!  Checked into ‘Camp Pommier’ (14 euros) in Beauvoir, 4kms from Mont St. Michel.  Mike and Jan, two Aussies, were in the camper before us.  Had a beer and a catch up with them, they have just bought their camper in England, a 2000 Hymermobile and a goodie!  They’re doing a six months tour also!     

14.05

Packed a picnic and walked 4km along the canal to Mont St Michel.  The magnificent Romanesque and Gothic Abbey stands before us in the sea with it’s turrets and towers rising from ramparts and battlements, linked to the bay by a narrow causeway built in 1879.  The tidal variations here are the highest in Europe and can go from low to high tide in a matter of hours.  Mont St Michel dates back to 708 when the Bishop of Avranches had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honour of the Archangel Michel, head of the heavenly militia, and of great importance to Medieval religion.  It was an impregnable stronghold during the 100 Year War and a prison during the revolution in 1863.  Now a UNESCO Heritage site.

We entered the little Medieval village through the Bavole Gate and followed the single narrow cobblestone street up towards the Abbey.  Surprising to see the touristy eateries, art, craft and souvenir shops lining the street, a sign of modern times but doing their best to uphold the traditions of the shop keepers from the middle Ages!  We followed the masses of steps up and into the Abbey.  A spectacular tour and panorama!  (9 euros each including a one hour guided tour).  On the walk home saw a Kiwi flag in a camper so knocked on the door and met up with Beven and Helen from Tauranga who have hired a van for a three month tour.  Arrived home to find Lefty draped in Australian colours!!  We wonder who could be responsible??.  Regardless of the insult Mike and Jan came over for pre dinner drinks and we had a fun evening with them.  Low and behold another Kiwi in the camp from Titirangi who gave us the name of an alternative insurer for Lefty.  

15.05
 

Mike and Jan headed off this morning towards St Malo.  We decided to stay and bike the area and get some more photos of Mont St Michel in the sun.  Just as we set off it rained so we waited half an hour and finally the sun and the warmth returned.  We cycled through farmers fields of lettuce, wheat and rape finding different angles of Mont St Michel.  A lovely day on the quiet back roads and neat to be warm again.  Back to camp and a pleasant surprise to see Chris, Pam, John and Carol from Derby who we met in our last camp parked opposite.