Bessie’s first trip to Europe was always destined to be France, Colin and I are both confirmed Francophiles and being unsure of the roads or how the van would handle on the other side we thought Normandy was
a good bet.
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| Apple Orchard |
Once the destination was decided my expectations were
simple. Sample again the delights of
France and see the Bayeux Tapestry. Picardy would be a bonus, but I am ashamed at my poor French geography. I had no idea Bayeux was close to
the D Day landing beaches and that Bayeux was the first city of the Battle of Normandy to be liberated.
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| Road to Rouen |
We booked into the excellent Camping de la Base Loisirs for two nights. We loved
cycling round the quiet roads, through apple and plum orchards and watching the
little ferries (bacs) cross back and forth on the Seine as part of the road
network so we stayed another night.
The town of Jumièges boasts a cathedral with links to William
the Conqueror, and although it is a ruin it attracts some interest,
but the buckles are a detour so the town was quiet. One evening we ate in a small bar on the
cycle back to the camp site. The owner
was a cheery lady with few teeth and a walk with a hobble. She spoke no
English but corrected our bad French with zeal. She impressed on us the delights of pomme
de terre à la maison and what she brought us to accompany the steak was
the best chips I've tasted since my mum threw out her chip pan.
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| Bayeux |
But Calvados beckoned and after a short stay in a very busy,
Brit filled site at Le Brévedent, where the kids seemed to be competing in 'who is the loudest brat competition', we headed for
Bayeux.
The Municipal site on the edge of town was spacious and the pretty town was only a river path
cycle ride away. The weather had been hot and sunny so far but the wind picked up and ominous clouds gathered so it was no hardship to head for
the museum and the Tapestry.
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| River Cycle |
The Bayeux Tapestry is actually an embroidery, thought to be commissioned around the year 1070 and is over seventy
metres in length. It depicts the history of William the Conqueror's claim to
the English throne culminating at the battle of Hastings. The regimented visit snaked along a queue rope with the rest of the tourists after being handed an audio just before entry to a darkly lighted room that held the tapestry. This audio is supposed to aid your progress, describing each panel as it came into view, but the plumby English commentator races through
the story and only tells the half of it. On each panel there is the main action
but along the bottom sub plots emerge, some are quite pornographic
in nature, this is ignored and after only ten minutes we were back where we
started feeling slightly cheated. It is possible to go back before leaving the gloom but I was blinking in daylight before I knew it and it was then too late.
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| Caen Graffiti |
The next day it poured so we took the train to Caen.
Although known for being the City of William the Conqueror it also featured
heavily in the Battle of Normandy and huge parts of it were destroyed during
that time. The Château de Caen is well worth a visit, with ruined battlements for
clambering over and liberal pieces of artwork to view. There is a fine memorial
there for the soldiers lost in the liberation.
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| Caen Liberation Memorial |
Back in Bayeux I was determined not to leave before paying my
respects to the three thousand plus service men and women buried and remembered
in the British Commonwealth War Cemetery. It was moving and I felt a real sense
of gratitude to them. I feel the French do too. The liberating allies were celebrated
everywhere in the region.
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| Bayeux British War Cemetery |
We left Bayeux in a squall and headed for the landing
beaches, Omaha beach was a blur of high waves and flapping flag poles – we
didn't stop. The weather had improved when we reached Pointe du Hoc the highest
point between Omaha beach and Utah beach, where US Army Rangers climbed the
cliffs and captured the position. And by the time we reached Utah Beach the sun was out. Although busy with tourists the beach was quiet. Someone had laid a cellophane
wrapped bunch of yellow roses randomly on the beach -a touching gesture and yet for me this wasn't a sentimental journey. With
the exception of my uncle who was lost in Italy, I have no connection to WWII.
Maybe it was the John Wayne effect.
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| Looking out from battlements, Pointe Du Hoc |
We travelled north from there to the little commune of StVaast de la Hougue. Famed for its
oysters and its twin Vauban forts this was a must destination. For some reason I love Vauban forts. I suspect it is their
location round the fringes of France that attracts me rather than their architecture although that is pretty impressive too.
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| Tatihou, island fortress |
Vauban is France’s most famous military architect. He designed and built forts during the reign
of Louis XIV making Frances borders more secure. The twin forts at St Vaast were for keeping the English at bay.
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| La Hougue, land fortress |
I first encountered Vauban in 2012 when visiting the
fortification of Mont Dauphine and then again in 2013 when on a trip to The
Alps we spent some time in Briançon where there is a fantastic example of
his forts. None of this Vauban bagging was intended it just happened. So I now
wonder which fort I will stumble upon next year.
I started the holiday with one war based novel and finished
it with another – Dr Zhivago. This epic begins in WWI and ends with the Russia Revolution. Again not an intentional
choice but a bargain book that subliminally made it into my hand. In the windswept sunshine of Normandy reading
of the cold harsh weather in Siberia somehow did not feel strange.
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