Be Excellent To Each Other

Brief details, as I've circa 400 photos. We also went to Bayeaux to see the tapestry and a few other small towns. Overall, we relaxed and did some sightseeing in the sun.

We took the Dover/Bologne ferry (LD Lines) and then drove south via Abbeville, Roen and Liseux to get to where we were staying in St Simeon. Driving back, we went Via Caen and Le Havre on the toll roads. This was considerably quicker but cost quite a lot in tolls.

During the week we drove around a fair amount, as where we were staying was quite remote, with not a lot in the town at all (there was a bar, which was constantly empty and seemed to open when it felt like it). Ensure to book a hotel if you are staying overnight near the ferryport, otherwise you end up dropping "Fuck! How much?" Euro on a room next to a golf course 25 miles from the port at 10pm, 11 hours before your ferry sails.

Also, be aware that buying ANYTHING in France on a Sunday is nigh on impossible, so keep this in mind when planning a trip. Shops often close between midday and 3pm, too, and on particular days of the week. Wine is cheap, we got a really nice bottle of bubbly for 1.94 Euro. You dont' need to spend more than 3 Euro, really ,for day to day wine, just look for the AOC stamp of approval. Lager is about 4 Euro for 10x 25cl bottles. In a bar saying "Une pression" will get you a 25cl glass of lager, and should cost about 2.5 Euro. Which is nice. Food can vary, but beware that tripe is very popular in Normandy, so don't order from the menu, blindly, otherwise I'll smirk when I know what you're going to get, you don't and I'm not going to tell you.

I've found that doggedly refusing to speak English to the French wins them over quite well, it helps to have a few set phrases and swap the nouns around. I had quite a long conversation with an old man after a bike ride for no apparent reason, and he was really pleased I could speaka da lingo. Some French people like to speak really fast in French when they realise you are trying to communicate in their language, so interrupt them with questions like "why?" every now and again so your brain can catch up.

I could, quite honestly, sell up and move to Normandy. I like the scenery and the way of life. It's definitely something I'd like to do someday.

Cottages can be found to rent by the week on the internet. It often pays to search around and try to contact the owners direct. We did and it saved us £250. Here's the accomodation:






We were staying on a small farm, and here are some of the animals that were running around. I counted 4 dogs, 3 cats, herd of goats, herd of alapaca, 9 chickens, 6 guinea pigs and two donkeys.







Animals









Mont Saint-Michel

This is the original of the copy in Cornwall. It's an Abbey built upon a rocky outcrop. And it is huge. Really, really big. And busy. but it is well worth the visit. Take your own water, and be aware that there's something like 4,000 steps to reach the Abbey. The ArchAngel Michael is atop the spire, and he's dead hard, so play nicely. Beware the tides, too.






Domfront

Is quite a pretty place, with a ruined castle, and a ferro-concrete church, built in 1929 and undergoing rebuilding.







Mortain

During WW2, the American 30th infantry fought for 6 nights against Nazi tanks to keep a foothold after Operation Cobra. There's a memorial and a this is the view from the church at the top of the hill. In the town, there's also Normandy's largest waterfall and some smaller ones in a gorge. it's really pretty. Good for half a day's trip out.





Bagnoles le Orne is a spa town and, once again, quite pretty. It's also got a kick ass Hotel de Ville:





We went for a bike ride, which was really good because it was along the flat. Actually, I lie, it was a pig as it was on the flat, and the RTS can only really go up or down, the flat means you've really got to work to keep it rolling along. Note the 6.5 Euro tshirt and shorts, fashion fans. I love the Hypermarkets. Whilst I was barrelling along this towpath, I passed a couple cycling in the other direction. he bloke did a double take and shouted, rather excitedly "C'est une RTS!" at his partner. I felt stupidly proud that I was riding an outmoded full suspension bike along a tramway.



American Cemetary - Omaha beach

Visiting here is an incredibly sobering experience, and I'd recommend it. It's worth it.

Great pics... I have always wanted to visit the Graves..

Most of the pics won't load for me, but we used to have a house near the mont.

About a 10 min drive from Ponterson. Nice area... if a little bit too french.