Normandy 13th - 16th January 2024

Birthday Girl!

I was up first this morning and enjoying a peaceful coffee while watching it gradually get light outside. Sunrise wasn't until about 9am, so an hour later than the UK, but at least we had an extra hour in the evening to enjoy!

Keith and Sophie woke up and I opened the birthday cards I'd bought with me. Unexpectedly, the pair of  rascals had also bought me a bottle of the Lindores whisky I'd loved, my favourite of all the whiskies in the advent calendar!

We had coffee and a light snack for breakfast before showering and leaving at about 10.30am again. We re-traced our route of yesterday towards Ver-sur-Mer to visit the British Normandy Memorial, passing through the pretty village of Crépon on the way.

There is a large car park at the Memorial and our car was the only one parked! We paid 3 euros to park and walked to the main part of the Memorial, passing information signs on the way. A local woman with her dog was sitting on the bench overlooking the sea and looked as frozen as we felt!

The British Normandy Memorial overlooks Gold Beach where the British Army landed on the 6th of June 1944. The Memorial was beautiful, serene and thought-provoking. The names of the 22,242 men and women who died throughout the campaign are inscribed on stone pillars and a main stone wall.

We were lucky to have blue skies and sunshine, although it was bitterly cold with a strong wind blowing off the sea.

We had a good look at all the names, trying to find our own surnames, even though none of our family were involved. We did see a few people who shared our family names, and it was heart-breaking to see so many young people listed.

Bayeux is closed...

We spent about an hour walking around before heading back to the warmth of the car. We wanted to visit Bayeux, even though the museum housing the tapestry was closed for the whole of January. We drove to the town and parked near the main shopping area and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The intention was to have a lovely birthday lunch and then wander about looking at the beautiful medieval town. The area around the Cathedral had escaped the bombing in the war and I was particularly keen to have a good look at the lovely old Norman buildings.

We walked towards the centre, noting that although some shops were open, most were closed, including two places selling local produce, which was a shame as we wanted to take back Calvados and cider. We saw one restaurant open but it served the horrible "galettes" that I'd tried in Wimereux. Ugh!

All the others were closed up - whether because it was Monday, traditionally a day of closing in France, or whether it was January and they weren't expecting any tourists! Thankfully, Sophie brought up Google Maps on her phone and said there was one place open, a short walk away. We made our way over, passing the impressive Cathedral on the way.

Two promising looking restaurants... CLOSED!

Luckily, a restaurant attached to a hotel called Le Garde Manger was open and was buzzing pleasantly with local lunchtime diners. Le Garde Manger translates as "keep eating", which is what we intended to do!

We were shown to a table and ordered a 500ml pichet of wine for Sophie and I, and a beer for Keith, For a starter we chose a plate of charcuterie and a portion of garlic bread. 

The starter was delicious and went well with crusty bread. For our main courses, Keith chose lamb, Sophie opted for cod and I went with medallions of pork wrapped in bacon, and served with roasted new potatoes.

The food was very good and as we'd been so cold, it was heaven to sit, relax and enjoy the French hospitality with the early afternoon sun streaming in through the windows. We found that, although there were only a few places open, the restaurants that were seemed to appreciate our business far more than if it had been the height of the tourist season. All the places we dined in over the last three days had been friendly with the staff more than happy to speak English back to us, even though I did order in French. They were relaxed and happy and very welcoming.

Sophie and I found room for dessert - a crepe with bananas for my daughter and chocolate cake with cream and ice-cream for me. It was utterly sublime!

Reluctantly, we left and waddled back to the Cathedral which was consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror. Inside was gorgeous, with beautiful stained glass windows and little chapels along the side.

The Nativity was still displayed

We wandered about for a good while and Sophie and I went down into the crypt, followed by a man who kept close to us for the next half hour... It wasn't as good as the crypt in the Berliner Dom, but it looked more ancient!

When we came out, the creepy crypt man was still hanging about and went into a shop opposite. We followed and bought some souvenirs to take home, including mini bottles of Calvados.

As not much was open, we decided to take a slow walk back to the car and we finally managed to shake off creepy crypt man. He was quite young and I wouldn't have taken him for a cathedral-visiting tourist!

Deserted streets

Back at the car we drove to Creully-sur-Seulles and bought Champagne, wine and cider in the Carrefour supermarket. I chose a box of Cracksters to nibble on with my birthday fizz, not knowing that soon I would be addicted to them. Yes, they're my crack! Sophie has her Paprika Pringles!

We also filled up with petrol and then headed back to the house to find another pile of logs from our Airbnb hosts waiting outside for us. We'd already gone through the wood they'd left us on the first day as it's been so cold!

It was bliss to relax in the warm house, and outside the sun was slowly sinking in the sky. I suggested going for a walk but Sophie fell asleep so I went outside to take some photos.

We packed our cases and then it was time for Champagne!

Cheers!