We both awoke after a good night's sleep, and we were delighted to see blue skies this morning when the sun rose just after 9:00am. While Sophie was getting ready, I took some photos of the house:
Our plan for today was to take a slow drive to Deauville, visit the market, and have lunch. It was a gorgeous day and perfect for a leisurely tour of the Normandy coast.
We drove past the British Normandy Memorial and turned right at a set of traffic lights to take the coast road, the D514. There are some very pretty towns and villages along this route that I would love to explore properly. We liked Courselles-sur-Mer with its marina, and Bernières-sur-Mer, where the owner of our Airbnb lives.
At Luc-sur-Mer, we found a parking space next to the beach and walked back to a restaurant where people were enjoying a coffee.
We ordered large white coffees and sat back to enjoy the stunning views over the sea. It was a lovely, very friendly place, and there was a great atmosphere of people sitting with their espresso cups. It certainly beat being at work!
After we'd paid the bill, we strolled back to the car along the promenade where several dogs were enjoying the sea. One retriever kept trying to catch large pebbles that his owner was throwing to him!
This was Sword Beach, taken by the British, in an attempt to capture Caen, a few miles distant. It was hard to imagine what it would have been like on June 6, 1944, with the Allied troops arriving, as it was so peaceful now.
House porn...
We drove on, and it was interesting to see this route from the other direction, as we normally drive up from Deauville. We saw the most gorgeous houses, each one making us gasp, and Houlgate, in particular, had an amazing range of beautiful houses, all with steep roofs and interesting features. We had learned that the converted church in Houlgate was being made into apartments, each one costing well over €1 million! Hmmm! So how much were these houses? We loved Houlgate, and it may be a place to stay in the future.
We also loved the beachside houses in Blonville-sur-Mer, which were mostly shuttered up against the elements. I can only imagine how busy this area is in the summer! It was bliss to drive slowly along the coast, and I kept pulling over so people could overtake me.
Serious people-watching
When we reached Deauville, we managed to find a space on the street near the market. It was still going on, which was a bonus as I thought it would have packed up by the time we arrived. Sophie looked for a pair of burgundy corduroy trousers (she bought a black pair last year), but she didn't see any she liked.
We were surprised to find the restaurant we'd been to twice closed until the end of January. It was a good job we hadn't planned to eat there again! We went instead to Brasserie Marion, which was offering a three-course set lunch for 41.50 euros. As we had been quite sensible over the last couple of days, we decided to push the boat out today! Quite a few other diners followed us in, so we weren't the last to arrive!
We were settled opposite the bar and watched as people arrived, with lots of kissing going on. I love the way the French greet each other! Looking at the menu, we chose the same starter - a "tataki" of salmon with sesame seeds. Sophie went with fish again for her main course and chose the Thai cod, while I played it safe and opted for the chicken in a creamy sauce with mashed potatoes. To accompany the meal, I chose a French Sauvignon Blanc.
Our starters were delicious; the fish was raw, served with a beautiful sauce and topped with sesame seeds. I loved my main course, but I don't think Sophie was too keen and had trouble with the noodles in the soup. If I'd chosen the dish, I would have been wearing it!
Opposite us was a family of three, but the father (I assume he was) just had a glass of Champagne and an espresso and then disappeared. The mother and daughter stayed to have oysters and some kind of seafood, with more Champagne. I was dying to see what they'd order for a main course, but they didn't have anything. They went out to smoke instead! The daughter was as thin as a reed, and no wonder!
We managed to find room for dessert - both of us chose chocolate mousse, and it was delicious. It was a great meal and came to about 115 euros, which wasn't bad for the standard of food and service. We walked back to the car, and as we only had half an hour left on our parking ticket, we decided to head to the beach and see if we could have a leisurely stroll.
It was only a short drive and we found an area where there were parking spaces, and a complex with a toddler pool and bathing huts. The expanse of beach was huge, and we could see the industrial port of Le Havre in the distance. Earlier, on the drive, we'd seen what looked like one of the tall chimneys on fire!
The beach was covered in furrows from a digger, and by the water's edge we could see people racing horses on little carts. A lot of people were out enjoying the sun and a walk along the promenade.
As both of us needed the loo, we decided to have a drink in a nearby bar. Sophie chose an Aperol Spritz while I chose a Perrier water. It was heavenly to sit by the window and gaze out over the beach and sea. I should imagine this place is heaving in the summer and is known at The Parisian Riviera.
I was able to indulge in yet more people watching: a couple of men outside and a woman talking to the birds, and most fascinating, two women of a certain age who came in, asked for Ginger beer, but were told there wasn't any, and settled for a Perrier water instead. Both of them wore dark wigs which were styled in bunches, which was bizarre as they must have been in their late 60s! I just wish I could have taken a photo of them!
Sophie's Aperol Spritz was 16 euros, but she said there was probably more Aperol in Gomez's wee, and he had never drunk Aperol. She reckoned they'd just wafted the bottle past the glass! OK, yes the drinks were expensive (my small bottle of Perrier was 6 euros), but what a view and location!
Reluctantly, we tore ourselves away from Deauville and set off for Ver-sur-Mer. We followed the coast road until Dives-sur-Mer and then branched off into the countryside, following the same route as we did on Wednesday. At one point, we were driving along a tiny country road when we could see the sea and what looked like a huge gas platform out in the Channel.
Our last night
Once back at the house, we packed and loaded the car as we wanted to be away for 8:00am in the morning. It was then time to relax and I picked out a film called The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones to watch on Netflix. Sophie wasn't keen so she amused herself by cuddling the little grey cat from the house across the road. He climbed up onto her shoulders and nuzzled into her neck, which she loved!
We had a salad for supper again and then it was time for bed. Tomorrow will be a long day!
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