Mont St. Michel

Yesterday we drove a couple hours south to a medieval abbey/fortress. Mont St. Michel is built high on a rocky piece of land that used to be inaccessible when the tide came in and covered the causeway. Now the causeway has been built up and the tide water only covers the parking lots at certain times!




While climbing up to the top, one is able to spend outrageous sums of money on souvenirs and food. I had a strawberry crepe. It was good, but paled in comparison to my mom's Swedish pancakes!




Kathleen and Isabella climbed to the very top while the old fogies waited at the base of the castle.









I forgot to mention the delicious pizza lunch we had in a small village near Mont St. Michel. Don ordered the special which came with an added topping--a raw egg!




We headed back to Courseulles but made a short detour about five minutes from the village in order to go to Beny-sur-mer, the site of the Canadian Cemetery. It was on a beautiful spot amid farmers' fields. Over 2000 Canadian casualties from D-Day and the following months are buried here.




In the evening we invited the other two tour guides out for dinner and then back to chez Childs for wine and good conversation. Unfortunately I had to retire early because I've got the WORST COLD I HAVE EVER HAD. I thought I was going to pass out at the restaurant, but in hindsight I guess I shouldn't have had two glasses of wine after having taken copious amounts of cough syrup. Today I'm lying in bed writing this blog. I didn't sleep at all so please forgive any typos. Luckily we have about fourteen patisseries surrounding out cottage, so Don has just brought me a coffee and almond croissant. If I can get myself vertical, I'm going to visit Kathleen in the boutique at Juno Beach and then come home and begin packing. We may venture out to Bayeux this afternoon to see the tapestry which tells the story of William the Conquerer's conquest of England.

This may be my last blog. I've had a marvelous holiday and am glad to see that Kathleen has settled in here in Normandy. Now my thoughts turn to Ottawa and old friends...





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Bad dream

Okay, you know those bad dreams where you can't seem to get going? That's what it was like driving to and from Vimy. It should have taken 4 hours to drive there. We got lost because of an evil toll booth which caused us to go backwards twenty minutes.

We arrived in Arras for lunch. I think the waiter thought we were Americans because he abandoned us and we didn't get our lunch for 40 minutes.





Vimy was amazing. The craters, now covered with grass, had sheep wandering all over to mow the grass. People aren't allowed there because of unexploded shells. I guess sheep are expendable. The monument was huge. We went on a tour of actual trenches and tunnels. The only people allowed to sleep in the tunnel were officers and runners. Runners were soldiers who volunteered to run messages because telephone, telegraph, and pigeons were not always dependable. Runners had to wear a white armband and so were often targeted by enemy snipers. The life expectancy of a runner was 3-5 days. However, the pay was very good so many men volunteered.



Now I'm driving to Mont St. Michel. Kathleen is navigating this time! Tomorrow is our last day and we'll be spending it packing our carry-on size luggage with all our purchases! We intended to put clothing items on each of Don's golf clubs!

Here are some pictures of our cottage:







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Shopping day in Caen

Today the girls decided to give Don a golf day--provided he drop us off in the town nearby. This town was called Caen, about 30 minutes from Kathleen's place. Accordingly, we shopped for 5 hours while he golfed. When asked later if we'd visited the castle in Caen, we replied that the only way we would have noticed a castle was if it were located between the H & M and the Sephora stores.




Isabella's new shoes (on the left) and Cathie's old ones.



Shopping district in Caen

I forgot to mention that Don got a hole in one on the Omaha Beach course yesterday. It was on a 171 yard par 3, 10th hole, with a 5 iron (he has this memorized). Here's a photo of the plaque on the 6th hole commemorating the D-Day landings. There's a German bunker underneath.



I'm typing this blog in the car on the way to Vimy Ridge. We might even pop into Belgium for a beer at lunch. Marty said we should visit Ypres where my grandfather fought during WW1. Apparently, the Canadian soldiers called it "Wipers."



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I'm posting from an Internet cafe, so this will be brief or I will have to buy more food.
I finally got a good night's sleep thanks to two different medications I probably should not have combined! Don and I slipped out for a coffee while Cathie and Isabella were sleeping in.
We saw Versailles yesterday but I don't have the photos uploaded yet, so this will be a blog about Don. Yesterday he was driving along when the guy behind him started to signal for him to stop. He did, only to be told that he had a severely flat tire! He changed it and went to the car rental place in Caen. He had to pay a fair chunk of change for the roadside assistance (there wasn't any) and replacement of the tire. We should get that back from the visa card insurance, though.
Here are some pictures of his golf courses.















Above, the sun is just coming up at 8:54, Don's dawn tee- time.



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Three gals in Paris

What a glorious holiday! This morning we went to the Fragonard Perfumerie where we sampled many different scents to determine the layer: the top ingredient is a fruit, the next a flower and the last a spice. I picked a perfume that smelled like strawberry marshmallow candies but didn't contain the calories!
Since this was shopping day, of course we headed to the Arche de Triomphe which pointed the way to the Champs-Elyses--a shopper's paradise road.











After a great meal of shear as (spelled chwarama here) we headed down to the Eiffel Tower. First we took a few pictures. Here's one of Cathie and me.




The boat cruise of the Seine was amazing. The highlight of Cathie's boat tour were the pre-teen British soccer-hooligan wannabes sitting beside her who yelled at all the people on shore. The argument concerning which one of them passed gas was especially amusing for Cathie and Isabella.




At the end of the evening we climbed the tower and took some more photos.

Tomorrow, Versailles!

Ps. Don is having a great time golfing! He golfed with a French guy named Francois who didn't speak much English. Of course, golf is a universal language, so they did very well!

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Paris!

Today the girls headed to Paris. We visited two other gals at the Louvre--the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. I last visited her in 1983 and she hasn't aged a bit!




The glass pyramid in the middle of the Louvre is really cool. Some people hate it, but we thought the view from inside was really amazing.




Tonight we went to Sacre-Coeur Cathedral where we climbed so many steps I thought I was going to keel over. We did this to get a great view of the Eiffel Tower. It sparkles every night at 9,10, and 11. Here's a picture of the cathedral. I'm at the lower left of the photo.





Tomorrow we're off to a perfume factory, shopping, and a cruise on the Seine at night!


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France Day 2

Last night was feast night! My brother and sister-in-law took us all out for a gourmet meal. We had oysters and rabbit and beef and salmon and wine and wine!! The desserts were scrumptious. Here’s a few pictures that will have you salivating!





Juno Beach Centre was amazing and the guide was extraordinary! The museum had lots of interesting exhibits, and the tour of the park included a visit to a German bunker. Kathleen moved easily between English and French. Here’s a picture of her posing beside a famous French poem. Why is it here at Juno Beach? The answer is at the end of this blog. Take a guess before you look.



After lunch we drove along the Normandy coast to Arromanche (where the British landed during D-Day) and then to Omaha Beach to see the American cemetery there. This is a beautiful cemetery on a hill overlooking the beach that was stormed on June 6, 1944. There are over 9000 American soldiers buried here.



I had a terrible night’s sleep last night; I can’t seem to get on French time. However, I need to be well rested for tomorrow: the girls are heading to Paris for three days. Don will stay back and golf. He didn’t seem too interested in shopping!

Answer: These were the code phrases spoken over BBC radio a few days before D-Day. The French Resistance, hearing these code words, immediately undertook their mission to destroy communications lines, railroads, etc. In preparation for the Normandy landing.