Monday, August 16, 2010

FRANCE










































































14 July – 12 August, 2010
This was not a country on our list to do. Both of us had visited France before and neither of us really impressed enough to do a revisit. The reason for us choosing is as a destination in our travel was our friends, UWE AND ROSIE who were going on their annual holiday to Normandy and spoke so well of the region we decided that we would like to see an area where they had spent their annual holiday for the past 10 years. With the dates coinciding with our return from Scotland we spent two weeks with Uwe and Rosie in the heart of the Normandy, taking Jim (our grandchild) with and then encouraging Nicole and Frank to join us for a further two weeks on the coast, this giving us a month altogether. We never expected what we got,
NORMANDY WAS WONDERFUL – THE DEFINITION …………….

UWE & FOOD = OUR EXPERIENCE OF THE FRENCH PEOPLE AND NORMANDY CUISINE

We were introduced to life in Normandy by being able to be part of a family. Like all visits to a country it was lovely to be staying within a local community. Uwe and Rosie rent a home, outside of a small village called St Pierre-s-Dives. It is part of a family Bed and Breakfast establishment and the home belonging to Aneke Duhamel. Many years back she and her husband owned a hotel which had 40 beds. It was lovely to be able to chat to her with that common denominator! They sold the hotel and bought a very old, old Farm House with a lovely view. The view is what sold it, lots of love and tender care, and many heartaches and lots of money they transformed this old derelict farmhouse to a lovely warm home with 5 bedrooms (all en suite) and two additional separate apartments. One of these is where Uwe and Rosie spend their annual July holiday. They have just become her extended family and by the time we left we felt very close to this wonderful French lady. We saw all the photos of what they bought and the changes made. We also were introduced to their super neighbors, also “an Anike” and her husband who had recently inherited an old house (150years old) complete with the old furniture, books, linen, etc etc. It looked like a museum. (Complete with spider webs and dust.) The lady who had bequeathed it to her, was 90years old and had no children and left it because of being assisted in her later years with sorting her finances and banking etc by Aneke (what compensation!!!!) For at least an hour after visiting, I was completely speechless. (Yes all you know me; I was really speechless, not many times in my life as this ever happened.)
Our location was 40km from the beach, and most days we managed a visit to the beach added to that a visit to all the local and even further away places of interest. We were blessed with a super “Free French” guide. We saw the best places with all the “need to knows”
All the drives in and around the area and on the way to the beach are through little towns with lots of “French Chateau’s” and lots of 13th – 18th century buildings, wooden-framed Norman style houses. The area is also famous for the training of horses, so lots of lovely green farms with horses and foals, sheep, cows etc. Narrow, windy roads lined with trees and lovely old buildings. All the little towns have at least one old church, and lots little cobbled streets with a lot of arty shops, art galeries and museums. Each evening returning to our “Utopia” for wonderful French food. Always, snacks and “Aperitifs” then a starter, could be Jacques Mussels, different seafood aperitifs or even some cold meats, sometimes just a break would have been good, but No, No, that’s not how the French do it. Then follows the main course, most days, fresh fish or seafood, more than once really good beef or ribs of sorts. Then break time and the cheese, cheese and cheese served with Baguettes and after this follow a pudding, e.g. Crème Brule etc and then coffee. Of course it is always accompanied by good white or red French wine. Sometimes both. Liquors, especially Calvados, and Ricard in plentiful supply.
While on our travels here we visited the towns of:
1. Deauville,- The place to be for your holiday if you are a Parisian returning from your holiday You had to have visited Deauville; Gold drips off the ladies, they could drown if they swam from the weight. Just to sit on the street Café’s and watch is an experience all on its own.
2. Bayeux, Famous for a tapestry which recounts the conquest of England from a Norman perspective. Fifty eight scenes fill the central canvas, while religious allegories and depictions of everyday 11th century life fill the borders. The final showdown at the Battle of Hastings is depicted in graphic fashion, complete with severed limbs and decapitated heads in the last 52nd scene. It evens includes one scene with Hailey’s Comet blazing across the sky in 1066. It is believed that the 68.3 mt long tapestry was commissioned by the Bishop Odo of Bayeux who was William the Conqueror’s half brother, for the opening of the Bayeux Cathedral in 1077. The viewing of the tapestry is done with translations in most languages by way of a radio. Added to this was the wonderful Norman Gothic Cathedral, Notre Dame which dates from the 11th to the 13th Century. Close by at Arromanche, a small seaside town is part of the D-Day landings. Code Named “Operation Overlord” was the largest military operation in history. Early on 6th June 1944, Allied troops stormed ashore along the 80km of beaches north of Bayeux. The beaches now known as Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The most brutal fight taking place on Omaha Beach. To make it possible to unload cargo without having to capture one of the heavily defended ports, the Allies established two prefabricated breakwaters, one of which can still be viewed at low tide in this seaside town. It is a wonderful and historical super trip down the coast visiting it all and going back into history. Amazing what you learn at school and bored to tears with, you see and enjoy at this later time.
3. LISEAUX- Famous mainly from the Saint Theresa. (She was born in 1873, entered the convent at the age of 15 and died in 1897 at the young age of 24 of Tuberculoses. Because of her memoirs published after her death and translated into more than 60 languages, she quickly became known and venerated throughout the whole world. In “Story of a Soul” Theresa explains her “little way” to holiness, not by sacrifices but by the monotony of little acts offered to God through love. In 1925, she was declared a Saint and two years later was proclaimed Patroness of the Missions. She is also the Secondary Patroness of France. Adding to this lovely city there is a Basilica, a church, one of the greatest of the 20th Century. Its construction began in 1929 and was only consecrated in 1954. Its walls and those of the crypt are covered with mosaics which reflect Saint Therese’s message based on love and trust in the Good God’s infinite love. Situated in the part of the church beneath the dome is the reliquary containing the bones from Saint Therese’s right arm. There is a Cathedral of Saint Pierre, from the 12th & 13th century. Also in the city is Therese’s family residence from 1877. The Carmel chapel contains the tomb of St Theresa. She is represented there lying on her deathbed wearing the habit of the Carmelite order. A Museum of Art and History. The St Germain De Livet Caster also from the 15th and 16th Century.
4. HONFLEUR – Is an old harbor town, the harbor filled with lots of yachts and fancy boats. To enter or exit the small harbor, the road-bridge must be lifted, giving access to the boats but of course stopping the traffic. Seeing the amount of traffic on the road, quite something while the boats have the right of way and the traffic comes to a halt. Around the old port, there are lots of little shops, restaurants, street cafes, museums and art shops. 500 years ago the explorers started from this port. Today it is a very big fish harbor, with Fish and Seafood available from the markets in abundance. The street which you enter into the town is amazing, an avenue of trees and flowers on all sides.
For me, other highlights of our first two weeks, was being taken by Aneke,(a fellow catholic), to the local churches, one of which was an open air mass, one gospel evening done by Caribbean Singers who were part of a supporting group to visiting musicals. Another evening Rosi and I went with her to a “Festival Musique” an evening of music on “Flute et deux harpes) (Harps) this was held in a local old church and the acoustics just unbelievable. I have to mention again, our super evenings of food, laughter and friendship. Other days just being able to drive through the little villages to local old churches, buildings, and Chateaux’s and being able to understand some of the old history, Having Uwe’s knowledge and French translations just made the journeys so special and never was there anything we queried he could not answer. His energy with Jim was fantastic, the beach and swimming so much easier. Both Rosie and Uwe will make super Grandparents “one day” (Come on Eva, Gramps and Gran are really ready for this)
After two weeks, we said goodbye to friends and moved to the beach in a seaside town called Blondville. The location was tremendous, right on the beach. The hang-up was the time of year, it was full all the time and the ablutions not too wonderful. But just having the family for the last part of our trip before going south and heading home was wonderful. Again we took great pleasure in the food and being able to share our travels around Normandy with Nicole, Frank and Lisa. The weather was not as nice or as kind to us as the first two weeks but we managed to do a few days on the beach and lots of visits to the local sights. One which we did not do with Uwe was Mont Michel which is an Abby on a rocky island connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. Unfortunately we chose one of those rainy cloudy days, one where the beach was out, but I think all of the 100,000 other tourists did too, it turned out a nightmare when we approached St Michel, Mud, slush, hundreds of cars and seriously all the tourists in France in the height of their tourist season, we took a back turn, found ourselves a lovely French restaurant and enjoyed the food and company. Wolf and I are definitely going back down the coast of France on our way to Spain and Portugal so we will do this sighting then, which will be at the end of the season and hopefully a lot easier. More about the Mont St-Michel in the following blog. We left France in lovely sunny weather, and made our way back to Germany to sell our winter home, shop, etc, before going south for our trip back to Africa. France coast, Northern Spain and Portugal will follow before we put our feet back on AFRICA soil.