Category Archives: Normandy

Bayeux, The Heart of Normandy

Bayeux is not situated in the south of France, so one does not visit here for blinding sunshine and lounging on the beaches. The average high in June is 64 F, skyrocketing all the way to 69 in August before it starts dipping back down, with a possibility of a grey day or sudden showers. Perhaps it’s global warming?

But yes, we do come for the beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. We visit for remembrance of June 6, 1944, D-Day, and all of the history, reliving and celebrating The Liberation, and the courageous men and women who made it happen.

While our focus is D-Day, tired at the end of the day from exploring all of the magnificent military sites, it’s a good plan to regroup in a welcoming home away from home in a lovely little French town. Bayeux is perfectly situated to provide an excellent home base for touring the nearby historic WWII sites. It is one of the only cities to escape bombing and destruction during WWII and is known as the first major town secured by the Allies during Operation Overlord.

We have stayed in Bayeux for each our visits to Normandy, and can attest to it’s beauty and tranquility, lodging and restaurants.

One of our two recommendations for lodging is historic Hotel Churchill where the halls are decorated with extraordinary black and white photos of WWII, Band of Brothers, and other army material.

One memorable birthday visit at Hotel Churchill, future-hubby had arranged flowers, card and presents. Madame de l’hôtel hid his roses in the back room overnight and then surprised us both with the flowers and a wonderful Joyeux Anniversaire brioche cake at breakfast which we shared with all of the other guests.

Hotel Churchill is situated downtown, steps from the picturesque watermills, just a block or so from the famous tapestry for which Bayeux is best known.

The 11th century tapestry is 230 feet long of embroidered wool on linen, and depicts the scenes of the Norman Conquest in 50 different panels. It currently resides at Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux.

Bayeux Cathedral

The cloth’s original home was the Bayeux Cathedral where you will find beautiful murals and crypts. Both of these sites are worth a visit in your downtime.

As well, Le Mont Saint Michel UNESCO World Heritage Site is approximately 2-1/4 hours drive from Bayeux.

There are many lovely spots downtown to stop for un café. Rain or shine, coffee makes every day better.

We try to plan a visit to include a weekend in Bayeux as every Saturday morning, rain or shine, residents and visitors alike flock to la Place Saint Patrice for the bustling weekly market.

The scents of grilling sausages, meat, and paella will draw you near. Is it time for lunch?

The photo opportunities are endless at the market.

Succulent tomatoes…

…and energetic Jack Russells

Sunday dinner?

Domes of nougat – pistache!

To find the market, just follow the steady stream of housewives meandering down the sidewalk with empty market baskets.

The walk through town reveals beautiful old timbered buildings, doorways, and flowers…

Industrious bees

Le Bon Vie does not live by photos alone. Let there be wine, cheese and pain! or bread…let there be many lovely French baguettes! Cave-Bistrot Le Volet qui Penche is rated one of the top ten restaurants in Bayeux, right in the middle of downtown on the water and one of our very favorites. We would dine here each evening if it was open. Recommended as a wine cave for charcuterie, they have fresh entrées, an extensive wine collection, and friendly knowledgeable sommelier, who also has a wine stall at the Saturday market…how convenient.

Another new favorite Bayeux B&B…Clos de Bellefontaine Guesthouse. It is an enchanting maison with the host family living in one side of the home, and the guest rooms with a separate entrance off a lovely yard and patio. There are two guest suites with modern bathrooms, one on each upper floors, with drawing room and breakfast room on first floor. Breakfasts are generous with many homemade choices. Carole, the hostess, is friendly and accommodating, a great chef, homemaker, and artist in her spare time. Parking is in the enclosed secure gated yard, and Clos is walking distance from shops and restaurants. We had a comfortable weeklong stay in the cosy yet elegant rooms. It was wonderful to relax in the drawing room at end of day with a book and snack or aperitif, and sometimes meet the other guests, and Marcel, the resident Jack Russell.

Everything is better with coffee, wine, and a Jack Russell. Happy travels. C’est tout!

Tranquil Painters’ Paradise in Giverny

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Claude Monet has long been my favorite impressionist artist. We tend to temper each visit to the beaches and museums of Normandy with a relaxing few hours enjoying the tranquil beauty of Claude’s final home in Giverny.

In 1883, Claude began by purchasing a farmhouse surrounded by an orchard, and initiated a vast landscaping project including lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. Here the Father of French Impressionism adopted a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the change of light and the passing of the seasons.

In 1899 he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views with a Japanese bridge as a central feature, and later in the series of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for the next 20 years of his life.

This peaceful paradise is much the same as it was when Claude Monet passed in 1826. A visit is easy to include on a Parisian or Normandy itinerary as Giverny is located approximately an hour west of CDG airport and about two hours southeast of Bayeux, which we consider the heart of Normandy.

Each season at Giverny is a unique experience…different flowers,

sometimes sunny, sometimes gray, but always some violet.

A lovely walk around the Water Garden,

and the Lily Pond.

early-June view from Monet’s bedroom

J’ai du bon tabac

la cuisine

After our visit among the gardens, it was time for a little shopping under the watchful eye

of le chat de garde,

Cozy tea time rendezvous

followed by a wood fire grilled lunch at Le Petit Giverny and un bouteille de vin.

À votre santé

J’aime la lumière quand pareille aux bouches sensuelles des modèles de Renoir elle donne au travers de l’olivier à la pelouse mille baisers. -Claude Cambour

I love the light when like the sensual mouths of Renoir’s models she gives through the olive tree to the lawn a thousand kisses.

-Claude Cambour, peintre

C’est tout!

Remembering D-Day in Normandy, WWII Film Festival, and Canadian Sites

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In the small rural towns in northern France, the first two weeks of June each year are a special time for remembrance, celebration of D-Day and liberation, and all things military and WWII. Both of our fathers served in WWII and as you know, my husband loves anything WWII or military related, so we return again and again to Normandy, but then again who does not want to return to France? Allons-y!

In June 2017, we decided to participate in the 1st Normandie-World War II International Film Festival in St-Marie-Du-Mont and Carentan. The festival is organized by the US World War II Foundation. By sponsoring the event, we were invited to the Red Carpet night held at Utah Beach Museum in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

The 2017 VIP event honored 2nd Ranger Battalion and D-Day Pointe-du-Hoc veteran George Klein. As promised there were Band of Brothers actors, wine and food, tanks, guns and aircraft…it was fabulous.

James Madio (Technician Fourth Grade Frank Perconte Band of Brothers), John MacLennan (husband extraordinaire), and Rick Warden (First Lt. Harry F. Welsh, Band of Brothers)

Kathy schmoozing with James Madio

If Band of Brothers does not ring a bell, it was originally an HBO series, chronicling the story of Easy Company, 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army and based on the book written by Stephen Ambrose, interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as soldiers’ journals and letters, and experiences of these young men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear.

We have watched Band of Brothers numerous times. Any male actor who is anyone is probably in it and it is 100% Rotten Tomatoes. Tom Hanks – check. James McAvoy – check. Damian Lewis – check…the list goes on.

The Normandie-WWII International Film Festival is the only film festival in the world featuring the latest on WWII content only, from feature films to shorts. Over 50 films made the cut for the inaugural film festival which were projected in the Carentan Salle du Théâtre. We viewed a few of them over the four day festival and met up with Robin and Jane Brockman at a few events and again for dinner in Bayeux. Robin had submitted a WWII action film entitled Here Again. He is an American & British national and author, editor, playwright, director, and actor. He grew up in Kansas and joined the US Army at 17, serving as a paratrooper in America and as an infantryman in the Vietnam War. There he underwent a profound Near Death Experience. Later he was an observer in conflicts from the Middle East to El Salvador, Ethiopia to Bosnia, and on the Turkish-Iraqi and Syria-Iraqi borders. Rob and Jane reminded us that we meet the nicest, most interesting people all over the world. We wish him well in his future film-making endeavors

Besides the film festival, our trip would begin with a memorable military bang. As John’s birthday treat, I booked a full day personal tour of Canadian D-Day sites with Bayeux Shuttle. Mike, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and thanks to him, we were in for a special treat when we again visited the Juno Beach Centre, which is the Canadian WWII museum.

It’s a Canadian Museum – of course there will be curling.

June Beach serenely beautiful

52,022 Poppies representing the 52,022 Canadian soldiers buried in France.

The day of our visit, David Teacher, M.B.E. was at the museum speaking to a group of school children. He was among the first soldiers to land in Normandy as he drove his three ton truck off a landing craft.

Crowdfunding had enabled David, who is in a wheelchair, to come back to the 2017 D-Day events to drive a Bedford QL WW2 truck on Juno Beach just as he did on D-Day. Can you imagine the hoops and hurdles to make this happen? Insurance requirements, government permits allowing one of these trucks on June beachhead, fabricating a special lift to raise David up into the truck and therefore additional liability insurance, getting the truck from the London military enthusiast collector to Juno Beach, film crews, weather concerns…mind boggling. Our tour guide was involved in making it happen, so we were able to meet David Teacher and see the awe and enthusiasm of the school children crowding around him. He signed a copy of his book for us: Beyond My Wildest Dreams.

We read there is a plan afoot to take David to Belgium as he is a Battle of the Bulge veteran and to the Netherlands where he also served. He gives his time freely to charities and volunteers speaking to school parties about his war time service. We were honored and touched to meet this wonderful man.

Boys and their toys

Canada House: Thought to be the first house liberated by troops who landed on Juno beach. These troops were from the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. Around the house, more than 100 Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded in the first minutes of the invasion.

On the House are three plaques: one to the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, one to The Fort Garry Horse and one to the Régiment de la Chaudière

We visited the somber garden at L’Abbaye d’Ardenne where the memorial reads: “In memoriam: on the night of 7-8 June 1944, eighteen Canadian soldiers were murdered in this garden while being held here as prisoners of war. Two more prisoners died here, or nearby, on 17 June 1944. Lest we forget.”

L’Abbaye d’Ardenne

Another day found us attending an all day parachute jump from WWII planes in farmers’ fields with thousands of our closest friends. Like many multi-tasking Americans, we planned to arrive on schedule, see a few jumps, then drive out and go on to our next activity, stopping somewhere for a wonderful lunch and a coffee…not the French way. Should have packed a picnic and lawn chairs, planning to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the festivities. The police planned a one-time controlled entrance for everyone thru the one-lane hedgerows into the fields set for parking. In the evening, the traffic flow would turn around when the event is over. Luckily there were booths selling beer and grilling sausages, so it was not a problem to slow down and enjoy the moment.

The D-Day Experience is another must see at Dead Man’s Corner in Saint-Côme-du-Mont, featuring a 3D immersive exhibit, a flight simulator, two museums, two shops, and a memorial dedicated to airborne troops.

What would a celebration be without a parade? We spent another fine day at Isigny-Sur-Mer enjoying their annual D-Day military parade which is similar to 4th of July only probably a lot more military vehicles and tanks. Everyone dresses up like it’s the 1940’s and re-enactors come from all over including Belgium and the Netherlands to dress up like Canadians, British, and Americans.

As we drove out of Isigny at the end of the day, we came face to face with a Sherman tank blocking the entire roadway. The drivers had no intention of moving unless perhaps it was to flatten all of us in our tiny Peugeots and Renaults, so we managed to back up quickly along with everyone else and find alternate routes out of town. Makes for a great story and memory….

We will be back again and again, and most certainly in 2019 for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

C’est Tout!

Cruising the Canal Lateral Loire & Visiting WWII Sites Normandy – France 2008

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We started planning our fantastic 2008 vacation a year in advance during a wine-filled dinner party with our closest friends. Jerry suggested we lease a boat in to cruise down the Canal Lateral Loire in France, for Pam’s and my 50th birthdays in September 2008. Pam and Jerry moved to Springfield, Missouri shortly after that dinner party but we met in St. Louis to choose our boat (Corvette from Crown Blue Lines) and planned the rest of vacation via email and telephone calls.

John and I flew into Paris on a Friday and spent Saturday and Sunday re-exploring Paris. We explored the catacombs Saturday afternoon and went to a photography exhibition for Annie Liebowitz on Sunday.

Bright and early on Monday morning we took a train down to Briare to meet Pam and Jerry. By this time we were relaxed and had already found our way back into vacation mode where the only tasks we had to worry about was finding lattes and croissants, then as the day wore on, more latte, then cheese, bread, and wine.

The train ride to Briare was about two hours and when we arrived mid-morning, we were surprised to find ourselves in a deserted train station, much like Petticoat Junction. John called the two taxis companies with no response so we started off towards town pulling our matching rolling duffels – John with his iPhone as a compass – and me with a dying borrowed GPS. Our sense of direction – or luck – was very good and we soon ran into Pam and Jerry out for a stroll. Their luggage had just arrived from being airline lost for 3 days, so we considered ourselves quite fortunate. Briare altho a seemingly big town, was pretty deserted, but we found a postwoman on a bicycle who directed to a coffee shop. So we enjoyed some pastries and caught up with each other before walking back to Pam and Jerry’s hotel for our taxi ride to the boat dock.

While we waited for our boat to be cleaned, we walked into town for provisions and a bite. We had not walked very far when we passed the first house along the water…it was a large country style inn with the proprietor outside hanging laundry. There were signs on his fence about an art exhibition and when he noticed us reading the poster, he was over talking to us within minutes, inviting us into his studio. Mr. Jacuzee is pictured here with one of his oil paintings. He was inspired by 911 and the colors red and black dominate his work. Although he spoke only French, he was very welcoming to all of us and John spent most of our visit translating. After showing us his home, he invited us to lunch which we had to decline in favor of provision shopping. As we left, he asked John to ask Pam and I if we would pose nude for him. Unfortunately we did not have time, but we were honored to be asked.

Once we had practiced backing the boat out of the slip and turning around, they handed it over and we were off. We started off cruising back to Briare so that we could take the boat over the narrow bridge canal suspended over the canal, pictured here below.

John captaining his first mission and happy to have successfully piloted the boat through the narrow Gustave Eiffel bridge.

Following are some photos taken on our second week of vacation in Normandy…comments coming later as this is a work in progress:

Our Band of Brothers (and one sister taking the shot) We took the Overlord bus tour of D-Day beaches. The farmhouse in the background is in the movie Band of Brothers.