Going Home for Christmas 2023

In Europe for Christmas, with friends Brigitte & Andreas in Leipzig, Martin in Stuttgart, in Den Hague with Tineke & Bas & hosting the Wolzak family. Christmas day in France with the Dubrulle family, and travels along Brittany coast, home via Saigon. Read more

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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Paris - Notre Dame
December 13, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Wednesday – Stayed in bed a little longer and managed to make it to breakfast by 10:30. A tasty meal from the hotel. Our tiny bathroom does not allow more than one person to use it at a time, so making it to breakfast was an achievement. Our first destination today was to walk to FNAC (a French multinational retail chain) to order a book for Hector (Sylvie’s great nephew) for Christmas, and then we met with Asidine, Sylvie’s nephew, for lunch at the Brasserie Pastis. Following lunch, and with directions from Asidine, we walked the four kilometers to Notre Dame cathedral. The mobile Google maps are hopeless and didn’t seem to know where to go and we walked through endless laneways with limited success. Reconstruction on the cathedral after the destructive fire of 15 April 2019 is slow but a massive undertaking. After spending half an hour viewing the cathedral works and progress photos, we crossed the Seine to the Latin Quarter and a very small Christmas market, but the rain started to fall and became heavier so we continued apace to the famous Rue Cremieux with its multi coloured facades. Now a long four kilometer walk back to the hotel, completing 20,000 steps today. For dinner we went back to the same restaurant as last night. Sylvie had fish and I a fat tasty hamburger.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Paris - and the Three Famous Arcades
December 14, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Thursday – Another un-hurried day when we made it to breakfast by 10:00 in the small hotel dining room. Today we wanted to see the three famous arcades dedicated mainly to art and antiques. The first “Jouffroy Gonsans”, next passage “Verdeau” and last passage “des Panoramas”. Lunch was enjoyed in a small restaurant “Le Café Zéphyr” in the passage Jouffroy Gonsans. I had calves’ liver, which was delicious, Sylvie had a special old style Croque Monsieur, and all washed down with a glass of white wine. We continued our walk heading back to FNAC and once again got hopelessly lost with our Google GPS. We passed the Saint James tower and the more we walked the further the distance became so in the end we took a taxi which cost €27 and took about 25 minutes. Our taxi driver was a very friendly and chatty Haitian. We were a long way from where we should have been. Back at FNAC the book Sylvie had ordered was waiting for us. Then a quick walk to the hotel with a stop in the supermarket for fruit, yoghurt and nuts for dinner. Tonight a pre-pack and then bed.

The covered passages of Paris (French: Passages couverts de Paris) are an early form of shopping arcade built in Paris, primarily during the first half of the 19th century. By 1867, there were approximately 183 covered passages in Paris but many were demolished during Haussmann's renovation of Paris. Only 25 survived into the 21st century, all but one are in the arrondissements (municipal districts) on the Right Bank of the Seine. The common characteristics of the covered passages is that they link at least two streets, have glass ceilings and are: pedestrianised; artificially illuminated at night (initially with gas lamps); privately owned; highly ornamented and decorated; lined with small shops on the ground floor. The passages’ upper floors usually had apartments. Originally, to keep the passages clean, each would have at the entrance an artiste de décrottage (a ‘shoe cleaning artist’).Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Montargis - A Royal Residence
December 15, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Friday 15 Dec 23 – This morning following another quick breakfast we finished packing the suitcases and were in the hotel lobby at midday with a fifty-minute wait for our taxi. The trip to Paris Bercy station for our train to Montargis was reasonably quick considering the heavy traffic and I had not appreciated how far it was. The taxi driver was another friendly Haitian. On the train we took the two fold down seats at the entrance so had a place for our heavy suitcases. Arriving at Montargis station, Fred was waiting on the platform and after a quick sightseeing tour through town we drove the 36 kilometres to Ouzouer-sur-Loire and Fred and Leslie’s farm. By now it was getting cold again, minus seven degrees. We were shown around the farm and its numerous outbuildings by Fred and Leslie. God only knows what they are going to do with them all. Their dog, Cody, is a very snappy sheep dog which tries to nip us all the time and needs watching. Tonight, we sleep in Fred’s mothers house in Loris because the dog is not to be trusted during the night if we come down to the toilet. Fred’s mum passed away a year ago and the house remains fully furnished but not used much.

Montargis Origins and Middle Ages - Numerous Gallo-Roman artifacts have been found in the area and many are in the town's Gâtinais Museum. Later the town was a stronghold of the Frankish king Clovis I. Montargis was originally a seat of the house of Courtenay, which fortified a château on a hill overlooking the town. The town was ceded to the king of France in 1188. Eleanor Plantagenet, second daughter of King John of England and wife of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (killed at the Battle of Evesham), died here on 13 April 1275. In the 14th and 15th centuries it was a royal residence. In 1528 King Francis I granted the town to his sister-in-law, Renée of France, Duchess of Ferrara and daughter of King Louis XII. After her husband, Ercole II, the Duke of Ferrara, died in 1559, Renée resided at Montargis. She sheltered there Protestant Huguenots fleeing from persecutions in Paris and elsewhere during the 16th century French Wars of Religion.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Lorris - Fleury Abbey and Saint Benoit
December 16, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Saturday – We had a great sleep until 08:00 when the alarm went off. Straight down to breakfast and then shower time. On the road in thick fog back to the farm in Ouzouer-sur-Loire to pick up Leslie, but not before a quick walk around Lorris and visit to Eglise Notre Dame, the 12th century church and the ancient medieval covered marketplace. For lunch we went to Gien, with a visit to the small Christmas market and a meal at “Le Contadine” Italian restaurant. I did not find the Italian food here as good as in Australia. Our next visit was to the Gien China factory outlet shop, where as expected we bought a few small things being very aware of our luggage limitations and that the suitcases were already full. Fred insisted that we also see the Pont Canal de Briare a late 18th century aqueduct which passes over the Loire River. On the way home a final stop at the Fleury Abbey which holds saint Benedict’s remains. He is also known as Saint Benoit. Dinner on the farm was raclette and champagne. Home to Lorris at 23:00.

The Halle de Lorris is an open hall with rectangular floor plan. It dates from the early 12th century, when fairs and markets were established by Kings Louis VI and Louis VII. In the 14th century, these halls "were well covered and locked". They housed a large market for poultry and agricultural produce, as well as stalls for drapers, shoemakers and tanners. In 1134, King Louis VI the Fat, introduced what is known as the Lorris charter or customs, to facilitate local trade. The Halle de Lorris was subsequently burnt down during the Hundred Years' War by English troops. This fire had a major impact on trade in the town of Lorris. Restoration work was undertaken by the architect Eugène Viollet le Duc, who was responsible for restoring Notre-Dame de Paris and the Cité de Carcassonne. The hall was renovated with a single central bay and covered with tiles and slates. Under the roof structure itself, there is a closed attic, partitioned with cob and served by a wooden staircase. Until the French Revolution, this staircase was used by the provost to store benches, tables and stalls. Finally, in 1987, the hall was listed as a Historic Monument. The most recent restoration of the Lorris market hall took place in 1992, restoring the two original bays that had been removed at the beginning of the 19th century. The Lorris market has been held on Thursday mornings since the 15th century, under the covered market and on the Place du Martroi.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Lorris - Sick Day
December 17, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
Sunday 17 – I woke up this morning feeling quite nauseous and although I did have breakfast of one croissant and a chocolate croissant but couldn’t keep it down and brought everything up before leaving. There was too much cheese last night and it was too fat on top of the spaghetti lunch. Fred wanted to show us Chateau de Sully-sur-Loire and collect lunch from the butcher shop, I went along against my better judgement. I took it very easy and stayed in the car for some time and once back on the farm was sick again and slept on the couch for the rest of the day until we returned to Lorris. Tonight, I slept all night through without stirring.

Chateau de Sully-sur-Loire - Guy de La Trémoille married the last remaining Sully, Marie de Sully, Princess of Boisbelle, and bought back the estate after it had been absorbed by the crown when the last remaining male Lord (Louis) had died. He undertook the construction of the new keep, flanked by four towers and a south facing entrance flanked by two towers containing a drawbridge across to the Inner Courtyard, beginning in 1395. He died in 1396 in the crusade of Nicopolis. Guy de La Trémoïlle's son Georges was chamberlain and favourite of Charles VII of France. In June 1429 he entertained the king and Joan of Arc at Sully as they carried out a campaign to recapture the bridging points of the Loire, in Meung 14/15 June and Beagency 17 June and were heading for Gien. Joan returned briefly to Sully in March 1430: By then she was being closely watched as she had broken the truce between Charles and the Burgundians after his coronation in July 1429 at Reims, by attacking Paris. She joined Charles at Sully Sur Loire in March at the family castle of her chief detractor, George de La Trémoille. She left without the king’s consent and was captured whilst on her way to Compiegne 23 May 1430.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen
December 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Monday – What a change a day makes. Much better today and enjoyed my breakfast. Shower and final pack, and off on thirty-minute trip to the station for the 11:50 Montargis to Paris SNCF train. The heavy suitcases make travel unpleasant and it’s not something that I’m used to. Normally I have a maximum of 18kg not 25kg. In Paris we took a taxi from Bercy station to Saint Lazare and then a three hour wait. It was cold, we were hungry and so found a good restaurant within the station, and there is only one, where we were able to enjoy a warm meal with a glass of wine. It was a large restaurant and was packed full, probably the midday rush. We had some problems with the code on our paper tickets at the gate but finally solved that and boarded the train for our trip to Caen. Comfortable and uneventful, arriving at 17:53. Marie-The and Aziz were waiting anxiously inside the waiting room. Hugs and tears from the two sisters and of course a great deal of talking.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen - Today Sylvie's Birthday
December 19, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Tuesday - *Sylvie’s 71st birthday* I gave her a birthday card and Marie-The and Aziz gave her two gold bracelets. A quick breakfast and shower and at ten we left for Caen to see Gisele (Sylvie’s mother) in the aged care home “Les Girandières”. Aziz didn’t come in and we only stopped for an hour. The atmosphere was tense and after initial hugs mum only talked about herself and never mentioned Sylvie’s birthday, although we told her that it was today. On leaving we went to the city center and walked around for a while and then to an Italian restaurant, “Pizza Rustica”, for lunch. We did some shopping, buying a skivvy for Wal and T-shirt for Sylvie. On the way home we did grocery shopping. Quiet night at home with much discussion about mum and her difficult behaviour.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Mondeville - A L’Horloge Penchee”
December 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Wednesday – After breakfast we went to the big supermarket for the main shopping prior to Christmas when the shelves will empty quickly. Following lunch we took Marie-The to the library where she helps a few hours per week and Aziz took us to “A L’Horloge Penchee” antique shop in Mondeville. A huge factory layout with antiques and bric-a-brac and some dirt-cheap beautiful furniture. Sylvie purchased a lovely small perfume bottle for her collection. Back home we waited for Marie-The and then went to “Grand Frais” a wonderful up-market supermarket.

Mondeville is a charming town in Normandy that offers a rich history and culture. You can explore its heritage by visiting the Romanesque church of Saint-Gerbold or the medieval castle of Mondeville. You can also enjoy the natural beauty of Mondeville by strolling along the Orne river, cycling on the greenway, or hiking in the nearby forest of Grimbosq.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen - Aussie Presentation
December 21, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Thursday – During the morning Sylvie and I worked on the Australia presentation which we then presented at the retirement home during the late afternoon. It was an interesting bit of teamwork with Sylvie presenting in French and gesturing to me when the next slide was required. There were some technical problems with the setup between using Sylvie’s I-pad and USB stick and the laptop belonging to the manager, but after a bit of fiddling we got it all resolved. The presentation went well with lots of questions, some totally unrelated and irrelevant, and was enjoyed by the residents who gave Sylvie many accolades. Mum was pleased and proud of her daughter. Otherwise today was a peaceful and quiet evening at home.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Arromanches - D Day Landings Museum
December 22, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
Friday – No sleep-in this morning as we’re going to Arromanches D-Day Museum. Departure was not without drama as the car GPS didn’t work properly, but after some delays and tinkering Marie-The got it working, and half an hour later we arrived in the pretty little town. The "Musee Du Debarquement" is a modern unattractive massive block building, however the displays with the audio are educational and very informative. Hearing about the number of soldiers and quantities of equipment is incomprehensible. One poignant story relates how 1000 British troops landed and by days end only 16 remained. Our lunch was in Hotel de Normandie where I enjoyed a large serve of small mussels. At home Mehdi, Pauline and Hector were waiting for us and will be with us until Christmas Eve. On Christmas day they are celebrating with Pauline’s family. Sylvie told Hector that my name was Monsieur les Cacahuètes (Mr. Peanuts).Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Charming Seaside Town of Cabourg
December 23, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Saturday – A relaxed and slower start to allow Pauline, Mehdi and Hector to have their ablutions before us. Mehdi and Pauline went to Caen for shopping and to see a movie, whilst we caught up on all our messages and paperwork. After lunch we had a look at the charming seaside town of Cabourg. The building style is very quaint, and I’m told typical Normandie, a mix of old and new. It’s a great place and appears very livable. Our time was rushed because Aziz was cold and wanted to go home. He’s not really interested in much, only his own things. We are looking forward to the time on our own and to be able to enjoy our surroundings without the pressure of running from shop to shop with no time to look at things that interest us.

It was from Cabourg that William the Conqueror drove the troops of Henry I of France back into the sea in 1058. But the modern Cabourg began in 1853 with the arrival of two Paris financiers in search of a new site for a luxurious watering-place. The railway age had made the Normandy coast accessible to holidaymakers; Dieppe, Trouville and Deauville to the east had already been discovered; but here the adventurers found a virgin expanse of barren dunes and level sea-sands ripe for development. By the 1880s an unreal city of villas and hotels had arisen, in a semicircle whose diameter was the seafront, whose center was the Grand Hotel, and whose radii were traced by a fan-work of avenues shaded with limes and Normandy poplars.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Sannerville - Christmas Eve at Home
December 24, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 13 °C
Sunday - *Christmas Eve* Our normal waking time is now 07:30 and out of bed at 08:00. Hardly enough time to read our emails and messages. We go down to breakfast and then wait for Pauline and Mehdi to finish in the bathroom. This morning it was the final shopping run in preparation for this evening’s dinner. As expected, the shops are very busy, and the more popular items have disappeared from the shelves. I love this time of the year because it brings back so many happy family memories from days past. At 15:00 Pauline and Mehdi went into Caen to collect mum (Gisele) who is joining us for the gift opening and evening meal. Marie-The and Aziz put on a lovely entre spread of foie-gras, fig and smoked salmon and pain d’epices, for main course chicken stuffed with veal and chestnuts, green beans and a platter of cheese, followed by ice cream pear and honey log. A reasonably pleasant evening considering the family tensions between mum and Aziz. Aziz, Sylvie and I took mum back to her residence after dinner. Late tonight a quick clean and to bed, with more gifts to put in our overfull suitcases tomorrow.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen - *Christmas Day* with Mum
December 25, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 13 °C
Monday - *Christmas Day* Mehdi, Pauline and Hector left before 08:30 as they have quite a long drive and want to share Christmas day with her family. We also had to be ready by 10:30 to go to mum for Christmas lunch at the retirement residence, but before then drinks with mum’s friends Genevieve and Odile. Genevieve showed us photos of when she was young, an outdoor girl, snow skiing, sailing and mountaineering. She was very much a blonde French stunner. The lunch was a basic French Christmas menu, tasty and not over the top big. We’re eating way too much. It was well enjoyed and a lovely atmosphere of families getting together to celebrate this Blessed and Joyous time of the year. We feel that as a family we have brought some joy to Gisèle for Christmas. Marie-The and Aziz arrived at 16:00 for our return home to a quiet evening, a drink and reading a book or on emails and messages. A reasonably early night as we’re all feeling weary. Life with the family can be demanding when trying to please everyone and not taking sides when they have issues to resolve.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Saint-Pierre En-Auge Benedictine Abbey
December 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Tuesday – A nice and relaxed morning, out of bed at 08:00, the standard breakfast of Weetbix and yoghurt for me. We left home just before 10:00 for the drive to Livarot “Graindorge Fromagerie” cheese factory. This was something totally new for me to see the making of cheese. As a “foody” Sylvie was in her element here and took time to view everything, Marie-The and Aziz ran ahead of us and were soon lost until we met again at the end in the shop. An interesting experience. We purchased a camembert for Marie-The and Le Crémeux cheese for mum. In Livarot we walked around looking for a lunch opportunity, but everything was closed. Probably to be expected for the day after Christmas, so we drove to the picturesque village of Saint-Pierre En-Auge. Very historic with a medieval market, which was partially destroyed during the war by the Germans and since rebuild, and a Benedictine Abbey "Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives" in which is buried the great-aunt of William the Conqueror in 1057. Overall, a great day and historically interesting.
The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives was founded in the 11th century by Countess Lesceline. . A thousand years later, its abbey church, its adjoining monastic buildings, the cloister courtyard and the superb chapter house make it one of the most intact ensembles of monastic architecture in Normandy.The buildings of the former monastery, attached to the abbey church, form a “C” shape and create a cloister. At the end of the French Revolution, the monastery was sold as national property, and the abbey church was transformed into a parish church. Countess Lesceline, the founder of the abbey, died in 1057. She was the great-aunt of William the Conqueror, then Duke of Normandy and future King of England. She is buried in the abbey church and her tomb can be found there today. The meridian - This secular device is a rare example in France. A line is carved into the floor from north to south and divides the earth into two hemispheres. In line with the meridian, a small hole has been drilled into the stained glass. When the sun passes through this hole (called a “gromon”), its rays illuminate a zodiacal sign on the floor according to the season. The choir of the abbey church features an exceptional Pré d’Auge ceramic floor dating from the end of the 12th century, a rare testimony to the art of terracotta flooring. The tomette tiles are arranged in an alternating pattern of fleurs-de-lis and fantastical animals with a three-metre-wide rosette in the centre of the composition.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Houlgate - Holiday Jewel
December 27, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Wednesday – Another visit to a pretty seaside town, the town of Houlgate. This town reflects the very typical architecture of the area – “Neo Normande”. It’s very attractive and has a homely old feel about it. Once again, our visit was cut short, and we had to rush to find take-away food for lunch and get home because a repair man was coming to fix the kitchen range hood. During the afternoon we visited two very large local shopping complexes looking for laser cut wood Christmas decorations for next year. During the evening Sylvie and I prepared our bulging suitcases for tomorrows departure to the Caen hotel. We thought that giving away the presents we had brought from Australia would leave more space, but this was not so, in return we received more gifts.

Houlgate is a popular seaside town on the Normandy coast (here referred to as the Cote Fleurie) to the west of Deauville and across the Dives estuary from nearby Dives-sur-Mer. Originally a quiet agricultural village, the 19th century brought great change to Beuzeval, as it was then known, first with the construction of the Grand Hotel and many other luxury villas and hotels, then later with the arrival of a direct train line from Paris. By the start of the 20th century Houlgate had become one of the most popular resorts along this part of the English channel. It was around 1870-1900 that the many fine villas in Houlgate were built (300 of them), and it is these that give the resort it's charm and character. The styles ranges from gothic to new-norman and the variety is wonderful. There are also some older medieval buildings such as the Maison des Pecheurs and the lovely Moulin Landry. These two buildings are down a quiet lane behind the railway line and a little apart from the rest of town.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen - William the Conqueror’s city
December 28, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Thursday - *Remembering Gisèlle and Johan Wolzak (Wal’s father) birthdays today* After breakfast the suitcases were closed and with back breaking effort brought down the stairs to the lounge. Today only Marie-The, Sylvie and I go to mum to take her out to lunch in Quistreham to “Le Roulis” restaurant. The place had a limited menu which included several Ukrainian dishes which we all tried. Not the best choice because it’s all very heavy food and didn’t sit comfortably. After mum was taken home, we returned to Sannerville, collected our luggage and were taken to hotel “Des Quatrans” for our two-night sojourn. For dinner we had sparkling water and a gin and tonic down at the bar with two bowls of peanuts. Not a substantial meal but sufficient for today. Our room was compact, but we managed, and had an early night. Caen is a beautiful historic city with much lovely architecture which escaped the Allied indiscriminate bombing and destruction during WW2.

Ouistreham has been a trading port since the Middle Ages. The harbour is now a part of "Port de Caen-Ouistreham". Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been a bathing beach on the "Riva Bella". On 6 June 1944, No. 4 Commando landed at Ouistreham (codenamed Sword) and fought their way to Pegasus Bridge, with the 177 Free French of the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando given the honour of spearheading the advance. The assault on Ouistreham was featured in the movie The Longest Day, although the film location for Ouistreham was at the nearby village of Port-en-Bessin.
A "Roman camp" (Catillon or Castillon) was located on the left bank of the Orne near Bénouville. It has been leveled, only a small part of the northwest rampart remains. In reality, modern archeology excludes the hypothesis that it is a Roman camp, at least not from the High Empire, archaeologists having never unveiled a Roman camp dating from this period in the North from Gaul, apart from Arlaines at Ressons-le-Long (Aisne), and probably not from the Lower Empire either. The expression Roman Camp or Caesar's Camp generally applies to works dating from the Iron Age or the Middle Ages.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Caen - Reborn after WWII
December 29, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 13 °C
Friday – Stayed in bed until 08:30 followed by a decent hotel breakfast. We decided against getting a taxi and walked the 1.6km to the retirement residence. Mum was ready to go but first made a cup of tea and asked Sylvie to help with her iPad. When leaving we saw an aged lady sitting on the couch opposite the front door. Apparently, she waits there every day for her family who almost never come to see her and take her out. Sad! We caught a taxi into Caen and later also home. The main activity today was to look for clothing for Gisèle and have lunch but it was in search of a toilet that we stumbled on a small coffee, cake and soup café. At the end of the day Sylvie and I walked home from the residence via the old part of Caen, seeing many beautiful buildings, some from the Middle Ages. Lovely old architecture. At 18:30 Marie-The and Aziz arrived to join us for dinner. After much a doo we finally chose the small restaurant “Le Petit B” which had a decent menu and enjoyed a convivial evening. Back in the hotel we did another pre-pack for tomorrow.

Caen was known in Roman times as 'Catumagos', from the Gaulish roots magos meaning 'field' and catu meaning 'combat'. It remained a minor settlement throughout the Roman period and began to see major development commence in the 10th century, under the patronage of the Dukes of Normandy. Around 1060, William the Conqueror began construction of the Château de Caen, which became the center of the ducal court. Duchess Matilda of Flanders also founded the Benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen around the same time, eventually being buried in the abbey.
Caen is known today for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there, and for the Battle for Caen, heavy fighting that took place in and around Caen during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, destroying much of the city. The city has now preserved the memory by erecting a memorial and a museum dedicated to peace, the Mémorial de Caen.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Bayeux - And the Famous Bayeux Tapestry
December 30, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 13 °C
Saturday – No sleeping in today. Up at 07:30, quick wash and final pack and down to breakfast. When we were ready the hotel reception ordered a taxi to take us to Avis at the Gare de Caen. Following completion of the necessary paperwork and introduction to the car we took possession of a Citroen C4 automatic. I was a bit apprehensive with driving on the right side (or for me the wrong side) of the road but everything fell into place quickly and other then coming too close to parked cars and giving Sylvie the occasional heart attack all went well. On the way we stopped in “Creully sur Seulles” to buy lunch from the only open bakery and visited the castle. There’s not much open on a Saturday afternoon in the small villages. We continued to Bayeux, arriving by 14:00 at hotel “Lion D’ Or”. After checking in we walked into the old town, visited the cathedral and decided to also do the famous Bayeux Tapestry. A wonderful historical masterpiece only marred by the numerous people there, but well worth the effort. Dinner tonight in the elegantly classy hotel restaurant followed by a peaceful and contented sleep.

Origins
Founded as a Gallo-Roman settlement in the 1st century BC under the name Augustodurum, Bayeux is the capital of the former territory of the Baiocasses people of Gaul, whose name appears in Pliny's Natural History (iv.107). Evidence of earlier human occupation of the territory comes from fortified Celtic camps, but there is no evidence of any major pre-existing Celtic town before the organization of Gaul in Roman civitates. Any settlement was more likely confined to scattered Druid huts along the banks of the Aure and Drome rivers or on Mount Phaunus where they worshipped. Cemeteries have been found on the nearby Mount Phaunus indicating the area as a Druid center. Titus Sabinus, a lieutenant of Julius Caesar, subjected the Bessin region to Roman domination. The 5th-century Notitia provinciarum et civitatum Galliae mentions Suevi that had been officially settled here.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Bayeux the city of History
December 31, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 9 °C
Sunday – Out of bed a little earlier because we had to buy a selection of food for our “New Year’s” picnic in our hotel room tonight and rush to the Bayeux history museum which was only open from 10:00 to 12:30 today. I guess that after all, it is New Year’s Eve! The city history dates back to more than 100BC and was a Roman settlement. We devoted the two and a half hours to the museum and then returned to the town center to buy bread, wine and savories and have a quick lunch in a local café. In the wine shop we asked that they pull the cork out of our bottle and then put it back in because we didn’t have the means to do so at the hotel. During the afternoon we wanted to walk but then the rain came. At the hotel they requested us to move our car onto the street because our space was pre-booked for the night. What a nuisance. The afternoon was spent relaxing and reading books. At 19:30 we opened the wine, a good bottle of Vin D’ Alsace Riesling, and commenced our little New Years Eve celebration. We were surprised that there were no planned celebrations, fireworks or other activities in town and more so that the hotel didn’t have a special dinner organized. We later heard that the hotel could have provided a dinner pack for New Year. There was also an expectation that the television would show fireworks from other European cities celebrating, but not so, nothing. Strange! We stayed awake until midnight and after hugs and good wishes fell into a peaceful and contented sleep.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Bayeux - New Year's Celebration
December 31, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌬 9 °C
Bayeux is a major tourist attraction, best known to British and French visitors for the Bayeux Tapestry, made to commemorate events in the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. According to French tradition, the tapestry was made by the attendants of Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror. It was almost certainly designed and stitched in England, as evidenced by its English spellings. It is displayed in a museum in the town center. The large Norman-Romanesque and Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux, consecrated in 1077, was probably the original home of the tapestry, where William's half-brother Odo of Bayeux (represented on the tapestry wielding a wooden club at the Battle of Hastings) would have had it displayed.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Manoir de la Roche Torin
January 1, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
Monday – No sleeping in like most people on this day. Quick shower, bag pack and hearty hotel breakfast. Thank goodness that it’s not raining as we had to walk some distance with our bags over the wet cobble stone footpaths to where the car was parked. Our first port of call, Omaha Beach cemetery which Sylvie had insisted that I must see, but being 1 January it was shut. The only day of the year that it is shut, and we were not the only disappointed ones as was evident by the number of cars at the gate. It’s not as if the dead will escape by having the gate unlocked!!! Bugger! Next stop “Barfleur”, a pretty small village that has not been ruined by ugly modern architecture and development. From here a 140km drive to our accommodation “Manoir de la Roche Torin”. From our first-floor bedroom window we can see “Mont Saint Michel” in the near distance. Tonight, a pleasant country style dinner was enjoyed in the restaurant. Not much other choice as our accommodation is in the middle of farming country. Overall, a lovely day to begin the new year.

Barfleur is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association. During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Mont Saint Michel a Medieval Town
January 2, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
Tuesday – Another early start as we had to get away to “Mont Saint Michel” as soon as possible. During breakfast the rain came down in buckets. We loaded the car quickly, in light rain, and drove the nine kilometers to the Mont Saint Michel car park catching the bus to the entrance of the Mont. We were amongst the very first there but were soon overrun by a bus load of Chinese. The number of visitors was quite surprising in view of the very cold wet weather and being the second day of the new year. Seeing Mont Saint Michel for the first time is quite breathtaking, ancient, historical and except for all the advertising billboards and tourist shops, time has stood still here. Disappointingly we couldn’t see the abbey because of a strike by the three public servants. Oh, so terribly French! After the strike was over the abbey was overrun by tourists, even with the bad weather and there was a waiting line snaking down into the village. These days there are only six monks, six nuns and three civilians who look after the Mont. We visited the Maritime and historical museum and then the Archeoscope followed by lunching on the famous Mont Saint Michel omelet which was far too big for us. We left Mont Saint Michel at 13:45 and had to wait for the next bus on the bridge in howling wind and driving rain and were delighted with the warmth and comfort of our car. The next stop “Dol-de-Bretagne” which turned out to be a bit of a disaster. After a walk around the pretty historic town and just as we were leaving, the van in front of us backed into our car, damaging the passenger side front end. At least the other driver was friendly, but he originally denied liability, and with Sylvie being French he quickly changed his tune. Having completed the necessary paperwork for insurance we decided to go straight to “Saint Malo” Avis where they exchanged the car with a replacement Skoda. In Saint Malo we had a hotel for two nights in the old city which is still enclosed by the medieval city wall. Driving to the hotel on tiny narrow cobbled laneways was demanding and a bit stressful after the accident. Having unloaded we had to find a carpark outside the city wall alongside the boat harbour. This was easier said than done but eventually we did find a spot. Dinner tonight was in a nearby local restaurant where I had a large potato salad and Sylvie a galette. Our hotel room is again very small but we are getting used to that and it is in a super place, close to everything. We are both contented and slept well.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Saint Malo - home of the corsairs
January 3, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Wednesday – Nice to stay in bed a little longer and not have to drive again. We had a hearty hotel breakfast but few diabetic choices available. Today was devoted to walking all the way around Saint Malo on the city wall. Great views but bitter wind which almost blew Sylvie over (true) and occasional light rain. After completing the parapet circle wall around the city, we stopped for lunch in “Chateaubriand” an old worldly place with beautiful internal architecture. During the afternoon we walked to the church and wandered through most of the little streets and laneways. Dinner at “Doma” Bistronomique as recommended by the hotel. The little restaurant only seats 18 guests and has a limited menu but very good quality. Before it became too busy, we had a long chat to the owner. We were tired after our walking day and went to bed straight away after dinner. I feel very connected to this town.

History
Founded by Gauls in the 1st century BC, the ancient town on the site of Saint-Malo was known as the Roman Reginca or Aletum. By the late 4th century AD, the Saint-Servan district was the site of a major Saxon Shore promontory fort that protected the Rance estuary from seaborne raiders from beyond the frontiers. According to the Notitia Dignitatum, the fort was garrisoned by the militum Martensium under a commander of the Tractus Armoricanus et Nervicanus section of the litus Saxonicum. During the decline of the Western Roman Empire, Armorica (modern-day Brittany) rebelled from Roman rule under the Bagaudae and in the 5th and 6th centuries received many Celtic Britons fleeing instability across the Channel. The modern Saint-Malo traces its origins to a monastic settlement founded by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan early in the sixth century. Its name is derived from a man said to have been a follower of Brendan the Navigator, Saint Malo or Maclou, an immigrant from what is now Wales.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Paimpol
January 4, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 12 °C
Thursday – Following breakfast we left our Saint Malo hotel and walked the half kilometer to the car, towing our suitcases over wet cobblestones and were fortunate that it wasn’t raining. Because of the uncertain weather we decided not to see the “Rochers Sculptes de Rotheneuf” sculptures made by a deaf-mute abbot between 1894 and 1910. Our first stop today was in the enchanting little town of “Saint Suliac” where little has changed in 200 years. No open shops so we continued to “Paimpol” for lunch. Not much choice there either with most restaurants shut. Finding our Air BnB on the outskirts was not easy with one end of the road closed due to road works, but we did manage to do so with a bit of back and forth driving and the GPS. The entrance is a muddy driveway hidden behind tall bushes, with the car slipping and sliding to the gravelly muddy carpark. Once there I unpacked and carried the suitcases and bags across the wet lawn whilst Sylvie waited inside. This evening, we had difficulty with the washing machine, an ancient thing. Highlight tonight a home cooked meal of soup. Lovely.Read more
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Going Home for Christmas 2023
Sillon de Talbert and Pontrieux
January 5, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 10 °C
Friday – We must have needed a good sleep because the alarm didn’t go off and we only woke at 09:00. For breakfast Sylvie made porridge while I made the coffee. How nice and light. By the time that we were ready to go it was almost lunchtime, a bit late but after all we are on holidays. We made our way to “Pleubian” to see and walk the “Sillon de Talbert” track, but it was bitterly cold with the wind coming of the North Sea although there was no rain. 13:30 we left after a good solid walk. For lunch we went to “Pontrieux” but of course by now the restaurants were closed so we bought a baguette and fresh ham which we ate in the car and for dessert a mandarin each. Another pretty town, called “the Petit Venice” of Tregor with its many waterways and houses for the rich. It’s also known for the numerous ancient washing places along the river. A lovely relaxing day. Soup at home again.

Located in the Côtes d'Armor region, on the Trégor peninsula in the commune of Pleubian, the Sillon de Talbert is a 35 m wide, 3 km long tongue of sand and gravel that juts proudly out into the English Channel, along a rocky coastline, linking the islet of Talbert to the mainland. Unique in France, the Sillon de Talbert owes its existence to two opposing coastal currents, the Trieux and the Jaudy, which meet at the Sillon. It forms a natural dike protecting the Trégor estuary from the English Channel, creating a channel between Paimpol and theisland of Bréhat.Read more
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