D-Day

Day 13 - 6th June

Another early, staggered start for all of us as we all individually went to find the ultimate toilet or a toilet for that matter and all came home empty handed, or should I say “full bowled.”  

Lucky the van is well equipped but we have been reluctant to use it, as it has been a hassle emptying the poo shute. 

We ventured down to the harbor to find a line of scattered wrecks from 1944 that have now been used to create the ‘Mulberry Harbor.’  It looked like something out of the movie Saving Private Ryan. 

Soldiers from all backgrounds were making their way down to the harbor for the memorial service.  Some travelled in jeeps from WWII or which appeared to be anyway.  Linda being her usual self introduced herself to some veteran solider’s and made good friends with the ‘flying Dutchman.’  She was very impressed when he took his USA camouflage shirt off to reveal a Dutch army shirt just to have a photo with her.  I was in ore looking at a gorgeous Saint Bernard dog that happily sat in the back of a jeep, while Luke found himself amused with a lovely little Pug.

‘Ohh, ohh, the core of my celtic heart’ was how Linda described the performance of the bagpipe musicians which commenced the memorial, then we left.

Linda wants to add that Lukes Grandad landed on the Normandy beaches (possibly Golden Beach) on this day 68 years ago.  Linda really fancies the Flying Dutchman.  He took his camouflage off and she was more than happy to help him

further- don’t tell Snr!

The St Bernard Claire fell in love with (from a distance).

Pug.

Mum and the Flying Dutchman (left) and another guy she mistakenly thought landed on the beach only to find out he was 4 on the D-Day landing.

We would have stayed in Normandy but we had a big day ahead and wanted to check out Bayeux.  We parked up in Bayeux, but before checking out the town, we opted for some morning tea.  We climbed in the back of the van and I just have to let everyone know that we had the most amazing chocolate croissant ever!

Bayeux, an amazing little town famous for the 70m tapestry that shows William the Conquerors battle of Hastings in 1066.  Did we see the tapestry? No, we went to the gift store and looked in the books and paraphernalia at what we were missing and got the ‘jist.’  

Mum and I in Bayeux. I'm pointing out her recently purchased D-Day Hat. Fashionista.

The D-Day Hat in front of the Bayeux Cathedral.

Strolling through the quaint little streets of Bayeux.

The biggest baguette lunch yet. Amazing!

We visited the local market purchasing a tasty pear cider and some Agate necklaces as a memento of trip.  A quick visit to the amazing cathedral where Linda had moment lighting a candle then we began the journey to Paris.

I navigated the trip to Paris taking us through small quaint villages and avoiding the ‘peage’ roads that carry a hefty toll.  I directed us to a picturesque road now famously known by us as ‘Neuf deux neuf! (929).’  Shortly after we commenced on the road a ‘diversion’ appeared and took us to all sorts of places, I resisted the GPS and had a little faith hoping to get back to the 929, despite pressure from the other passengers.  

After 30 minutes of hope and promise on being of the right road, where did we end up, you ask??? NEUF DEUX DEUF. High five.  That is how I was awarded the title ‘Hawk eye,’ for having exceptional vision at spotting and direction. 

We rolled into our campground after 1900hrs and opted for leftover vegetarian Indian for dinner at Linda’s disgust - ‘Wallop’ she says.  

After dinner captain Luke noticed that a fellow camper was in distress with erecting her tent.  He curiously went over to offer his assistance and found she was clearly on Struggle Street, with a brand new tent in hand and no idea how to erect it.

Luke then called for my assistance and I came to the rescue.  The two of us worked as a team and one Frenchy got in the way. Despite the unhelpful Frog we assembled the tent within 30min. We asked our stray camper how long she was intending to stay and 1 month was the answer!  So we hammered those pegs in just a little bit more. 

After struggling in the dark, we then retuned to empty glasses of pear cider as Linda had drunk all the leftovers.  To be fair she was washing up the dishes and slightly pissed.