Following Point Du Hoc, where the Rangers landed and with evidence of
German occupation with concrete fortifications and heaps of bomb craters around
the landscape, |headed down to my accommodation at Arromanches des
bains, the site of Port Winston or where the allies built their portable
floating port, towed out from the UK.
Since the debacle at Dieppe, gaining a
foothold along the beaches proved problematic until Churchill came up with the
idea of dragging a port to Normandy. 18 old ships were sunk as breakwaters and
these structures were used to provide much needed war supplies to maintain the
allied momentum. There are any number of Museums along the coast from Cherbourg
to Dieppe and beyond. This one told the story in detail and with two movies of
how it was all done.
After a pleasant sleep and breakfast, I motored south through Tours and Poitiers.
I was keen to find out more about the Fallaise Pocket, which is a large valley
where the final battle took place for the Allies to control France.
At Mont Ormel, a hilltop overlooking some beautiful countryside, I found two Polish tanks, a memorial and a museum which remembers this area looking over the Falaisse Pocket of WW2 when the Germans were pushed back and what led to the end of thhe war. I also passed through Tuin and Chambois, both of which were the subject of
heavy fighting.
Housesitting
I guess I spent some six hours with side trips getting there but finally
arrived for my housesit. I spent a lovely 9 days or so in a place called
Clusseau de Pommerae housesitting for a retired English couple. Bill and Celia are a
delightful couple, and they offered to let me stay in their two story long house after they returned from
their trip which I gladly did.
Two dogs to feed and walk, five cats, all different temperaments etc, and five clucky chooks make my life very pleasant. Peace and quiet, no crowds etc and some great company-just beaut. My French
was a bit rusty but a few friendly "bonjours and the odd merci beaucoup?,
tres bien" etc when out shopping, touring etc and I was OK.
They are planning an Australia-NZ trip and have invited them to come and
stay with us when they are nearby.
i visited a major town-Niort, famous these days for commercial, financial and insurance interests, and a wonderful food market, located next door to roman castle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donjon_de_Niort-see story.
I also visited the Vallee De Singes, a monkey zoo some hour or so from Ecoine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Vall%C3%A9e_des_Singes This fellow was a few feet away just wandering around.
When Bill and Celia returned from their inter country trip, we decided to visit the town, where history has it that the Jack of Hearts card originated. Apparently Joan de Arc had it named after her head soldier who was supposed to be buried in the town. the local Tourist Bureau there told us the gents body has since been removed to a university grounds. Nonetheless it was a pleasant place to visit.
One of my bucket list items was to use a ride on lawnmower. I introduced a fleet of outfront ride on mowers into service but never got to ride one. Bill's machine worked a treat on his acre or so of lawns. But I have another to tell you about in a further Blog. Anyway, with some new found friends and lots of memories-can I come back sometime? I have to leave this lovely French rural countryside.
Farewell Clusseau de Pommerae
I gave myself three days to get back to Cherbourg, and spent a night in Rochefort, and two in St Nazaire. I did a quick visit to Angouleme, and on to Cognac-Hennessy in this case-where the delightful beverage? is made.
I couldn't get on a tour at a time that suited and I still had to overnight at Rochefort to go, so continued on, but I would like to do a much slower visit next time.
I couldn't get on a tour at a time that suited and I still had to overnight at Rochefort to go, so continued on, but I would like to do a much slower visit next time.
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