Go to Bayeux see the Tapestry of the Norman Conquest of England, a spectacular cathedral, a magnificently preserved medieval centre and markets on Wednesdays.
Google map: bit.ly/qTZOyp
In Bayeux, as we started our walking holiday we were taken quite by surprise by this memorial to journalists of all nations killed in combat zones since 1946. Along each side of a pathway through a wooded park are engraved memorials, one for each year since it was opened. To date there are an astonishing 2000 names recorded. Opposite the huge British Cemetery it was a quiet reminder to us of the true cost of knowing about conflicts and that there have been and are ongoing wars.
We did the Mulberry March with Belle France and stayed at the Hotel Lion d'Or.
www.bellefrance.co.uk/holidays/68/mulberry-march/
www.liondor-bayeux.fr/
There are just three rooms at this intimate chambre d'hôte (B&B) in the shadow of Bayeux cathedral.
The 15th-century stone terrace has been lovingly restored by its owners to reveal the original wooden-beamed ceilings. Breakfast and dinner can be served in the flower-filled courtyard.
The charming rooms are great value, as is the all-inclusive dinner: aperitif of pommeau (a liquer made from apple juice or cider, and calvados) dinner came with cider and was followed with a digestif of calvados, chicken casserole was cooked in cider, then tarte aux pommes. Yes, this is the land of la pomme.
Doubles €60 per night: all-inclusive dinner €20. 2 bis, rue Quincangrogne (+2 3l 10 09 27, antpas.com).
It’s a long one. A very, very long one. Don’t worry though, if you’re lucky you’ll sleep through most of it. Make sure you bring plenty of things to do and a travel pillow. We drove through a maze of badly planned roads (which seem to get more and more complicated the further south you go) and into the bowels of a humongous ferry. Onboard you’ll be allowed off the coach (thank God!) so you can get breakfast at one of the overpriced shops on the steadily rising and falling boat. Be careful, it can be quite hard to stay upright when the floor constantly drops and then comes back up again. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you will eventually. The ferry journey should take about an hour or two.
After this, you’ll be in France! Yay! And after another five hours of coach journeying you’ll be in Normandy! ………..yay. Make sure you bring sun cream, hats and sunglasses, because it’s very hot! The weather is fantastic there and you’ll get a real shock when you arrive from rainy old England.
There’s a lot to do in Normandy - we explored the gun batteries at Longue Sur Mer, saw the Bayeux Tapestry and cathedral, looked around three world war two cemeteries, visited two (yes two!) different museums and watched a cool 360 degree film on the 360 cinema in Arromanches.
The British cemetery is a nice understated but well-kept place, the German Cemetery is very small and cramped with at least two people to a grave and the American Cemetery is a massive and superbly decorated place, with immaculately laid-out gravestones, all facing America. It practically screams “We Won The War” at you. You’ll notice the difference right away.
Finally, the 360 cinema is an amazing thing to see. It’s literally all around you. It can make you feel a bit dizzy so make sure you don’t accidentally start leaning sideways when the camera starts to turn!
From Tom Billson (age 14).
Arromanches 360
chemin du calvaire
14117 Arromanches les Bains
Tel : +33 (0) 2 31 22 30 30
Normandy American Cemetery
'Omaha Beach'
14710 Colleville sur Mer
France
Tel: 0231516200
www.abmc.gov
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