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Morag's review of our trip to Normandy and Brittany
Our plan is to drive to Portsmouth and catch the overnight ferry to Le Havre, we have two nights booked at a nice country hotel (thru Inntravel). We'll then sort out our own accommodation as we explore the area over the next 10 days or so - we don't even know where we're gunna go yet. At the end we have another 2 nights in a nice hotel booked through Inntravel - in a wee fishing village - St Vaast, near Cherbourg, before catching the overnight ferry back to Portsmouth and driving home from there.
We intended to leave by 10am at the latest - for the 450 miles journey south to Portsmouth, and we were on time….. despite a few "stop, just let me check to see if we've got… passports, tickets etc" before we even got to Morningside! Then the real trauma - ME - I'd forgotten to put my jewels on!!! ie. my rings and earrings, in the heat of loading the car etc - but I was brave, and would do with out them for the fortnight.
With me - Morag - driving, we headed onto the A70….something, and southwards to the M74 - the big main drag south to the border. In retrospect, I got the worst driving to do - lots of single roads, big buses etc, then the motorway for the rest of the way posed nae problems whatsoever! Even the dreaded M6 thru Birmingham seemed a doddle. Stopping a few times enroute - and getting into the chicken pieces (sandwiches), we rolled into Portsmouth just after 6pm - only 1 hour after our "UK autoroute" ETA.
Our ferry was for 10pm, so we just headed to the port and rolled up to the check-in desk - "cant book you in till 8pm" came the reply!! - so we just parked by the side of the car park reading the papers and eating our dinner pieces, till the lass came out about 7.30 to say she could check us in. We were supposed to be travelling the Pride of Le Havre -ie. 4-berth, ensuite cabin, BUT due to a fire on it, it was replace by the Pride of Hampshire (our 2 berth, NO ensuite ferry for Cherbourg -> Portsmouth). Some of our fellow passengers were NOT impressed with the change in ferry and were off to complain.
We finally boarded about 10ish and found our cabin - a wee 2 berth - then went for the duty free stuff!! - just a bottle of Port and Kahlua. The crossing wasnae too bad, and we both managed to sleep from 11ish to about 6am - when we rolled into at Le Havre.
--well, really is was 7am (French time) when we got here - and as we were one of the first few on the top deck we managed to get off rather quickly. Motored along on the right side of the road and managed to miss the sign for the new bridge (Pont du Normandy) across the Seine to get to Honfluer. Eventually managed to get there via cross country routes and zipped across the very zippy new bridge - at a 33ff toll cost.
Honfluer - at 7.30ish was rather quiet and very picturesque - lots of timber framed buildings around the harbour and along the streets off the harbour. We eventually found a Salon de Te - open, and offering a sit down breakfast for 25ff - so gobbled it up, Our first croissant and pain au chocolate here!!!!
By the time our parking meter needed feeding at 9am, we just wandered around for an hour and took some photos and video, then headed west at 10am. Along the coast road and drove past our Hotel Romantica - but far too early to check in…. so we headed along to Trouville and Deauville, and found ourselves amongst the Sunday morning market near the Casino => packed to the max. Deciding that we needed to head out - we dashed while the getting was good and drove back to our hotel --twas 11am and our room was "still occupied" - but we could wait in the lounge for it…. so wait we did, and read the Saturday papers. Just before 12 we were ushered up to it - a wee room about 1/3 the size of our bedroom at home, and promptly jumped into the bed for a nap.
Alarm set for 2pm (unknowingly UK time) so it didnae go off till 3pm! By which time we'd had a damn good sleep…. And then it was drizzling with rain!! However by the time we were vertical at 4ish - the sun was out, and we laced up the walking boots and went for a trek. We managed to find the familiar GR walking route paint markings (see our walking trip from last year), and followed them - down to the beach! then backtracked and up the hills near the hotel. Lots of new-house building going on around the place, but looked somewhat delayed/postponed… and lots of new lambs as well.
Back to the hotel, and Mal had 1st (and 2nd) bath (the first one leaked out while he was waiting for it to cool down a bit!!), then I had the 3rd bath! Down to dinner at 7.30ish, and partook of a Pastis and nibbles before being seated. Dinner was great - I had terrine & Mal ate a salade Normande, and then we both had duck with berries - utterly delicious. Then the cheese platter got both of us, with some wonderful local specialities. Our own selection of xmas cake and port back upstairs in our room finished off the evening.
Alarm at 8ish, and finally got up and downstairs for breakfast - just the normal croissants, bread and jam. We planned to be on the road by 9.30 - to head to F¾camp, to see the Benedictine Abbey (home of Dom Benedictine). By the time we cut up the headlight blackouts (for driving on the right) and stuck 'em on, 'twas just after 9.30… and off to the other bridge across the Seine at Pont de Tancarville which we thought was toll free - but no! it was 15ff to get across…. Then headed up north and into F¾camp by 11am.
They were closing at noon, so we raced thru the rather ornate abbey/castle/palace - with all its displays of locks and keys etc - and onto the tasting rooms. A dram of B&B (benedictine and brandy) at noon was just the thing Mal needed for his sore throat! and then we just HAD to buy a bottle of it as well.
Drove along the coast westward to Etratat - there are some wonderful coastal cliffs there, which we thought we'd have to walk 1 hour to get to. Anyway, after we'd had our lunch of moules 'n frites (50ff each), we wandered down to the waterfront - and there were the cliffs - both off to the left and right of us….. and seeing as it was a very blustery day, we were quite happy to stay on sea level and view them from the promenade.
Drove back along the coast to Le Havre - to fill up with petrol - and managed to find the signs for Pont du Normande this time. Got home about 4ish and changed into our bathers for a dip in the pool. The hotel has a wee indoor one, and we were the only ones there... and splashed around there for the best part of an hour, before back upstairs for a leisurely bath. Dinner was lovely again - Mal had the fish soup, turkey cordon bleu and cheese, and I had the salade payers (greens, bacon and poached egg), salmon and poached apple in calvados with sorbet…. rather yummy. We'll head across to Bayeaux tomorrow - to see THAT tapestry
Well, yet another not-so-good night's sleep…. Must be the bed, cos the window was open. 8am breakfast… then checked out…. paid for the Pastis and nibbles for both nights --and vastly overpriced they were too…. (about the price of 2 full bottles for the 4 wee nips of Pastis!) and the nibbles we thought would be included in the price of the aperetifs were about the same price again. Sneaky buggers!
To get to Bayeaux, we had to go thru Caen - and that wasnae as easy as it sounds. With nae road directions to Bayeaux we faffed around thru the city and re-directions till finally getting on a possible road…rue de Bayeaux, so knew it was more than likely it! Eventually cruised into Bayeaux - well signposted, about 11ish and headed off to the tapestry.
Mal - 39ff, me - 15ff -- thankyou ISIC card!! The display for the tapestry is a well organised (ie. stick to the correct path.. thou shalt do it all in the right order etc). We finally got to see the tapestry - but with all the preliminary info. it felt like we'd seen it 3 times already. It is a rather impressive piece of embroidery - 70m long. We had a quick look in the Cathedral, then back thru town and picked up some lunch - pizza slices (micro heated, but still rather chilly) and apple slice and choc brownie (52ff) and sat in the park near the car for lunch. Decided we'd better ring Karen (Mal's work pimp… cos his contract was needing to be renewed), but had the longest wait in history outside a phonebox while the incumbant chatted away!
Eventually spoke to Karen, but still nothing definite yet. Decided we'd drive across to Avranches, and see how we felt - ie. stay there or continue to Dinan. Avranches is situated on a hilltop and has a great botanical gardens with long views across to Mont St Michel. ---- off into the distance. Had the obligatory wander in the gardens, took the photos, and back into the car… and off to Dinan. Got there about 5pm, parked the car, and headed towards our first choice of hotel - right in the old town. Bingo!! Hotel Arvor had a room for 3 nights @ 310ff a night B&B. Nae restaurant, but it means we can do our own thing in town.
Just had to have our siesta, so a quick kip till 7pm, then headed out for a meal. Eventually found the right street to take us down to the port - and down the very cobbled streets. Not many restaurants open down there, but found one and gave the 2 waitresses something to do - we were the ONLY customers they had! (another 'couple' came in later… an older lady and her 'toy boy'/grandson or som't…. must've been some local gossip or story attached to them, cos the waitress couldn't keep a straight face when serving them, and kept dashing outside to cool off!) French restaurants tend to have a range of priced menus, and we had an 89ff and 109ff one. Mal had terrine, chicken and chocolate mousse, and I had crab meat profiteroles, salmon with bacon, and apple pie…all washed down with a nice bottle of red….353ff all up… then staggered up the hill and into bed.
Mal here…. with the mal throat, while Morag does some housekeeping, and washes a few pairs of knickers in the hand basin. Very slow start to today after a lot of driving yesterday. Down for brekky about 9.30 and out to explore Dinan about 10.30. Dinan is a lovely old town with a mixture of timbered houses and stone buildings and a lot of cobbled streets. The river that flows thru the port is the Rance, on a route from St.Malo just north of here down to join the canal system near Rennes.
Crepes for lunch, with a bottle of the local cidre -yumm.. at a lovely wee restaurant - Creperie Ahna. Then more exploring as the sun came out in the afternoon. Walked about the ramparts for a while then down to the port to check out the boats, the old stone bridge and the views back up the hill. On the way back up to town we found an entrance to some more of the ramparts with good views down to the port, but more interestingly, good views into private gardens and other houses. Some very interesting arrangements of gardens, houses, driveways etc could also be spied on.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped in at the wine shop across the road from the hotel and drooled for a while. There is actually a wine labelled 'Cote de Thongue' - but we don't know if it does or not!! Back at the hotel to write postcards and have the obligatory nap, then out to call the plumber and see how our bathroom renovation back home is progressing. Dinner at the same place as lunch so that Morag can try their special dish - pieces of duck, beef, turkey and lamb that you grill on a heated rock at your table -mmmm.. Highlight for Mal was the banana and chocolate crepe flamb¾ed with rum - mmmmm - 220ff for the feast.
Bathroom…. Rang Colin re the state of our (new) bathroom -- not too drastic - needed new plaster when tiles came off, pipes for WC etc were just about to collapse, so just as well they are being replaced. Apart from that all is ok. We'll call him again next week.
Twas back to setting the alarm this morning and taking some notice of it. First (ish) down for breakfast then off on the 50km journey to Mont St Michel. Unfortunately we didnae beat the many busloads of children / tourists when we arrived by 10am, and had to battle with them on the walk up to the Abbey. There were no guided tours, so we wandered around with our limited information and saw what we could. The most interesting bit is the old wheel that they used to haul supplies up the steep hillside - put some prisoners inside the wheel and get 'em walking!!
Left about noon and headed off west to St Malo => " the most visited town in Britanny"… probably from people using the ferry port. Fortunately there weren't that many people on our visit. We had a rather windy wander around the ramparts then found a creperie for lunch. Mal had an egg/tomato galette and banana 'n chocolate crepe and I had fish soup and a lemon 'n sugar crepe => 100ff. What's the difference between gallettes and crepes I hear you ask - gallettes are more savoury (made with buckwheat) while crepes are sweeter, usually for dessert.
Another wander around the real shops then headed home via Dinard. Dinard being an ex-fishing harbour, but now oldies resort town, with casino. Thought we'd just have a drive thru!! --- well, easier said than done. Managed to double back and circuit on ourselves trying to get out! High time to get home - 4.25 and Mal tried to phone Karen - not in, and purchased cough syrup etc at the chemist for his sore throat, while I wrote postcard after postcard.
Quick nap then out for dinner (after another call to Karen - no contract sorted yet)… Wandered down to the port where we had a choice of 3 or 4 restaurants - more open than last time…. But chose the same one as 2 nights ago…. Mainly so that I could have the whitebait starter! Followed by the chicken with apple in cidre sauce. Mal had salad with bacon bits, chicken liver and artichokes for entrée, followed with salmon cutlets wrapped in bacon. Cheese and choccy mousse for dessert. Only real excitement was when the lights went out halfway thru the entrée, and the candles were found and lit up, and it didn't come on again till half way thru the main course. Just a tad wet outside too, but had stopped raining when we got back to the room for dorme.
Alarm about 8ish and raining when we went down for brekky, even some hailstones! Set off westward about 10.30, first on the main road then off onto small roads up the coast. Stopped at marche at Binic for picnic supplies then carried on up the coast. Stopped for picnic by the coast at a wee village near Plouha. Further up the coast some great views over sea cliffs and harbours. Arrived Paimpol about 3pm, found hotel after rejecting one with harbour views - but no room to swing the proverbial chat! Had a nap then went in search of dinner. Seafood restaurant recommended in book closed this evening so just had galettes and cidre - mmmmm. - egg, ham, cheese, tomato and onions… I had apple flambeed with calvados for dessert, but banana and chocolate for Mal.
Remember those nights in hotels when you're above the noisy pub - that has 'shut-ins' - so noise ALL night as they come and go…. Well, we had one of them last night! And may well do for the next few nights. Also, there were those noisy damn 2-stroke motorbikes and shouting voices up and down the street till all hours - nae impressed. Hence we did'nae sleep that well, but they must gone home at some stage, cos we eventually got some sleep.
Breakfast 8.30ish - and the regulation croissant, bread and jam concoction - 'oh, for some muesli'. By 10am we'd chatted to the madam and her mate who'd given us the 'ok' for the local GR walk, found an inside market for the ham, cheese & bread, changed boots, got maps from the tourist office, and set off via the harbour about 10.30am. Cloudy day, but with intermittent bits of sunshine made it perfect for walking. The path GR34 - was well marked, and we were the only ones doing it… around the harbour from Paimpol, past the monument Kerroch'h up on the hill, thru a few villages and along a bay - with lots 'n lots of islands. The huge estuary of Paimpol was very silted up - huge undulating areas of silt and mud.
Our aim for lunch (& 3 hours from Paimpol) was D l'Arcouest - about 10km walk from our starting point, and we got there by just after 1pm. Had our picnic up on the rocks overlooking the wee harbour with the boats going over to the Ile de Brehat. Huge car parks down at he harbour - probably for the 3000 tourists in summer. Then we had 2 choices - a) walk 3 hours home, or b) catch the bus home - 15 minutes! B it was, and we jumped on the 2.15 bus back to town.
Then we decided to wander out the other side of town - on the continuation of the GR34, to a kirk…. Eventually got onto the track, and did the meandering path out to the chapel, via lots of huge glass/plastic sheds of tomatoes and fields of some crops still below ground, but covered with huge great sheets of plastic. What Mal expected to be a 45 minute wander to the kirk turned into about 1 ½ hours and when we found it - right on a busy road - we were a tad disappointed. Cute kirk, with cross in the grounds - complete with skull and crossbones, but a bit of a letdown. Anyway, we 'fooled' our GR map on the way home ---- and took shortcuts!!, and staggered back to the car at 5pm to change our boots - 2 ½ hours later.
After a well earned hot chocy we crawled up the stairs and had a kip till 7. Decided we'd earned a nice dinner, and the book had recommended La Cotriade, across the harbour. Twas a quite night there - there was only another couple eating there. Mal got stuck into 6 oysters, salmon 'n cabillout (cod) with haricot beans, and chocolate 'n orange dessert - for 98ff; and I had the foie gras, 6 wee bits of fish, langoustine, scallop with noodles, and apple 'n rhubarb - for 150ff. Frankly, I didnae think mine was 1 ½ times more/better than Mal's,.. but both were very nice, although slightly bordering on the nouvelle cuisine style! Back to our room for a wee port.
Down to brekky just after 9 - after a relatively better (ie. quieter) night than the previous night - only to find the clocks had gone forward last night and was after 10am!!! so much for the early start. Aim for today to check out the granite coast and further west to a megalithic cairn. So, zipped up to Perros Guirec and along to Ploumanac'h. There's a 2km walk along the granite coast, so we donned the boots and set off. Supposedly some of the rocks have been given names -for what they look like - tortoise, devil, rabbit, big foot, …… but the only one we could find was the bottle! (no smart comments please).
Twas a great day and the best sunshine and blue skies we've seen, so an icecream fitted the bill from the creperie - and also doubled as lunch. Then we were headed further west to the cairn de Barnenez - just north of Morlaix - it's a large cairn shaped like a rather long rounded pyramid. Did it from 4 - 4.30, then headed for home… by 6pm, and had the best hour's sleep for the day! The cairn is fenced off in a large field, and there is a 'no dog' policy… so the French couple arriving as we left were absolutely aghast at this!! and even had to go in and double check to see if it could possibly be true!! then they left!
Dinner was out at the Creperie le Dundee… just along from our hotel… and we got into more yummy crepes. Mal had spinach, egg, cheese 'n ham galette, followed by a chocolate, white chocolate icecream and baileys crepe; and I had a spinach, tuna, capers 'n egg galette, with a marmalade, chocolate crepe flambeed in grand marnier…mmmm, and a bottle of the local cidre to wash it down (oh, and the regulatory 2 ricard to start) - 219ff… then home to watch a dubbed movie - Broken Arrow, with John Travolta.
Out of Paimpol by 10am, after a petrol refill - and might I say the best night's sleep there … they must have observed the sabbath quiet!! Thank heavens. Dashed down the highway to St Brieuc, then cross country to Pontivy - cos we missed the turnoff on the more direct route to Redon. Anyway, 'twas pouring with rain… absolutely bucketing down all the way down to the bypass in Vannes, then across to Redon.
We'd decided to have say, 3 nights in Redon - canal town, market on Monday etc, but by the time we got there at 2ish and I raced in and checked out the Hotel le France (280ff - but very dated), we just couldn't fit into the carpark, so found another park. Decided to have a look around town & see if it really grabbed us… with the trucks thundering thru the main street. Had lunch at the creperie - ham, cheese 'n egg and a tuna one, with hot drinks - 100ff, then wandered up thru town. The remains of the market - lots of "house coats" and knives were about all that was left. So decided that Redon probably wasn't for us - not for a quiet few days anyway, and zipped the 15km up to La Gacilly, and into the Hotel du France. It's a 2 star logis with a traditional kitchen (according to the Rough Guide)…The town itself is rather nice - very walkable around the pedestrian bit with lots of artisan shops - although most were closed today. Unfortunately, thundering bloody great trucks hurtle down the main street and thru town. We wandered around town and were gobsmacked at some of the speeds they do - them and the 18 yr olds!!
Back to the 'shack' - out the back of the hotel and near the carpark - and had a cuppa tea and our pattiserie snacks - a choccy thingy and appley thingy - then hit the sack for our siesta - 6 -7.20pm. Dinner was rather good in at the hotel… fully booked restaurant, and a very busy waitress. Mal - salad/ham/egg, 'faux poule', fromage. Morag--salad, wild boar, fromage - both 98 ff each, with a lovely bottle of french wine-100ff. We're not really sure what Mal had for dinner - he thought it was going to be chicken, but it wasn't…. (PS. Found out later it was doe deer). Fromage platter was excellent… chevre and pont l'eveque (Honfleur local cheese). Then back for a port in the room.
Nae curtains in our room - but a wind-down metal blind on the outside - so you're well and truly encased for the night. Down side being that you cannae open a window for some fresh air - and it was a tad stuffy, even though it's a big room. Breakfast was uninspiring as ever, and even a horrid café for Mal - cannae wait for my muesli 'n tea at home. Mal forced me to do a repair on my rather chipped fingernail polish - so now I have a full set of red nails again.
Drove over to Rochefort-en-Terre -just 20 km west of here. Tis a pretty wee village on the hilltops with lots of flowers everywhere and not many shops open --- there were plenty there, but all seem to be stocking-up and repainting themselves for their 'season' opening at Easter. Bought a couple of postcards and stamps and drove off to Mailstriot - a bit of a grown up version of Rochefort, and has the canal going through it, and joining onto the huge river that cuts thru the town. We had a wander around the town and found some rather odd carvings on the sides of buildings => a hare playing the bagpipes!! Had a very yummo galette for lunch at an out-of-the-way café, then off on our travels again to St Just - east of La Gacilly. It's claim to fame are its megaliths up on the hills just out of the village. After eventually finding the car park and trudging up a very steep overgrown path to the top of the hill, we then eventually found a few stone creations from centuries passed, nae 1000's of years passed èfrom 4500bc!!
Home for another wander around La Gacilly - this time with camera and video to capture the trucks rattling through the village…. And still not many places open. Came back for our 5pm cuppa tea and bitta xmas cake, then the obligatory siesta till half 7. Dinner tonight was fabbie!!! We went for the 'next menu up' - a whole 130ff for 4 courses!! Still damned cheap compared to what we're used to. Mal feasted on smoked salmon and crème fraiche, duck in honey marinade, cheeses, chocy slice thingy; and I feasted on a slab of foie gras, venison with chestnuts, cheeses, pear in sorbet thingy, and washed down with a bottle of vin rouge. Both meals were totally wonderful, and well worth the 130ff è full tums now though!!
Now the big question is - do we stay another night and À go for a GR walk; or Á spend a few hours down in Vannes…. OR leave tomorrow and drive up the Cherbourg coast en route to our final destination and stay up there for one night????
Odds on we'll stay here and go for a GR walk!!
'odds on' were favourites, and after a much better night sleep with the door open behind the shutters, we were breakfasted by 9.30 and off to see the tourist info re. some walks. She gave us a local walk guide - 9km - to take about 3 hours. Back to base via the Spar to pick up the vital lunch supplies à the necessary bread, ham, cheese and chocolate - 46ff - then donned the boots and headed off down the road. As soon as we'd headed up the track into the forest we'd regretted bringing our gortex's - twas too warm to wear them, and they spent the rest of the day being strung around our daypacks and bodies. The skies were blue, the breeze slight, and the sun brilliant all day - but not too hot. Walking up through the forest and along fields for an hour or so before we turned off via Granet and a quick word to grand mere at a farm on the corner.. she was busy looking after 2 youngsters… and yelled after us to turn off as we were about to trot off down the wrong road. Thru Le Brossay… another wee village, and spotted some odd 'death marks' on the road - looked like wee animals.
However, we soon came across a real-life "before the event" scene down the road. About 3-4 metres of caterpillars--nose to bum, creeping across the road. They were all following the leader - wherever they took them - and they weren't going directly across the road - which probably contributed to their high mortality rate! 50 metres down the quiet road and we came across a repeat of before, although these ones had just had a squelch. They'd now broken off into about 4 teams - the main one just sort of rejoined thru the dead debris, and a few off shoots of about 6" long, and then, sadly, a few lonesome caterpillars just going round in circles. I couldnae help myself - and interfered with nature… and grabbed a big leaf and picked them up and rejoined them to their mates - all of about 8" away. However this didnae seem to do the expected…. They weren't let into the queue, or didnae seem to know how to join, and they just crawled off!! So we left them to it. à then we got somewhat assaulted by a huge bloody vicious doberman… not on a chain!!! Needed a stun-gun thingy or a really horrid whistle that they hate!! Luckily, once it came out of the open gate and was off it's own territory it backed off a bit when we yelled at it - so we ran off and left it.
Yet another chain of caterpillars down the road.. they had made it across the road -only about 14" of them left to get off the road… but those that had already crossed and into the weeds were just bunched up on top of each other…. Seems like as soon as they make it to greenery, they just stop!! And the rest of their mates just crawl all over them when they get off the road as well.
Enough of the nature trail --- we did a wee detour into the village of Gournan, and found a perfect lunch/picnic spot. It was a wee village with a kirk and 2 pubs, but nae people around… but they had a lovely park - with gum trees and a small lake just next to the school. Sat in the shade and had our pain, jamon et fromage - followed by mandarins and chocolate. Then off and rejoined our GR39a after lunch and continued thru the wee villages - lots of falling-in roofs amongst the out-buildings, but also some rebuilding going on as well. The track took us via Les Tablettes - more megalithic big rocks in a table formation, from about 3500bc… then back along the forest and into town…. So from start to finish 11am till 3.30pm.
Called in at the Spar for a not-so-cold cola and collapsed back in our room - until Mal went off for a bath and shave - it had been 3 days!! (shave, that is!!). General siesta till 6ish, then I jumped into the bath, and afterwards off to find a phone box for the call to Colin, re our bathroom. His Mrs could'nae find him, so we rang Karen - good news -Mal's contract renewed till Nov 99. Then spoke to Colin - bathroom finished, although a few minor problems - that we don't need to know about… but it is finished, and has been tested!
Dinner tonight was a similar feast to last night, except we shared the salmon and foie gras, and swapped the venison and duck, and I had the pear tart for dessert. A rather fabby meal again, and washed down by another big red. Had a quick promenade after dinner - to try to get that cheese on its way through.
After another really good nights sleep - this time with the coke can in doorway holding up the metal shutters, so we got more fresh air…. We hit breakfast 8.30ish, and joined the many business persons - fagging away - that were staying in the hotel.
Paid up and hit the road by 9.30 and headed northwards via Rennes and up by St Malo and up onto the Cherbourg Peninsula. Tried to find a light lunch enroute in Perriers and Lessay, and finally found some cold quiche and a pattissierie nibble. Then the car got bombarded with kamikazee insects - sounding like rain hitting the windscreen, but a tad more messy.
Eventually rolled into St Vaast la Hougue after 3ish and checked into France et Fuchias and into our attic room. We had pre-booked this hotel for our final two nights, from home. Wonderful sunshine all day, but as we went for a wander along the harbour it was about 5' colder -> and a rather stiff sea breeze. Watched a fishing boat as it was being unloaded -- crates of small crabs into boxes, hurled up onto the wharf, and stacked into a van. - some rather very wee crabs, so decided they probably would'nae appreciate a photo being taken. Some of the locals were chatting up the fishing lads, and passing down plastic bags which were filled up, and the money - about 50ff - $10, would be swapped for them. Checked out the 'beach' on the other side of town - a huge expanse of shingle and seaweed - behind the 15 foot thick seawall!!
Theres a market in the town on Saturday - perfect timing!! So we'll possibly hit the hypermarche tomorrow and leave cold cheeses etc till the market on Saturday… just before we catch the Saturday night ferry home. After the obligatory snooze - after checking out both Skynews and CNN -lots of Kosova news - we had a very filling yummo dinner… Mal - veggie soup, jamon salad, steak, chocolate & passionfruit, and me -fish soup, scallop terrine, steak and the choc 'n passionfruit…. Very filling, and we waddled upstairs. Our room is "with shower" but it is one of those pissy wee half stepped baths with a hand-held shower head… and no shower curtain. So the bathroom may get a bit (very) wet when we shower!!
Beautiful morning and a great breakfast - fruit salad, pain etc, yoghurt and cereal. Had a big fruity feast then headed off for the day… - up north along the coast to Barfleur - a dinky wee fishing village, where history was made in 1066 (remember that date from your history lessons??) when Willy the Conqueror sailed from here to conquer England. Later in 1120 his ancestor, another William, drowned nearby during a storm, and the line of descendancy changed to his brother - Henry 2nd, father of Richard the Lionheart.
There's a rather high lighthouse just out of town at Gatteville - the tallest in France, and you can climb the many many step to the top => we didnae! Drove along lots of wee narrow roads along the coast and into Cherbourg - looks like a very busy city with lots of busy traffic - even though it was lunchtime and they all shoulda been at home having their lunches! Eventually found the road out of town and up the hill to the big hypermarket - Auchan. Had a wander amongst the many delights it offered - and planned tomorrow's shopping trip. Home via the wee D120, and thru Le Vast - a wee village with waterfalls along the length of the stream, that runs the length of the village.. then home via a couple of small hypermarches to see if they had any big offerings that we would'nae be able to get tomorrow. We had a quick wander around the shops in St Vaast to see their vino, and look for a Norbert bowl - and bought 6 Gaillac reds at the local huge deli (local wine from the Tarn region, where we walked last year). - Severely berated ourselves for not picking up the gallette pans and Norbert bowls when we saw them in Brittany.
Dinner, after the siesta, was great - Mal had poisson soup, jamon salad, saumon & fromage, I also had the soup, jamon, and fromage, but had bunny rabbit for main course.
The Lapin in cider sauce was wonderful, especially with the boiled tatties that I asked for from the kiddies menu (otherwise it came with semolina - ugh! We'd not had cheese the previous night so we decided to get into it tonight. Yummo - chevre (goats), pont l'eveque and another local that we asked him to repeat the name of twice but still didn't catch.
Straight to bed after dinner, the market is on tomorrow so will need a good night's sleep.
Alarm at 7:30 and hit the 'shower' and made an almighty wet patch everywhere - it really is a silly arrangement (ie. half bath with hand-held shower and no curtain). Had another great brekky - 2 bowls of fruit salad, yoghurt etc. Packed up - almost - then when it stopped pelting with rain dashed out down to the local market. It's a rather neat one, lots of fruit and veg, cane chairs, foie gras, an old lady selling half a dozen leeks some chives and a few eggs, lots of bread, delis and cheeses, sausage sizzle, man selling two big puppies, etc (no Norbert bowls though).
Came back to hotel about 11 to finish packing, pick up ice etc., then decided to have another wander around the town - we still had 10 hours to kill before the ferry. Wandered down to the harbour - a huge fishing boat was just pulling in - unloaded a huge load of sharks - very wee ones, some only 30cm long. The sausage sizzle got us next - with very powerful dijon mustard (that Mal should have had a week ago to clear his sinuses) - and couldn't resist 2 punnets of strawbs for me. And, found a wee little shop around the corner that had Norbert bowls - saved!!
Finally cleared off by 1-ish and headed for the big Auchon hypermarche for the big shop - rather busy there. Spent a good couple of hours there and got 3 dozen vino and various fromage, poisson soup, spicy sausages, Le Creuset pans ( a huge pot and a crepe pan) - 250quid later!!
Repacked the car with our bootie and then took turns to go back inside to have a last look around and go for a wee. Just as well we didn't race off in a hurry as Mal remembered that he'd not picked up his day pack from the security desk - critical as our passports, tickets etc were in it. I raced back in and got it - and took the chance to pick up some vinegars etc at the last minute.
Finally headed downhill to the port through very heavy mist at about 5:30 pm and waited until they checked us in at 8:30 for the 10:45 sailing. There were only about 15 cars booked on the ferry - lots of space on the car deck. So we chatted up the lass on the info. Desk for an upgraded room (to make up for our downgrade on the trip over)…she really didn't want to do it for us, but finally went off to ask 'the purser'…then suddenly it was no problem.
So off we trotted to our 4-berth cabin with en-suite & made ourselves a cuppa tea! Zipped upstairs and got some B&B (Benedictine & Brandy) and Kahlua from duty free, and some tuna rolls for dinner and headed back to the cabin. Had a great night's sleep, even gained an hour as we switched back time.
Arrived into Portsmouth about 7:15am and after hot shower and good night's sleep were feeling 100%. Mal droove the first leg - we stopped on the A34 for breakfast at about 8:30am (stunned at the sudden increase in food prices). I took over driving up onto the M40 and M42 for an hour or so. Mal did the horrid bit through Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool, then I took control near preston for the remainder of the M6 (and the sunshine). As soon as Mal took over again on the M74 the grey clouds and rain came out.
Got home about 3:30pm - so it took about 8 hours all up. We drove 2000 miles all up. Then came the hardest part of the trip - carrying all the shopping upstairs.
Got home to find a letter from Inntravel with a refund for the downgrading of cabin on the outward journey, so we didn't do too bad.
Hadn't won the lottery while we where away - so it's back to work tomorrow, groan.
The End