Having finally located someone on the farm to take our euros for the overnight stay, we hit the road again, this time heading for Arromanches but we were distracted en route by the sight of military vehicles outside the Overlord Museum at Colleville-sur-mer. This turned out to be an excellent detour. It is a private collection of military vehicles and more, often in the form of mock-ups based accurately on original photographs from WWII. A lot of these vehicles had been in use until the 1970s and beyond. A background of the sound of battle in the air and on the ground, created an immersive experience. There was also a photo collage of war veterans, accompanied by excerpts of their stories in their own words. A humbling exhibition. All in all, a museum not to be missed, though we nearly did.
Onward, along more narrow, meandering roads towards our destination of Arromanches. We had expected to find a Motorhome Aire in town, but the nearest we found had a 2m height barrier. Gee, Thanks. Instead we followed some dubious signs for “Camping Car Parking- Payant” which seemed to take us miles out of town. Once at the parking, however, it would cost us just €6 for 24 hours. And we got a seafront spot overlooking the Mulberry Harbours. As for being miles out of town, nope, it was a 10 minute (albeit very steep) walk into town.
The view from our room. Arromanches Mulberry Harbours, put in place to support the D Day landings.
A walk around Arromanches and along the beach was enjoyed till the rain started. A bit “museumed out” we just took in the scenery, and some fresh air (and fresh rain). Chicken curry with rice on the menu tonight, with lashings of cider. One of our 5 a day, n’est-ce pas?