Onwards….to Courseulles sur mer, another of the DDay landing beaches – this time by Canadian forces-and we just need daytime parking. It’s free, and very near the beach- that’ll do nicely. It appears there used to be a 2m height barrier, which has been dismantled and discarded, so we park up with the other Mohos and wander into town.
All we need is a Boulangerie for some bread, but it looks like the fish market is the only shopping available. All the shops on the port seem to be closed. Still, it’s a nice enough walk along looking at the many fishing boats and pleasure craft.
Even the bridge across the river is closed, thus involving a walking detour to the next one. It’s getting hot, we’re getting frustrated, when suddenly we see a sign, and soon there’s a slightly more bustling town centre. Woohoo, a boulangerie, ah but there’s also a creperie. Plan B- lunch out, so no need for a baguette. Here we had delicious galettes, though everything was garnished with a strawberry or raspberry..maybe chef’s had a glut this year? Finally returning to the aire, there’s another Hymer parked next to us and the excited owner approaches us to tell us our van is from the same village in Germany where she lives…small world, eh? We have a quick natter, mainly in English but I also try a smattering of schoolgirl German, which she seemed to appreciate.
Next stop is Caen, where we visit the Memorial, the museum for peace. We’ve both visited before but feel it’s time a for a re-visit. Managing to avoid the centre of Caen, it’s relatively easy to locate, and there’s Motorhome parking at the venue. Squeezing into a space it’s time for a wander to the museum though our visit won’t be till tomorrow. Not only is this free overnight parking, but we’ve had a discount on the entry tickets, win win!
The memorial is full of interesting exhibits, including this Hawker Typhoon, and tells the history of WWI leading to WWII and subsequent war crimes trials. Very thought-provoking.
The atmosphere was very different to the DDay museums, as it encompasses so much more than “Overlord”. There was a group of teenage schoolkids, three of whom thought it was OK to take over a small cinema area during a film; feet on seats etc, whilst talking loudly. Grrr….after a few minutes of tutting, direct action was needed, so we (with another French man who was similarly annoyed) stood in front of the “yoofs” as they clearly weren’t watching the film, and when they continued talking loudly, Andrew turned to them, saying “Pardon, j’ecoute”..Bravo, that man! Our visit continued, having sorted the younger generation.