Memorable Memorial Day

For our first Memorial Day in England, we decided to go to Paris and Normandy (again!) to see my parents and one of my favourite places in the world. The world of yummy pastries, food, wine, and cheese awaited us!

[divider class="" ]Planning

For once, I had nothing to do with planning! My mom picked out all our accommodations, trains, and car! I was in charge of the daily activities while in Normandy which I happily accepted.

My mom booked an Airbnb well east of Caen in the village of Camembert. Yes, we would be staying in the birthplace of our favourite cheese! Although it meant longer drives to Normandy, it meant more delicious cheese!

Compared to our earlier trip to Normandy, my mom and I booked train and plane tickets well in advance and it saved us a ton of money!

Fixed Costs

• Flight: £90
• Train: £78 (for 4 people!)
• Cheese: £7!!!!

[divider class="" ]To Paris

Thankfully, we have been on the Luton-to-Paris flight many times from Luton. It felt very familiar. Unfortunately, certain people decided to push it to the near limit for this trip thus this is the first trip where we walked from the bus, through security, and straight on the plane. It was a little nerve wracking and at the same time, it meant no lounge life!!

When we arrived in Paris, I posed a huge question to MF. If we took public transportation, in the rain, we would use the price difference between getting a taxi later as wine money later. After a quick five second debate, MF chose wine! For the record, it was about €30 difference which could be 3 bottles if she plays it right!

Once we got into Paris, we found my parents Airbnb pretty easily. They stayed in the young and lively 4th Arrondiasemont. After climbing the old winding stairs to their loft, we caught up with my parents. It was quite lovely!

[divider class="" ]Delays

Despite detailed planning, things went very poorly for us.. I don’t think I’ve experienced as many French delays in one morning!

We started off with a great bakery run in the morning. Since we had our suitcases, we ate in the park very early in the morning. Quite a lovely morning!!

As we went to the Paris St Lazare station, I anticipated similar problems as our first trip. Chaos. Luckily, our train was over 90 minutes delayed so we talked and explored a train station. It was quite amusing to see all the Americans and their very large suitcases. Meanwhile, we had very tiny suitcases and backpacks!

Once we boarded the train, we encountered the same issues as our first trip. Apparently most people in France either strictly listen to seat assignments or ignore them at all. We had a mixed bag. The train didn’t have accurate rail car signs so it was mass confusion. Thankfully, some French people were near us and were on our side for once!!

Oh the Mishaps

First, due to the late train, we arrived in the middle of the long French lunch break so we were stuck in Caen for an hour. We decided to make the best of it and went for a close lunch! It was really nice cafe on the riverside. A few years ago I had stopped here for critical Wi-fi and food!

For our lovely lunch, I had the Normandie cheeseburger topped with camambert and without a bun! Imagine my surprise! It was very tasty and fresh! We even had a glass of apple cider to celebrate the beginning of our trip. MF lost this good battle pretty handily as she ordered a Caesar salad... She ate a good portion of mine!

For the next mishaps, Enterprise did not have an automatic SUV. My dad thought for literally a hot second that he could drive a manual but immediately gave up once in the car. He attempted to back out but nothing really happened! We then waited and waited for Enterprise to find us a car.

Eventually, this led to us renting a car from Hertz for supposedly the same price! At this point, our day had mostly been spent waiting or traveling and it was nearly dinner and dusk. We debated going to the beaches; however, I didn’t want us trying to find the AirBnB in the dark.

Camembert

Our drive through the eastern part of Caen was completely new to me! Similar to the beachhead, it is primarily farmland. Unless your AirBnB is one of these farms, it can make for a pretty boring drive!

Our AirbnB is a cute little farm located about 15 minutes walk from Camambert or 2 minute drive. Since we couldn’t drive to the beaches today, all my plans were shoved out the window so we had to come up with something new!

Calvados

To further our understanding of the Normandy culture, we opted for a brandy and cider tasting! Fortunately, we were the only people there so it felt like a private tasting.

First, we started off with a 8 year old, medium, Calvados. It tastes similar to brandy or a mild whisky so my parents were enjoying it while MF was hating it. Next, we tried the 15 year old Calvados. Similar to fine whiskey or wine, age helps! It was very smooth and easy to drink! Our last Calvdos tasting was a 2 year old blend. Now, that was similar to drinking paint thinner! The drink certainly packed a punch!

MF’s favourite part of the tour was the cider tasting. They sell three different blends: sweet, semi-sweet, and dry. Guess which type was her favourite? It was sweet! We also were able to taste a special summer aperitif which blends the Calvados with cider. Very refreshing on a hot summer day!

The Little Village

Since the brandy and cider tasting didn’t take that long, we decided to stroll through the village. Big surprised, that also lasted about 5 minutes. Since it was almost 5, most of the shops were closing - except for the lovely bakery! One of my favourite lines from my dad occurred in the butcher shop. He goes up to the counter, in the very obviously French shop, and asks the butcher: "can you please explain to me what is the difference between these types of sausage"? We immediately started laughing and thankfully my dad was saved by a women who spoke English who translated for him.

Our Evening Meal

Our host recommended (the only) two restaurants in the village for dinner so we decided to walk rather than drive. It was extremely peaceful walking through the hedges although I noted that we were walking downhill...

After determining the other restaurant appeared too fancy, we opted for Les Saisons. We enjoyed our leisurely meal as we sipped on fancy French wine. We decided we are not fans of the local appetisers as it consists of weird Andouille sausage! MF and I both ordered steak and it was okay. I just enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and company!

[divider class="" ]Go Go Go

Since we had a lot of ground to cover today, I made the group wake up really early! We had breakfast prepared for us at 8am so we were able to hit the ground running. The breakfast was really good and reminded me of my previous trips to Normandy. It was full of fresh bread and jam!

Omaha

As I knew Omaha would be the busiest and most crowded, I made it our first stop. Boy, was that the right decision! The parking lot was nearly full! I had forgotten that they would likely have a Memorial Day service. Thankfully, we were able to take part.

It was a beautiful day for a Memorial service as there were blue skies and not a cloud in sight. It was a French and American ceremony and we all felt chills as the anthem played. With the backdrop being the perfectly aligned white crosses, the whole service was very moving. It was definitely a memorable and different experience!

After the service, we strolled through the crosses reviewing the names and dates. After so many visits, it still moves me. Each time is an unique experience and today was no different. The dates of June 6 and the crosses marking the unknown were especially moving this trip. I don’t think my parents were expecting as many of these graves.

The Beach

Because beach access is still closed at the American cemetery, I took my group to Vierville. I think it’s important to see as it shows the bluffs and the challenges facing the invasion force.

Unlike our previous trip, the weather was outstanding so we did much more exploring. We enjoyed our time on the beach and even went up on the cliffs! We could not have asked for better weather.

Pointe du Hoc

On the way to my second favourite Normandy sport, we stopped at a random cafe for lunch. It turned out to be really tasty and different! I ordered croque monseur which is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The cafe also served as a roadside museum with WW2 artifices found nearby.

Similar to everyone’s first reaction at Point du Hoc, their eyes widened at the massive bomb and naval shell craters. Again, it is very similar to an adults playground as you run up and down the craters. It is an incredible show of force and a miracle that the Rangers could climb it.

Utah Beach

Unlike our previous trip, we visited Utah Beach which the first beachhead from Caen. Utah is very different as it is completely flat whereas Omaha has cliffs and not much of a true beach head. I was massively excited that we were able to Utah at low tide which matches the conditions facing the Allies. With that perspective, it really brings the true conditions.

I enjoy Utah beach because it has reverted back to a regular beach. Unlike Omaha, we saw people playing in the surf and sand. It also is very serene and beautiful!

Sainte Mere Eglise

It felt good to be back on old stomping grounds. Since we stayed close to Sainte Mere Eglise, I imitately knew the bakery and town layouts. After giving my parents my 5 cent tour, we headed straight to the bakery!

Arromanches

Since we had a long drive back to Camambert, I decided to break up the trip by stopping in the British beachhead. Personally, I think the very upbeat and motivational music combined with great movie clips is a great representation of the Battle of Normandy. Plus it is a 360 cinema so there are pictures and clips you may not have caught before!

After the great movie, we enjoyed our time overlooking the village with the Mulberry Harbours. Since it was low tide, we could easily see part of the WW2 harbours. My parents didn’t really know this existed so it was fun teaching them!

Longues-sur-Mer

Perhaps my third favourite spot in Normandy, the gun batteries at Longues are wonderful. I am so happy the Allies somehow and for some reason preserves them. It truly is a testament to the German effort to prevent the Allies landing. They definitely didn’t want us coming! Similar to Pointe du Hoc, my parents enjoyed the batteries. Mainly because it brought to life the enormous challenges facing the Allies.

Sunset at the Creperie

Since most of France closes on Sunday, our dinner options were limited. Pretty much, we had one choice - a fun looking creperie! It was tucked away in this old historic house near the brandy tour we took the other day. The house and surroundings were abosolutely charming.

Since it was our last Norman meal together, we toasted with our local apple cider and enjoyed the weather and company! Surprisingly, we did not order a crepe. Rather, we all ordered a salad. I purely ordered mine because it had toasted Camambert cheese toast. It was a very healthy salad!

[divider class="" ]Back to England

Sadly, we had our last French breakfast. It is so simple and nice. MF and I said goodbye to our lovely host and our charming 1700 farmhouse. Our host told us before we left that Germans had occupied the house in WW2 but no harm happened to the house of family.

All the Cheese

Since we are in the heart of great Norman cheese, we obviously had to take a cheese tour. After much research, we landed on Graindorge E Fromagerie. It is located in the small town of Livarot, about an hour or so from Caen.

The factory tour taught us the entire cheese process from milking to the cow to the free tasting! They mainly produce four cheeses here: Livarot, Camembert, Neufchatel, and Pont L'Eveque. Each cheese has its own process and length of maturing. Some of the cheese even has a maturing process up to 4 months!

Probably the happiest moment of the tour was seeing literally rooms full of cheese. Unfortunately, we noticed a bunch of school kids arriving so we walked briskly through the tour! Or perhaps we really wanted to taste the cheese...

The tastings were wonderful! Since I know MF usually doesn’t like soft cheese (pre-UK), I was especially curious if she would enjoy these very soft cheeses. There is an order to taste the cheese as they strengthen in flavour.

So Long, Farewell

Due to the recent train strike, MF and I hedged our bets and just bought bus tickets over train back to Paris. We said our goodbyes in front of the Caen bus station and away we went! It is sad because this is likely the last time I shall see Normandy for a long time. Safe to say I’ve exhausted my options here!

Surprisingly, the bus was really nice and clean! The seats were comfortable and likely more updated than the train and the bus had Wi-fi! More importantly, the bus was significantly cheaper and dropped us off at Charles De Gaulle airport for the same price as getting the metro from Paris city centre to the airport! I believe I paid a whopping €18 for our tickets!

[divider class="" ]The Unchartered Summary

By taking my parents, especially my dad, to Normandy was a bucket list item. I am slowly growing into a Normandy tour guide! Going on Memorial Day, our Normandy trip was even more memorable!

[photogrid ids="1807,1755,1754,1753,1749,1737,1742,1747,1745,1751,1785,1784,1775" captions="no" columns="two" fullwidth="yes" ]