A Reluctant Tourist; Best Tips for Short Trips to Normandy
A beautiful sculpture in the war memorial at Arromanches Beach in Normandy, France
AUTHOR: JENNIFER KIRSCH
A Reluctant Tourist
BEST TIPS FOR SHORT TRIPS TO NORMANDY, FRANCE
Although I have traveled the world, the Normandy beaches have never been on my bucket list. At school our history stopped short at the death of Queen Victoria with Napoleon and the American civil war getting only a little attention.
The 20th century was maybe too recent and as my father was a young man in the second world war in charge of a tank regiment, in India, the Normandy landings were there but not present if you know what I mean.
Any knowledge I had was gained from those graphic war movies that seem to be released every year if not more.
So when an American friend of mine announced she wanted to come over and “do” Normandy I acquiesced rather than jumped at the opportunity. But I found myself surprised and this post will share with you just how interesting the trip turned out to be.
We centered our short trip around Caen, Bayeux and Mont Saint-Michel…
SPENDING SOME TIME IN PORTSMOUTH IS A GOOD IDEA
I did a lot of research and decided the best and most economical way was to go by ferry. A lot of people, maybe because their trip encompasses wider regions of Europe and include Paris, might plan differently.
We got the train from London Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbor. There are two Portsmouth stations but the Harbor is closer by a mile or two.
We decided to spend a night in Portsmouth as it has a lot of history and is worth a day or two exploring. It is home to the Mary Rose, the oldest shipwreck ever to be brought to the surface and it is wonderful how it is displayed and preserved so brilliantly.
The Mary Rose was Henry VIII’s favorite battleship and was sunk in 1545 off the coast of southern England. It has lain there for 450 years before it was salvaged in 1982. Even if you are not from the UK it is a remarkable story and worth checking out. When they brought it up from the bottom of the sea it was world news and the subject of several documentaries and news stories.
The HMS Victory is on display there too and the entire harbor area is full of history and sea breezes! The HMS Victory was commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1758 and was Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 against Napoleon and his French fleet of warships.
THE OVERNIGHT FERRY TO CAEN IS MOST SENSIBLE
It was more sensible to get the overnight ferry to Caen, a beautiful old city and central to all the action. After a great fish dinner on Portsmouth harbor we took Uber to the Brittany ferry port and embarked at around 9.pm.
It costs around 50 Euros as a foot passenger and of course many people were taking their cars. We handed over 75 Euros each for a cabin on the basis that it is cheaper than a hotel room and doesn’t waste a night. The standard cabins were more than comfortable. Dining, bars and amenities make it just like staying in a hotel.
We disembarked at 6.30 am after a lovely breakfast and made our way into town. That was a bit spendy as the only mode of transport seemed to be a taxi which can be picked up outside the terminal but research may come up with an alternative.
It is useful to know a company called Nanny Bag who for 8 Euros will point out the nearest place for you to leave luggage up to 8 hours while you get your bearing and find your hotel or Airbnb.
You can book online and pay by credit card while you are in the taxi. Usefully they provide a map as well! It was a great find as we ditched our bags until we were able check in at 3 pm.
CAEN IS A BEAUTIFUL TOWN
Caen is a beautiful old town with pedestrian shopping streets, good restaurants and plenty of historic monuments, a castle and ancient city walls. Caen is also home to the Abbey of Saint Etienne built by order of William the Conqueror after 1066.
His body was buried there in 1087 but his tomb has been disturbed many times through the ages. The Cathedral is one of the first to be built in Gothic style with Romanesque origins.
The Cathedral in Caen set up for a kiddie ride outside while we were there
MEMORIAL MUSEUM OF CAEN VERY INFORMATIVE
The Memorial Museum of Caen is brilliant and I was able to get all the info I needed about WW2 all done with film, relics and clear explanations offered in English. A very entertaining and informative museum, it helped me understand exactly how the war in Europe came to be; the build up along with a good commentary on its progress.
I wish we had left more time to spend in there but we had booked a day long tour of the beaches. Our guide picked us up at the museum, in the company of two New Yorkers and a couple from Illinois.
US MEMORIAL & CEMETERY AT NORMANDY
We visited the British, American and Canadian beaches together along with the American cemetery, a sad but beautiful spot overlooking the English Channel where it all took place. The guide spoke English very well and regaled us with stories of the French resistance who hid in the villages we sped through on our way.
The American graveyard is enormous and holds the remains of 9387 servicemen. After D day and the identification of the fallen, American families were offered the option to ship the remains of their loved ones home for a US burial or to leave them here in France.
Over 40,000 were flown home. The rest lie peacefully overlooking the ocean. The American government maintains this cemetery and it is both a beautiful but sad reminder of a terrible war. There is a small commemorative museum and visitors are welcome to move around the cemetery.
We walked around the monuments on the shoreline and it seemed weird to remember on such a sunny day while kids were playing on the sands that such an atrocious event took place there 75 years ago.
It didn’t seem possible until you looked out to sea and saw the floating concrete man made harbor pieces towed out of England to aid the troops landing; now all rotting away in the salt water.
The Brits even towed out a series of bridges called “Mulberrys” named after the inventor. They were laid on the beaches to get tanks and armored vehicles over the sands.
Overlooking the English Channel where harbor pieces are rotting away in the salt water…
THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY
Arromanches; it was on this beach that the Allies established a harbor which landed over 2 million troops, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of supplies over a 5 month period starting in June of 1944.
It is well worth a visit. The lookout posts showed that anyone would have been seen on the water for miles and miles but the Allies landed thanks to the cover of darkness and early morning mists.
The 360 degree movie shown up on the bluff overlooking the beach blasts surround sound and shows original film of the landings in 3D and lasts 15 minutes. We then took a shuttle into the small town where there were more military souvenirs and tee shirts than you would ever need.
On the promenade we stopped to look at the war memorials, it was eerie how “present” it all seemed.
MONT SAINT-MICHEL
On our last day in Caen we drove to Mont Saint-Michel (65 miles away). It was a famous commune and center for learning from 966. The monks and learned men of the time studied there and many illuminators of the old tapestries lived and worked there.
It rises from the sands and is a famous landmark for miles and miles. It was very packed with people but it was late summer and during school holidays so not surprising. It is a tourist trap for sure but quite an experience and sometimes you just have to be a tourist.
The beauty of Mont Saint-Michel in France…
Once you have parked your car you travel via small bus to the entrance to the Mont. There you can walk up as many steps as you have the energy to do and if you reach the top the view is worth waiting for; out to the English Channel on one side and the rolling fields of Normandy on the other.
There is no end of day trips from Caen. It is ideally placed for trips all over Normandy and only a 2.5 hour drive from Paris. And remember there is no such thing as a bad cup of coffee in Normandy even in the small farmhouse cafes along the way. We spent four days in Caen and could easily have spent more.
BAYEUX AND THE TAPESTRY
We rented a car very economically for a couple of days in Sixt at the railway station and drove out to see the Bayeux Tapestry in the tiny village of Bayeux. We had lunch in the best creperie I have ever been to called “Le Triskell”. It is nestled among the medieval buildings and a winding stream. The fabulous food was all washed down with a superb and inexpensive rose wine.
The Bayeux Tapestry is world famous, and depicts the Norman Conquest of 1066 and the Battle of Hastings. It is 1100 feet long and beautifully preserved, telling a story in embroidered pictures. It marks the beginning of Norman rule in England and marked the beginning of French being spoken in England for several hundred years.
It is housed in a climate controlled environment and visitors come from all over the world to look and listen to the commentary via headset in your chosen language. At first you think you have made a mistake.
Hard to believe that one of the most famous ancient artifacts is stored in an old stone building in this sleepy little village where time appears to be standing still!
CONCLUSION
As I said in the beginning of this post, I was a reluctant tourist when it came to this trip. I really did it to please a friend and thought it would not be that interesting. I was really surprised. Not only was it interesting but very moving and emotional as well.
To see what a task the Allies had in front of them and how many lost their lives because of it truly gives one pause. If you get the chance to visit-don’t turn it down. I would certainly visit one more time! If you liked what you read, you might also like other posts under Guest Bloggers. Look for my next adventure blog soon. Until then…
Best,
Jenny
Jenny Kirsch is a British expat living in Palm Desert. She travels extensively when she returns each year to the UK and guest blogs about her experiences and tips. Follow her on Instagram.
You might be interested in reading other posts by ArtsyChowRoamer under Explore the World. Follow me on You Tube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter
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