Day Five - Remembering June 6, 1944 on Christmas 2012

Another View from the Wall

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I climbed back up on the castle ramparts and this time the parapet was low enough to actually see what I was photographing. This building reminded me of something you might see in Merry ole England. I tend to forget how closely tied Normandy and England were from the moment William the C invaded England until Henry VIII turned over England's last possessions in France. A period of almost 500 years. For many of those years French was the official language at court. A great deal of the modern English language is based on French. Most English law is based on Norman law.

Eglise St. Pierre

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Gail and I were feeling more energetic than usual so we walked along the castle wall enjoying the incredibly clear blue skies that gave us views far out into the Norman countryside. The church you see is St. Peter's church which was heavily damaged in WWII. The bell tower was completely rebuilt. We should've gone inside but were feeling a little churched-out.

Medieval Gardens

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Just behind an actual castle chapel we found these herb and veggie gardens. There wasn't too much growing at this time of the year, but the plots were well weeded and furrowed. Planting must be right around the corner. What they were planning to grow was marked with little signs, but it was in French so we were pretty much clueless. Most of it sounded like medicinal stuff.

Looking Northeast toward the Fine Arts Museum

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Actually my real purpose for sticking to the old castle ramparts was to avoid going into les Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen on the off chance it might be open- it just sounds boring.

A Closer Look at St. Peter's

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This is not a cathedral but it is one immense church. It seems the wealthy merchants of the area gave generous amounts to the construction and refurbishment of this church over the years. It dates back to the 13th Century. According to the green Michelin guide it's only a 1 star attraction. The things that make it worth seeing are its balustrades, pilasters, vaulting and the ambulatory. Sounds facinating.

Ok, Someone Please Tell Me Waht I'm Looking at Here

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Our route along the castle walls took us past the side of the fine arts museum and this collection of animals on sticks. I don't understand art so I don't get it. Why are two of the sticks bare? So the human is on the highest level, but why is a stupid bird second highest and a snake nearly as tall?

We Really Can Almost See Forever

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By now Gail and I had reached the highest point on the old wall. I'm glad it wasn't too cold because the steep stone steps we had climbed to get here would have been treacherous with ice on them.

My Ancestors are Calling to Me

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By now those little voices from the past that Jurgen is always telling us to listen to were calling me and reminding me that once long ago my Viking ancestors stood on this hill looking out over the land they had conquered then settled, pondering more plunder and booty.

Thanks for the Warning

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What my ancient Norse ghosts forgot to tell me was that the path here ended in a dead end. Just after that circular tower wall (Matilda Tower) access to the rest of the wall was blocked off. That was probably for the best since Grandma and Cassie were waiting for us way below on a parkbench.

Leaving Through the South Gate

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Eventually we had enough of the castle. Had things been open maybe we could've spent a few more hours looking around. There was another museum on the grounds dedicated to Norman history and culture. That would've bored Cassie to death but I might have spent hours in there provided the signs were in English.

Memorial to the British Troops Liberating Caen

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"In Memory of Men of the 3rd British Infantry Division. One of the Assault Divisions Landed on D-Day 6 June 1944 and Liberated Caen 9 July 1944." And fittingly, the street in front of the castle is named "Avenue de la Liberation".

Looks Like an Interesting Part of Town

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And it was...kind of. These were all restaurants and bars, all closed. And while it appears we were entering an interesting part of the town, the cuteness factor ended at the end of this 100 yard strip. At that point we came out into a residential area full of modern apartment buildings. Boring. We saw quite a few families with little kids carrying helium balloons walking toward those same apartments. We never did discover where they got the balloons because absolutely nothing was happening where we were walking around. Yet another that is probably very cool in the summer.

Last Look at Caen Castle (Chateau Ducal)

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After covering a 3 block by 3 block area and noting nothing of the slightest interest, we returned to our car. Voila!. No parking ticket.

Just One Last Stop

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Heading back to Arromanches from Caen we were quite proud of the fact that we had seen and done so much. In one day we had covered more ground then the British army advance in over a month back in '44. But as we exited the main highway and followed the seeming circuitous route given by our GPS we spotted one more POI. A sign indicated this was a chateau hotel so we headed through the iron gates into the estate.

Not Much to See Here so Move Along Folks

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I kind of expected to get chased away because the place looked to be closed for the season, but I was getting comfortable with playing the dumb American tourist and was fully prepared to pretend I was lost if stopped. No one was about so we took a few pictures and left. Back at the hotel the restaurant was dark yet the parking lot had a couple more cars then the night before. By now we were looking forward to our Christmas picnic in our room and the party began in our room with the super-heated sauna in the bathroom. The bread, crackers and cold cuts were fantastic. The local smelly cheeses were pretty tasty on first bite, but the more I ate the less appetizing they got. I put a dent in all three cheese wheels but the next morning we tossed two of the worst smelling ones and gave Cassie's cat some of the third. After eating we repaired to Gail's room where the internet party rolled on until 10:30. Good times with the Lunds on Christmas in Arromanches.