Day Four - I Thought We Would All End-Up In Seine

---

The day started with an even better breakfast. Eric, the owner, laid on the same spread as the previous day, but added soft-boiled eggs and tea to the breakfast. We were stuffed even more than the previous day. How we could work up the stomach to return to LeClerc for the third time for more food shopping is beyond me.

It was already getting very difficult to load our luggage. Our purchase of the days before were making our previously bloated suitcases bulge even more. I had to take everything out of the trunk a couple of times until the puzzle pieces slid into the proper configuration. We were gonna have to wear a whole lot or clothing when we flew home in order to get our baggage weight legal. While I was trying to solve the luggage riddle, Gail was inside settling the bill with Eric. Thank you Booking.com - no hassles, no extra charges, no surprises.

Even though we had just spent nearly 3 days in St Valery I still somehow managed to get semi-lost leaving town. Before getting back on the right track we drove by the harbor again. Naturally we then spotted the crepe restaurant we couldn't locate the night before.

---

Photos

Christmas Eve Breakfast
Whereve we went in Normandy we were sure to see someone on the street lugging one of the baguettes or two or three. At first it seemed kind of wierd but after tasting how fresh and simply perfect this bread can be, I think I'd get up everything to buy a fresh loaf.

Cassie's Christmas Present to Herself
Probably one of her best investments ever. She didn't need boots for warmth; just to keep dry.

Zombie Le petit déjeuner
Not even my flash could wake-up the Undead. Once the coffee arrived she perked-up. And as soon as we got in the car and took off, she was asleep again. My snoring can do that to people.

Hotel Henry IV Annex
Our hotel was bigger than we suspected. This area in back featured covered balconies with all the rooms.

Santa's a Good Salesman
First stop on our way toward Honfleur and Arromanches was the LeClerc supermart. It looks like the French Santa Claus was on a starvation diet. I guess that's why he was giving away all that free candy.

Cheesy Comestibles
Knowing that it would be very tough to find an open restaurant on Christmas Day (we were having enough trouble finding any place open even for dinner on the weekend), we opted to buy a bunch of cheeses, prosciutto, donuts, a big baguette, candy, beer, soda, and chicken chips for a Christmas picnic. I should've taken a picture of this whole long aisle with nothing but cheese in the refrigerated section.

Some of the Local Fromages
This section of Normandy is home to four types of cheese - all soft, all stinky and all delicious. Most have heard of Neufchatel and Camembaert, but the smelliest of all are Livarot and Pont L'Eveque. We bought the latter two mainly because they came in those cool wooden boxes.

Check-out Our Check-out
I wonder what the Frenchies thought of the 4 Yanks heaping snack after snack up onto the cashier's conveyor belt? Those macaroon cookies to the far left were the surprise treat of the trip. They were awesome. No wonder all those folks in Rouen were rushing to buy the bakery fresh versions.

Detoured in Cany-Barville
Although we had passed through here twice on our previous days' excursions. as we drove by this day traffic was being diverted around the main street through the center of town. There was a carnival atmosphere with throngs of people idling up and down that main street. As soon as we spotted a parking lot we pulled in . Despite being a public lot with probably 200 or more spaces, we were unable to find a legal parking space. We circled around the city library and parked next to a bunch of other gawkers up on the grass.

It's Un-Cany
Evidence of the heavy rains and flooding were everywhere. Just walking out of our grass parking spot resulted in mud all over our shoes and pant legs. We simply followed the scores of people walking up to the main street (Rue du General De Gaulle). To get to the action we had to cross this bridge over the town's millstream.

Christmas Eve in Cany-Barville
It seems that it was not only just the flurry of last minute Christmas shoppers that were crowding into town, but also it was market day as well. The tiny village was hoppin'.

Creepy Santa
I'm not sure if he followed us from LeClerc, but somehow Santa somehow showed-up here in Cany too. For some reason he was giving me the Stinkeye.

No Business Like Shoe Business
Especially when Cassie and Gail are in town. Naturally this storefront immediately drew their attention. I was more enamored of the culinary delights.

Yum Yum Yule Logs
Everywhere we've been in Europe I find myself drawn to the bakery windows. It's usually the prettiest and most colorful item I see while following the female shoppers. Nine times out of ten however, this stuff looks much better than it tastes. Not a marzipan, anise or licorice fan. And lots of these baked goods are hard as a rock.

The Post Office
I'm so glad not to be working for the French postal service. Besides selling stamps and mailing parcels, they handle bank transactions, utility bills, notary and foreign exchange services.

This Guy Really Gets Around
Instead of passing out candy in LeClerc, Santa was now giving away pastries to kids in Cany.

Nothing Says Christmas Like Stinky Fish
The smell from this place nearly made me hurl my bounteous breakfast. Why would anyone eat this stuff on Christmas? Where we were in Normandy the sea is famous for its mussels and oysters. I'll stick with the equally famous stinky cheese and spiked cider.

I Like This Town
We stopped at a fruit stand where Grandma got some of the fruit she forgot at LeClerc. The customers and employees were really friendly and polite. When they bumped into us they apologized and when we "accidently" grabbed the fruit (a no-no in European fruit stands), they smiled and let us know they would pick it up and bag it for us.

Cany Flowershop
Just as they favor fresh meat from the butcher, fresh bread from the baker and fresh fish from the fishmongers, Europeans love their fresh flowers. They seem to be in every town. I wonder how long it takes the owner to put away all this stuff when he closes for the night.

Santa's Climbing the Walls
One might think I was taking a picture of this butcher's shop, but I was really interested in the Santa Clauses climbing the side of the building. We saw lots of these decorations and not one single inflatable Christmas eyesore.

Wrong Bathroom Cassie
Another little quirk pertaining to the French: they do not seem to worry about bathroom privacy. In Paris there are urinals in the middle of the city streets and in some of these small towns the male facilities had no doors.