November 7 – Caen – Sword Beach – I got up early and tried to line up a hotel room using my computer but ran into some problems because some of the hotels wouldn’t let me use my Visa Debit to book a room, they wanted a regular credit card. So I used the book on Caen I had gotten from the tourist bureau and wrote down the hotel names, street addresses etc., while determining to do it the old fashioned way and walk over to the hotels to check them out. As I was checking out of the La Fontaine I asked them if they could recommend a hotel nearby. They said they knew of one and could call them for me. I said that was great since I didn’t know enough French to call ... read more

November 05 – Portsmouth – Preparing to cross the Channel – I’m downstairs in the dining area drinking my tea and thinking things over. My bag is packed upstairs in the room and my computer bag is fully packed down here. I have gotten down to one suitcase and one computer case. I left a bunch of stuff at the hostel in Weymouth with the manager and have sorted through things again here and discarded some more. The hardest thing for me to leave was a baking potato I had. It was a nice one but I decided that going into France they might ask if I had any vegetables with me and I didn’t want to open my bag to show him “the potato”. I have called the cab company and ordered a cab for ... read more

November 3 – Weymouth – Preparing to depart – I have booked a room at the Hotel de la Fontaine in Caen for Tuesday the 6. I am heading to Portsmouth tomorrow morning and will stay there tomorrow night and depart on Brittany Ferries at 22:45 Monday night ariving at 06:45 Tuesday morning. So I will be taking pretty much the same route and time as the English D-Day participants. I have enjoyed my time visiting Weymouth and it was a detour well worth taking. I’ve been trying to find out things on the internet about Caen but keep running up against the language barrier. So it appears that exploring France will be a thornier undertaking than I had first imagined. Oh well….to paraphrase Mark Twain…Go through life armed with confidence and ignorance….and success is assured.........And ... read more

November 1 - Portland Heights– Today was cold but with a clear blue sky. I walked over to the Esplanade in Weymouth and walked over to the Greenhill Gardens. There were a few flowers blooming but most of the flower beds were prepared and waiting for spring to return. The view of the Ocean was quite beautiful and I checked it out from time to time but it was a bit brisk for sitting and enjoying the view. After touring the Greenhill Gardens I walked down the Esplanade to the Jubilee Clock and ate at the King Edwards Fish and Chips…I had fish and chips again of course….with tea. From the fish and chips restaurant I walked down King Street towards the train station and I caught the #1 bus at the bus stop on Commercial ... read more

October 30 – Weymouth – Tuesday – I had a pretty good day today. The sun came out and it was a nice day. Cold at about 50 but the sun was shining so it wasn’t bad. I started walking down the Esplanade from about the pier bandstand to the Weymouth Pavilion and tower. I figured I would walk down the Esplanade to the North Gardens and walk in them. I walked a bit, then sat on a bench and enjoyed the view. Then I walked a bit and then stopped to enjoy the view again. The view was really a nice one to enjoy, Crescent shaped, it had a town in the distance on the left, then green fields, then chalk cliffs with boats about, then the opening to the sea. Then there was the ... read more