Pictures of Dorian Gray

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Rosemary and I, with Julie and Ian, visited London to see a matinee performance of the play “Pictures of Dorian Gray”. This was a new production and starred a local actor, Stanton Wright, who was playing Dorian Gray. The cast swap roles around, so in the evening show, Stanton would be playing someone else, hence the title “Pictures of Dorian Gray”. The play was being shown in the Jermyn Street Theatre, a very small theatre with about 70 seats.

We arrived in London, and took a walk up Regent Street, thinking this looks like a larger version of Bicester Village, but with buses and cars. We stopped in Hamleys and spent an hour looking and playing with the toys. Back towards the theatre we stopped for lunch at Prezzo and then when into the theatre. We were re-seated from our allocated seats to a better set of seats.

Then it was time for the show to start. I quite enjoyed the play, I have not read any Oscar Wilde, but Rosemary had given me a hint as to story before we went.

Fully Charged Show

Blasdale Home Posted on by

I have become addicted to the YouTube channel Fully Charged with hosts Robert Llewellyn and Jonny Smith. They talk and review electric cars and discuss renewable energy. Yes, there are lots of reviews of cars, because so many manufacturers are now launching them. Robert desires to talk more about renewables for the home. One interesting recent review was about a Norwegian car and truck ferry which is now powered by electricity. When it enters port it plugs in and takes on electricity. Normally charging for 7-9 minutes.

So today we went to Silverstone to see the show. Lots of cars on show, as well as solar panels, batteries and wind generators to power your home. There were talks, which I didn’t go to, but probably should have done. Well, we did see the opening talk by the Fully Charged team, and then an interview with a design person from the company Rivian, which is launching a super pickup truck which is on my want list.

The day was very wet, so the outside stands had to be visited in the dry spells. I did get into a BMW i8 which was a lovely car. Managed to find the correct buttons to get out, and haul my self out with the aid of a handle on the gullwing doors. R said I could not have one. I also tried the electric scooters. Really fun to whizz along, but not practical where we live with the huge Buckinghamshire potholes.

We left the show, and rode back to the carpark in a Tesla S. The Tesla Owners Club had provided 150 cars with their drivers to ferry visitors between the carpark and the show. Not an inconsiderable distance. Money was thrown into a charity bucket.

Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone
Fully Charged at Silverstone

Steam Dreams from Milton Keynes to Holyhead

Blasdale Home Posted on by

We took an extravagant trip from Milton Keynes to Holyhead and back again. We had to be waiting on platform 3 at Milton Keynes at 7.20. We dutifully arrived early, leaving us time for a coffee in the Costa, while train-spotter spotting. Yes, you could spot them a mile off.

Waved our piece of paper at the barrier, and were sent on to platform 3, which became quite crowded. The heritage diesel engine, a class 47, arrived promptly on-time. We boarded and sat in our Pulman carriage. Champagne to welcome us. Rather decadent at that time in the morning. Then came muesli with yoghurt & fruit, a small Danish pastry washed down with coffee & orange juice. Full English breakfast was then served, so we merrily made our way to Crewe chomping our way through sausages and bacon.

We stopped at Rugby and Lichfield Trent, picking up more passengers. At Crewe, we had a 40-minute wait while the diesel engine was replaced by our steam locomotive – 45690 Leander. The switch was relatively quick, it was a question of waiting for space on the line for the engines to swap over.

Off we went again, stopping at Chester, and then a longish stop at Llandudno Junction where the engine was filled with water from a fire brigade bowser. At this station, a number of people departed to look at a National Trust property & gardens. They would be picked up on the way back. We stayed on the train for the final destination of Holyhead. We crossed the Menai Straights and passed through Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch station. I missed getting a picture of the sign as we passed through on the outward journey. Succeeded on the way back. R noticed how some cows and sheep and even horses, started running at the sound of a steam train. She also told me the wildflowers were lovely, unlike the caravan parks. Some fabulous coastal scenery. R v pleased to see Rhosneigr, where she had gone on holiday many years ago with her aunt, uncle & cousins.

At Holyhead, we stopped for about 2 and a 1/2 hours. Time for a walk around, a visit to the shops and a quest to find a pub for some drinks. The town seemed a bit run down, but plenty of charity shops so R came away with quite a few purchases, books, glasses & a smart top. The pub, the best thing going I thought, was remarkably cheap. The most spectacular piece of engineering we saw in the town was the footbridge from the port to the town. Built apparently to entice travellers into the town centre. Should have a portcullis to trap visitors in the town.

We re-boarded the train. The engine was now at the other end, pointing in the correct direction. The train had been several miles down the track to a place where the engine could turn around, at a siding said to have been used during the transport of nuclear waste. We set off back to Milton Keynes. Managed to snap Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch as we passed through. Stopped at Llandudno Junction again for more water. We now ate our way back to Milton Keynes, starting with canapes & finishing with cheese and biscuits. changing engines again at Crewe.

Took a picture of one of the passengers, he was wearing an American T-shirt with the word “ferroequinologist” and its definition. Ferroequinologist = train spotter.

.

Muse at the London Olympic Park

Blasdale Home Posted on by

I went to see Muse play at the Olympic Park. Fabulous show. Decided to drive to Stanmore and catch the tube to Stratford. The benefit was I would not have to hurry home, the Jubilee line runs all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Despite the large car park, parking was an issue, had to wait for a car to leave before I parked. Arrived at the stadium after the gates opened. Had a pint of expensive lager, £6.50

Two support bans played, Pale Waves played for 30 minutes and then Tom Morello.

Pale Waves are an English indie pop band from Manchester, formed in 2014. It was founded originally as Creek when lead singer and guitarist Heather Baron-Gracie met drummer Ciara Doran while attending university in Manchester. They played a nice set to a fairly empty stadium.

Tom Morello, best known for his tenure with the band Rage Against the Machine and then with Audioslave. As of 2019, Morello is a member of the supergroup Prophets of Rage. He started playing in the pit, and then rushed around the back and came on with his band. Lots of applause for him as the venue filled up. Lots of slogans, the best was on the back of his guitar, which said ‘Fuck Farage’ This drew rapturous applause from the audience.

Muse came on at 8.30 playing until 10.45. Tremendous set. You know, sometimes you wonder how long much longer has a band to play, well with Muse I looked at my phone and suddenly realised they had been playing 2 hours. Fantastic set.

Afterwards, I hung around and was amazed to see the stage and the arena being dismantled immediately. Grabbed some food and made my way back.

In future I will hang on a bit longer as I still got caught in a queue of people making their way to Stratford.

Camping at Eve near to Sainte Nazaire

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Saturday May 18th at Camping Eve

Dried up now, so was able to pack away the awning in the dry. Our VW van neighbours also packed up and left. The mother and son opposite with the Tesla X car were staying on for several days. We had a brief tour of her car which she was very proud of. She relayed the issues at the Tunnel exit in England where there are several Tesla chargers, but you can charge only when going from England to France, and not the other way around. She had to be escorted especially through the barriers to be allowed to charge.

We arrived in Sainte Nazaire and stayed at the Eve camping site. Cheapest campsite yet at 16 Euro including electricity. Not quite what I expected. It seemed busy, even for a weekend, but there were so many chalets and little camping. Camping was all mainly on a slope. Because of the slope, we set up the awning, now nicknamed ‘the shed’, on its own, .

We did a quick walk down to the beach, to which the campsite had its own access tunnel under the road.

In the campsite cafe/bar, there was a stage. During the evening there was an entertainer followed by a disco which went on to 10.30, After that, I could hear quieter music, including great English classics from Pink Floyd, must have been a couple of bikers camping a few pitches up. 

Sunday May 19th Saint Nazaire

The reason for coming to Saint Nazaire was to see the old German submarine basin. We drove in and parked. Seemed very easy to do, lots of free parking everywhere. A huge Tintin painting greeted us. We later spotted another. Seems Tintin et al boarded a liner here in “The Seven Crystal Balls”, a book I do not own, but will be remedying the defect very soon. In fact, there was even, at certain times of the year, a Tintin walking tour.

The submarine block has been converted into offices and entertainment areas. There was a boxing ring and match going on in one area. We bought a ticket which included four exhibitions.

Escal’Atlantic

An exhibition of the cross Atlantic liners from the 1880s to the 1960s, which St Nazaire had once built. You walked up & along a gangplank, then into the “liner”, walking from room to room looking at the cabins, the view from the stern, the staterooms, the lower deck cabins, kitchens, engine room, the deck and bar. Very cleverly designed & built. We were caught by the French lunch and were told we had only another 20 minutes left and had to hurry through the last part of the exhibition.  If you are there, it is well worth visiting. As you exit there is a bar where cocktails are on sale, alas missed these as we were herded through a theatre to watch a film, and then into lifeboats to be lowered to the ground level where we exited through the gift shop.

Submarine Espadon

We then walked over to the fortified lock where the other exhibitions were. Here we went onto the roof with good views of the shipbuilding, several cruise liners in the process of being fitted out. Also saw one of those artistic paint jobs where you stand in one place for all the paint lines to join up in one grand design. Probably as not as impressive as last year’s at Carcassonne, but still very neat. This artistic design is permanent.

Watched a fishing boat go through a lock, and the bridge swing open. A man was standing on the bridge photographing the fishing boat, totally oblivious to the bells ringing. He was told by someone on the bank to get off. He moved off just as the harbour master came out of his control cabin to shout at him.

Now it was 2pm, ie after lunch, so we made our way to see the submarine. It was a French submarine, built after the war based on the German U boat design. It was preserved for viewing as it was the first French submarine to break through the ice of the North Pole.  Well, work viewing, seeing the cramped space. Interesting to see the periscopes were viewed from the conning tower, where you could hardly stand more than a couple of people. Not at all like in the films.

EOL Centre Eolien

An exhibition about offshore wind farms. Started off with the history of electricity and its usage in France, then onto the building of the wind farms of Saint Nazaire. Sixty 8 Megawatt turbines.  Ah well in the UK we are well ahead of this with many sites with far more turbines and even larger ones coming online.  What the French do well is produce these little exhibitions and tell everyone how well they are doing. Rosemary impressed by one part of the exhibit where you could listen to various professionals involved in the build. All in French, but the impressive aspect was the number of females.

Ecomusee de Sainte Nazaire

The final museum was the history of the area. Some prehistoric, but soon went into the industrial age, and shipbuilding. Unfortunately all in French. Also a lot about the aircraft they built before and after the war which was mainly seaplanes. Of course, Saint Nazaire builds the fuselage for Airbus.

The disappointment for me was that was not to be here on a Wednesday where there are tours of the Airbus factory and cruise line shipbuilding. Will put these on a to-do list when we are next passing through France.

Back to Morrison, and to the campsite. On the way, we stopped at a Dolmen in the city, Dolmen des Trois Pierres. At the campsite, we had time to cook and eat a nice late evening stew.

Monday May 20th Meeting Monsieur Hulot

Lazy day today. We had thought of going to see some archaeological sites, but these are closed until July. Thankfully some kind soul had written a review on google and photographed the entry sign. Looking at their website you would have gone and been disappointed.

So instead we were having a lazy day. The campsite is deserted, we tried for a mid-morning coffee, but the bar was closed (despite the people standing inside drinking coffee). So to google maps, where I spotted a nice place nearby in the village of Page de Saint-Marc. Coffee and beers at the Bar Le Phil’Good and then photographs of Monsieur Hulot. Walked on the Plage de Monsieur Hulot. Then it was back to our beach which was being resculptured with two diggers. Ready for the season. Then we discovered the beach was actually closed. We had come in a back way.

Lunch in the van, reading and writing blogs. R had spotted several white cats with a variety of different coloured tales – tabby, black, whatever. A beagle was roaming free and seemingly not owned by people on the site. A scurry in the bushes caused R to wonder if the dog had found a cat. But no, a beautiful tabby emerged. His head was at an odd angle, a result of the goldfinch in his mouth. Not a busy day.

Tuesday May 21st Le Bec Hellouin

Packed up. The Shed was not entirely dry as there was fog this morning. You could hear fog horns out to see in the Loire Estuary. We packed up and left. First stop was a mound, Tumulus Dissignac, a few miles away. Yes, it was closed as the Google Local Guides had indicated.  Photo from the outside, and then on to ‘La Roche aux Fées’  Oh oh, inundated with French school children who at least were lingering over lunch and playing in a field. So we were able to walk around unobstructed.

Back on the road, stopping at a Super U to buy some Jack Daniels and Ricard, and then on to Le Bec Hellouin where we arrived at 6.00.  Moules for supper.  The campsite was pretty full.

Wednesday May 22nd Home

Final drive to the tunnel, where we arrived several hours before our departure time. We were offered and accepted a crossing an hour earlier than our booked one. The trip home was “relatively” painless, the usual slow down to cross the Thames, and unfortunately arrived at Aylesbury for 6, so a long queue getting into town.

Camping de la Baie in La Trinite-sur-Mer

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Tuesday, May 14th 2019 Carnac

It was a pity to leave, a lovely campsite, but we decided to head on off.

Packed away a dry canopy and off we were to Carnac. First stop was the stones, here we took a 40-minute tour ride, passing the stones and then a circuit around the coast pointing out the historic and a few more prehistoric sites.  Picnic lunch at the site, and then a walk around the nearby stones. You don’t have access to the stones, you have to look at them from behind a fence, a bit like Stonehenge. But so many, many standing stones!

Stopped at the SuperU for some beer, wine and food, and then onto our campsite. Nice pitches, but all a bit busier than we have encountered. The first time we have had to pay an extra Euro for 10 Amp, above the all-inclusive ACSI rate. Also had to use the ‘French adapter’. Didn’t know they still used them over here. Also, Madam had to come and connect you. Ho hum.

Steak for supper, much better than the restaurant steak. I do cook a mean steak, or so I am told.

Took a walk down to the beach for the sunset, alas it was over, and too far around over the land. Nice beach, sand and rocks. Must investigate the restaurant and bar later.

Hopefully tomorrow we will walk around to the harbour where there are over 1000 yachts. Biggest marina in France.

Wednesday, May 15th 2019 La Trinite-sur-Mer

Sunny day, better than forecast. Some wonderful Mare’s tails (Alto Cirrus Clouds) in the sky. Beautiful, but a precursor to cloudy days.

Morning walk along the beach and around the headland to the other beach and back to the campsite. Passed by one thatched house, very close to the sea. Very cute, but thatched near the sea? The beach, as I already mentioned is quite pretty, a mixture of sand and rocks. Lots of natural oysters were embedded into the rocks. Inviting bar and café overlooking the beach, the menu contains Moules, so hopefully will be some tomorrow for a meal.

Lunch back at the campsite, English cheddar cheese and a bottle of Adnams. Very French! 

I went for a walk to the yacht basin. Apparently the biggest in France. Some huge trimarans. On the quay were notice boards giving information about each of the boats and their skippers.

Back at the campsite, tea and then the duck breast (aka Magret de Canard) and “chips”. Had a starter of stuffed vine leaves, wanted somewhere to put the excess duck fat to freeze, so the vine leaves tin came in handy. Of course, some of the duck fat was used to fry the parboiled potatoes while the duck was resting.

One lot of rather noisy campers.

Thursday, May 16th 2019 Camping

Woke up to a cloudy day. Despite the no-rain predictions of the day before, today predicted some precipitation. This caused R to take rucksack and waterproofs. S pooh-poohed this and was proved correct, no rain.  Morning meander along the beach towards Carnac, then inland to see the nature reserve and the renovated salt pans. Who would consider eating that black looking salt when you can buy pure salt easy flowing salt for a hundredth of the price? Especially when you see the sea birds nesting in the nearby lakes. Maybe the salt tastes fishy?

Back at the campsite, the noisy Belgians were packing up. Hopefully a quieter evening. How can people have so much to say at such a loud volume?

We got to see the inside of our new neighbours’ campervan. A German couple with a VW. Same popup roof as ours. They bought it from a company near Stuttgart which buys VW vans and sends them to Poland to be converted. Nice to see some real wood in their van.  They had incorporated a hand shower at the back and an emergency loo. The lady had made an external shower curtain which hung off the tailgate when in use. Could not understand why anyone would want a cold shower when there are hot ones available, but who knows. Their van seemed to have more room for packing in stuff. They slept upstairs, though they could also do so downstairs. I think the answer to storage is many European conversions is to raise the height of the bed, to increase storage underneath. This does mean sleeping downstairs when the roof is down, could be claustrophobic.

Watched a small lizard whizz around at high speed where he intercepted another lizard on a similar outing, a quick tussle and they went their own ways. No idea if it was a fight or l’amour.

Lunch of bread, cheddar and Cornichons, then a walk around the lake and some birding.

The local birds at the campsite are very friendly, hop around your pitch and come very close. A female blackbird keeps offering me a beak full of worms, she even establishes eye contact and cocks her head. I have declined. A jay came down to take R’s apple core and I could have easily touched it. R thinks the goldfinches etc look thinner (sleeker?) than ours. Perhaps these migrate?

Supper was pasta with a sauce of tuna, onions, pepper and pesto.

A new Dutch camping neighbour arrived this afternoon, driving a Tesla X. I think she runs a business because she was always on the phone in several languages. Anyway, I have been invited to look around her car.

Friday, May 17th 2019 Lunch out

A quiet day, slow start and then went for lunch at the local beach restaurant. Quite a nice meal. I started with six Oysters, and then a plate of Sardines and potatoes. To finish a crepe called ‘The Beach’ I suppose it was meant to look like a beach, Chantilly cream, nuts, ice cream and a gooey sweet mix. Lovely. Rosemary had a sweet and sour salad, followed by cod stuffed with bacon and leeks, with a cream sauce. Her dessert was a chocolate mousse served in a full-size Bonne Maman jar! Rather more than she expected. The meal was swilled down with beers. We now have a loyalty card, so have to go there next season!

Afterwards, we went bird watching on the salt making areas. This time we watched the mating ritual of some Common Terns. Didn’t understand the fish offering, nobody came for it for ages, and when they did, off went the receiver of the gift, leaving the giver on his own. All very strange.

Back at the van, the rain came in as a light drizzle.

Castel Camping de l’Orangerie de Lanniron in Quimper

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Friday, May 12th 2019 Camping l’Orangerie de Lanniron

Another sunny day, we packed up the tent and moved on to Quimper.  Selected an called Castel camping l’Orangerie de Lanniron near to the centre of Quimper. It is set in the grounds of chateaux, (not up to Rosemary’s exacting standards, cos no turrets) overlooking the river Odet, which at low tide is a mud flat. Good grounds, with, I am told, rhododendrons, azaleas & camellias.

Large campsite with gites and a huge camping area. There is also a 9-hole golf course and a couple of restaurants, épiceries and a swimming pool. Alas, out of season most of this was closed, though the bar and restaurant near the entry are open, probably because of the golf course. A couple of weddings were underway in the grounds when we arrived. Expected lots of loud disco music into the late evening, but no, it was all packed up and gone by late afternoon.

The grounds are gorgeous, trees, flowers, birds and open spaces. R says not as claustrophobic as the previous campsite. There should be a 2K walk into the centre of the city which misses the main road in. We shall see tomorrow. Reckon we have struck lucky here, lots of bird song, and relatively quiet despite being near to the main roads. There was so much blossom and flowers. Very tranquil.

The afternoon was warm, T-shirt weather. Cooked alfresco and ate outside. Still writing this outside at 9.30 as the sun is setting and still not cold. Makes a change from a few days ago. Will it be cold tonight?  Last night was, could have done with the thicker duvet.

Saturday, 13th 2019 Camping l’Orangerie de Lanniron

Hurrah, another Sunny day, walked into Quimper. The gate to the footpath was closed, so had to walk quite a long distance to the campsite exit, and then double back along the outside fence. Yes, this was quite an extra walk as this campsite is very large. The footpath then headed down a leafy lane towards the city, under a road and then alongside some city gardens. There was also a field with named Breton rare breed cattle.  

First stop was the bar for a drink of beer. Downmarket bar, part of a Tabac. R, after she went to the loo, decided women weren’t encouraged to drink here. Then on to the tourist bit, cathedrals shops and lunch. The disappointment of the day was lunch, ordered a steak rare and it came out tough and overcooked. Long walk back to the campsite. Did my heart paces, steps and move minutes today. Supper was purchased on the way back at a small supermarket. R had not written a shopping list, so much was forgotten.

At the campsite, we did a final walk around, found the ‘canal’, which did have a load of midgies, and some toads making the most goddamn awful racket. Could not think what it was to start with. A nice place.

Camping de L’ile Verte in Saint-Benoit-des-Ondes

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Thursday, May 9th 2019 Neolithic sites and Saint-Benoit-des-Ondes

Packed away in the dry, not a lot to do as no awning to pack. We backtracked to see a couple of Neolithic sites, before heading on to our next overnight stop.

The first Neolithic site was La Pierre Toureresse, a 25-minute drive. Google took us down a residential road to a field and wanted us to continue on an agricultural road where, according to a sign, only farm vehicles were allowed. We stopped, parked and walked down the track. After a few hundred meters we came to the site. The site had been excavated and documented. Not a great amount to see and we were soon on our way. No signs to the site.

The second Neolithic site was the Tumulus de Colombiers-sur-Seulles, a further fifteen-minute drive. This was a larger site with a large barrow. There was a small car park off the side of the road where we parked safely. Then we could walk a few meters to see the barrow. An earth mound with a lot of neatly placed stones at the base. A lot of reconstruction had been done to make it look like how the archaeologists think it should be. Some explanatory notes and also a reconstruction of a Neolithic dwelling (or shed).

We drove to the coast at Arromanches-les-Bains and sat at the cliff top to eat lunch and look out at the sea at the remains of Mulberry harbours built during the D-day landings. It is so sad, but amazing how quickly these engineering achievements were built during wartime.

Headed on to our new campsite in Saint-Benoit-des-Ondes, passing around Bayeux. Before we arrived at the campsite we visited our third archaeological site of the day, called d’Outre-Tombes. This one again Google wanted to take us up some rather grassy uphill roads. We ignored these and found a road which was signposted, metaled but narrow.  Again a not impressive array of stones, which did not correspond to the map. Presumably, because the French had used this site to demonstrate the way stones could be moved without machinery. One stone had the following notice on it. 11 Juillet 1999 a l’aide de cordes, 173 personnes ont deplace a la force de leurs bras, ce bloc de granit de 31.5 tonnes, sur une distance de 13.11 meters. A second block had: Juillet 2000 l’equipe de ‘C’est pas sorcier’ est venue filmer por la television, la technique de levage de ce menhir.  All I can say is in 6000 years some archaeologists excavating the site will be confused by the locations of the stones.

Arrived at the campsite Camping de L’ile Verte in Saint-Benoit-des-Ondes, erected awning, achieved an impressive time for this, and then went for a walk. The campsite had nice large pitches with high hedges. Made for privacy, but R was claustrophobic. The site road was narrow, and the hedges went to the road which did make parking and positioning a tad difficult, especially with the caravan across the way having its towing hook almost on the road.

During our walk, we noticed a few restaurants and oyster outlets. The place selling oysters had its own washing tanks and large arrays of oysters in tanks of water. Impressive. Could not understand why there was no security over the tanks.

Friday, May 10th 2019 St Malo and Cancale

Today was meant to be a wet day. Stayed dry for longer than expected. We travelled to St Malo to fuel Morrison. Down to his last 70 miles, he had done well with 644 miles on the one tank of fuel from the UK. 111 Euros spent and he was replenished. The supermarket was huge, R bought herself a sweater, so was now warm. Can’t say the vegetable counter was any good, so little choice. Also, the cheese counters seem to have shrunk from what they used to be. A few ingredients for meals purchased.

We then attempted to park in St Malo by the docks but failed in this endeavour. All carparks have a 1.90-meter height restriction, and most parking on the street required payment at meters and we had no coins.

We gave up and went for a drive around the headland and back to the campsite. Stopped at a nice beach called Plage de la Varde , ate lunch and managed a walk, and then down came the rain. Continued to Cancale and looked at the hundreds of fruits de mer shops.  Back at the campsite supper and then the rain all night long.

Saturday, May 11th 2019 Lunch out in Saint-Benoit-des-Ondes

The ground outside was very soggy after the overnight rain. Slow getting up, waiting for the sun to show behind the clouds. Went for a walk along the shore, investigating the restaurants. We eventually chose the nearest, called Carte Sur Table. Quite a nice looking restaurant inside. It does have two outside areas for dining. The front terrace and the garden terrace at the back. We chose to dine inside as it was not yet warm. Unfortunately, when we entered we were the sole dines, though a few more turned up later.

An Amuse Bouche was immediately presented. It was very tasty cold mushroom soup.

 I chose Oysters to start with, and Rosemary a salad. Her salad was huge, while I received more oysters then I thought were arriving. Oysters were predictably lovely.

For the mains, I chose John Dory. John was quite large and was presented with potatoes, cauliflower and carrots with a sauce on the side. R started with a salad (again!), followed by cod stuffed with leeks and bacon in cream sauce. For the end, R went for some vanilla ice-cream, while I had a selection of smelly, local cheeses.

The afternoon was predictable spent snoozing in the warmth of the canopy. A quick walk by Steve to earn his Heart Points.

Camping Bords de l’Aure in Bayeux

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Monday, May 6th 2019 Deauville and camping at Bayeux

Left Camping Saint Nicolas, Le Bec-Hellouin. Taking down and packing away the awning/canopy was fairly straight forward, even fitted into its bag on the first attempt. I call that a success.

We headed over to Deauville and parked in the station car park. Walked across the road to the marina where we admired the yachts. One was even leaving under sail in the marina. The buildings along the streets were a very different style to ones I have seen elsewhere. Lots of tall roofs and unneeded small pinnacle type roofs. I thought they must be a nightmare to keep watertight where they joined the main roofs. Rosemary, of course, loved them, as she thought would our roofer back at home. Walked into the main town square where there is a fountain, with eight roads all coming in together. A quick stop for lunch which we ate in a picnic stop on the road to Bayeux

Set up camp in Bayeux where we were staying in the municipal site on the river L’Aure. Decided not to put up the canopy as the green space was quite small. Still nice campsite in the middle of town, so we would not be doing any driving while we are here. We took the riverside walk into town, about 20 minutes and looked at the main places we would be visiting the next day and planning the restaurant we would stop at for lunch.

Two beers before we walked back to campsite, were over 11 Euro ☹ . Walked back to the campsite and set up for the evening meal, Toulouse sausage stew. Yum Yum.

Tuesday, May 7th 2019 Bayeux Tapestry Museum and Museum of Art and History Baron Gerard

Still sunny, thought it was going to be more cloudy today. Stayed fairly bright and almost warm the whole day, slight drizzle after 7 pm. Started the day with our order of Pain Au Chocolat plus cereal, eaten outside.  We then walked into town and headed for the Bayeux Tapestry.  Here we bought tickets that would allow entry into several museums for 15 Euro.

The first part of the Tapestry museum was the Tapestry. There you are issued with an audio guide. There is no stopping the guide, so make sure you go in with a gap between you and the people in front. This ensures they have moved on between the sections, so you have a good view of the tapestry. For something nearly a 1000 years old, it is in remarkably good condition. We also learnt a lot about Harold which I had not known. It seemed from the Norman propaganda viewpoint that he and William were almost good pals, and that Harold had gone to see William to vow allegiance to him agreeing that he, William, would be the next King of England when Edward died. It seems that Harold went back on his promise and was crowned King, causing William to come over here and fight for his “rightful” Kingship. R made a note to do a spot of googling on the subject.

After the main course, you go upstairs where there is an exhibition on the history and the further wars which William had to fight to keep England under control. Well worth seeing.

Next, we went for lunch at Le Pommier where I started with raw Salmon, followed by a Fish Gratin with spinach. Rosemary started with a salad of vegetables and fruit, and then chicken with a lemon and honey sauce, which she said was far better than it sounded. We both ended with a lovely creme brulee, very shallow, but a large dish, maximising the brulee.

Onto the museum of the Museum of Art and History Baron Gerard, a very newly renovated building housing and exhibition concentrating on the history of the area which took you from prehistoric times all the way through to the 1800s. R was overcome by the bobbin lace making, and really liked the white ceramic pottery made in the 1800s. This included the usual cups and saucers, and also laboratory ware.

Back to the campsite, where we had a small snackerel, drinky poos and eventually sat inside at around 7 pm as a small amount of precipitation started. Due to be coming down harder during the night.

Wednesday, May 8th 2019 Bayeux Normandy Landings Museum

Mixed weather today, it rained and the sun shone. Started out late because of the rain, no matter, no big itinerary. We also decided to eat lunch out, again to offset the drizzle.

First was a visit to the Normandy Landings Museum. This told us the story of the D day landings, with potted resumes of the main generals on all sides. There was a mixture of diagrams showing the armed forces, and words to explain the actions. Videos in strategic places to show the terrain and actions which were occurring in the battles. Many physical remains from the war, from shaving cream, cigarettes, bullets, gas masks, and radios. Even spotted one radio transceiver which looked very much like one my grandfather had in his shed. I wonder what happened to that.

There were descriptions of the planning, the landings, the French resistance and Charles de Gaulle.

Nearby, there was the British Cemetery, and also a memorial to journalists killed in action. The memorial for journalists listed by year the journalists killed in action on large upright stones. The list is large with so many killed. Presently it goes up to 2018, the 2019 deaths to be added. We then walked around the British cemetery. So very, very sad.

We walked back to the centre, just arriving at the restaurant we had eaten yesterday. 2.30 was too late for a French lunch, despite the wording outside saying 2.45. Now it really started to hammer down with rain. We searched around several other restaurants, all saying they closed at 2.30. We sheltered under a canopy and debated a pizzaria (there seem to be loads of these in France these days) or the creperie place opposite where we were standing. This was open all day. We ate some very tasty galettes (Ie a crepe made with buckwheat flour).

Next, we visited the Cathedral, far more ornate and spacious than the one we had seen earlier. Prince Charles had visited here on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war and had attended a ceremony where a new bell had been installed in the belfry, making a total of 17 bells.

Walked on back to the campsite, where we spotted another English VM camper van. We went over to chat with them about their bike rack on the back. A VW rack which they were pleased with.

Simple supper of cheese and bread, hopefully, the smell in the fridge has now gone. The goat’s cheese did not smell much when individually smelt, but the fridge was highly pongy. Yes, the fridge was much better after the removal of the cheese.

Route planned for tomorrow, some Neolithic stuff, and a campsite near St Malo.

Camping Saint Nicolas in Le Bec-Hellouin

Blasdale Home Posted on by

Friday, May 3rd 2019 On our way to Le Bec Hellouin

Set off from home at 6.30. I wondered why Google wanted me to go around the South of London, maybe she knew better and there were road works or accident. A quick look at traffic and yes M25 was closed but between the A41 junction and the M40 junction. Puzzled we ignored her and continued on down the A41. She was persistent, telling us to go South. Suddenly it twigged, I had set the no toll road option in readiness for France. With the aid of my backup Google Sat Nat operative, changes were made to the options and all was well. She now liked our route and stopped her nagging.  A timely reminder, we needed to buy a crossing pass, so again the co-pilot logged on to the Dart payment page and paid for two crossings.

Arrived at the terminal in 2 hours and 30 minutes and were now faced with 1-hour 40-minute wait for departure. Normally when you arrive early you are offered an earlier crossing. Not today, the terminal looked very busy. This called for breakfast at the LEON café, some playing with the Twitter and then onboard the Eurotunnel. The crossing was under 40 minutes, and then we were straight off to our first stop.  Google programmed back onto avoid toll roads. A short break at a BP garage for coffee and to check Twitter, then we were shortly at Camping Saint Nicolas in Le Bec-Hellouin. This campsite we visit regularly. It is around three hours from the port and has nice walks down to the abbey. While we were there we bought the ACSI camping site guides and camping card. By the end of the holiday, we had recouped the cost of these and made a considerable saving in out of prime season campsite fees.

This year we had taken the awning, erected it in lovely sunny weather, and sat outside drinking our JDs, Ricard and locally produced Farm Cidre. We must remember not to buy this Cidre, it is not the best. We treated ourselves to food at the campsite café, Moules Avec Roquefort, while R had a huge omelette and chips.

Another British VW camper-van rolled up next to us with a young loud couple. She was especially loud ?

Saturday, May 4th 2019 Visiting Honfleur and Pont-Audemer

Alas, the rain came in during the night, breakfast under the awning. One advantage of the awning is you can leave stuff in there, and it’s quite quick then to disconnect the van and drive off. First stop was food shopping at the nearest town Brionne. We had walked there on a previous visit. It takes 12 minutes to drive and over an hour to walk over some hills and through woods. Still raining, but dying off as we headed on to Pont-Audemer where we had a walk around quite a busy shopping centre and quaint town. Of course, it was closing or closed up as it was now 12.30.

Not far now to Honfleur, a quaint touristic town on the Seine where it meets the sea. Parking alas was on a meter and was 4 Euro for 2 hours. Lots of restaurants selling Plateau de fruits de mer. Now have a base guide price of around 45 Euro for an FDM. Not sure what the attraction is of this town, but it did seem busy with tourists and guides taking coach, or river cruisers around through the streets. Could be a stopping point for river cruises.

It had stopped raining and the sun was out, so back to the campsite where it was lovely and sunny. (Still managed to have a heavy burst of rain at 9.00.)

Supper, R was not feeling good, so I ate toast and pâté.

Sunday, May 5th 2019 Evreux and Medieval jousting at Harcourt

Quite a cold night, the sun was shining, but clouds around. Despite the weather forecast, there was rain. We set off to Evreux to see the Notre Dame cathedral. Are all cathedrals called Notre Dame? Found somewhere to park, the city was deserted, all the cafes and restaurants were closed. The cathedral was also deserted, met only two others leaving. No chance of a French Sunday lunch!

A wander around the city we came across a car boot sale. Nothing we liked, R always looking for Ricard glasses and flat irons. 

For the afternoon we stopped off at Harcourt, fortified chateaux and arboretum. This was on our way back to the campsite. We were surprised to find the village heaving with people, and car park attendants routing us to playing fields to park. It was a special day, they were having a Medieval fare with jousting, the French against the British. Even managed to down a French-made IPA beer. Strong and quite tasty.

Back at the campsite, it was now sunny, and almost warm under the canopy. Supper cooked as a sausage stew and some wine. Took a quick walk down for the Abbey to get my exercise and to see that the place was still there. Tomorrow we are off the Bayeux.