Arromanches and the Museum

Our last days in Normandy we also visited the other beaches and the related museums such as the beautiful beaches at Arromanches where can still see and swim alongside sunken Mulberry harbors left from the invasion.

Arromanches is to the East and closer to the British landing beaches

There is a nice D-Day museum there were found pins, insignia.

At the nearby museum I gathered a few medals and momentos along with John and Dad. I bought a pin of the 29th Infantry “blue and gray” that had done so much and suffered so badly on the beaches.

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Breakfast Galettes

We wanted breakfast one morning in Port-en-Bessin and absolutely could not find anything open at least not obvious to non “Norman-savvy” Americans. So we asked at the Hotel de la Marine and they said we could likely get galettes right around the corner if we hurried.

Well we walked down around the corner and down a few blocks back and forth and everything just looked like residences with few or no windows and nobody was on the streets. Like a ghost town since we thought everyone was at work likely at this time of day.

Eventually I noticed there was a particular side door that people were occasionally popping out of at various intervals. We decided to try it out and see what was behind this door that seemed to lead into a residence. Well we knocked and opened the door and suddenly we were in what I recall looked like the lower floor of a residence with a bunch of tables in an open space with large number of locals eating galettes and drinking cider from ceramic jugs.

Fantastic we are hungry as hell but we don’t quite know how the system worked. As far as we could understand this local family opened their doors for breakfast and its a real communal affair sharing tables,etc. We saddled up and ordered a nice breakfast especially with accompanying local homemade cider.

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Galette -- often served with mixture of savory ingredients.

Galettes are one of the classic food items in Normandy as is cider and other apple-based products (e.g., Calvados). I knew galettes as the savory buckwheat crepes from my last trip through Normandy with Sandy, Jean, and Clara. Just great stuff and I wish I could find it done well back in the States. Of course its like crepes but much heartier and with the homemade cider a great combination. Good stuff!

 

 

Next: Lavomatic? Si’l vous plait.

The American Gets a Medal

The Abbeye aux Dames, Caen

As a surprise to my Dad, John had applied months before for him to receive the Freedom Medal that was offered to veterans who had been involved in one of the major liberating campaigns in France. The “Abbeye aux Dames” or the Womens Abbey in Caen is where this took place and I believe the then mayor of Normandy was doing the honors of handing out the medals. We were a little lost on the way into town in our little economy car and John rolled down the window and asked a few locals “Wheres the womens .. Abbey?... we are looking for the women’s .. Abbey?” We got some very strange looks and then it dawned on us they are not hearing the “abbey” part. Some women even picked up there walking pace quickly away from us.

Some of the other attendants were standing in for a friend who couldn’t make the trip due to health or receiving it posthumously for someone in their family. There many several veterans mostly British who had taken part in various stages of the French Liberation and later battles. Dad had been on Omaha beach in the morning and through five major campaigns so overall he was a somewhat unique character.

They welcomed and treated everyone very well (a little champagne was offered) and the staff showed alot of respect to the veterans all within this beautiful historical Abbey which was very solemn and peaceful. Dad was of course the consummate American in polo shirt and khakis. I was incredibly proud of him in that moment, since he wasn’t dangling his many medals but he was deserving of anything they could offer and his service to the liberation goes way beyond the Normandy beaches.

Since we were two months late for the Anniversary the crowds had thinned a bit. It was probably a madhouse the week of June 6, 1994. We wish we could have been there.

 

 

Next: Breakfast Galettes