Beach that is ….

In September we flew back into Heathrow. Most flights from the US to Europe depart between five and nine P.M. Most people are not very sleepy at this time and thus they stay awake for much of the flight. By the time you are finally asleep you are landing at between midnight and three A.M. your time, just when you want to sleep. But now you are on the ground in Europe at dawn, local time. Is it any wonder Americans always whine about jet lag? We took the late flight at about 10:30 P.M. This makes it much easier to go to sleep on the plane and a (tiny) bit easier to wake up as it is closer to 6 A.M., your time, when you land The fact that it is around 10 A.M. local time means you have less time to stay awake – a bonus. Jet lag is always tough, especially as you get older, but we find that taking a later flight helps.

We landed on time and stepped into an empty immigration hall. We quickly found our taxi driver and were off to Reading Station.  We had time to catch the next direct train to Yatton and were congratulating ourselves on a successful day, until we exited Yatton station to find no taxis.  A gentleman standing there told us that he had booked a taxi, but that someone else had taken it! Fred went into the Station pub to ask for advice and called their taxi list to no avail until the very last service, primarily a Bristol Airport taxi service, agreed to fetch us!  A most charming driver dropped us at the Congresbury Arms Hotel (https://congresburyarms.co.uk), which we had used on our departure.  The next morning, Matt, the owner of the storage lot (https://www.motorhomematt.co.uk/about/matt-sims/), joined us for coffee and then drove us to the 917.  Cannot say enough good things about Matt and his company: (https://www.thatleisureshop.com).

The 917 had developed a fuel leak and after all of the successful work that Atkinson Vos had done, we decided that it would be easier to return to them than to try to find another garage. And so we set off for the wilds of Yorkshire for a much, much easier trip. It always helps to have tightened steering and to know where you are going!

Our first stop was Settle, Yorkshire, where we felt right at home as we stopped at the supermarket and returned to Jack the Farmer’s field for the night. (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/north-yorkshire/settle/lodgebarn/) Then it was off to Atkinson Vos, where we were greeted as old friends. The leak was quickly found and fixed, some new projects done, and the entire front end reviewed. In the process they discovered, and re-welded, a broken heat shield. Another most useful visit. 

Back at Jack’s we had a night of rain which showed us that we had developed a leak in the front window.  Probably because the truck had been washed for us. After a quick visit to Denise’s cousin in Wetherby, Fred dealt with the leak at our next stop, at another favorite campsite, near Mansfield (https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/nottinghamshire/newark/lurcherfarmcottage/). Old home week.

We then continued south to Kingsfold to an amazing site we had discovered, only about a mile from Denise’s sister’s house.  A “certificated site” on the grounds of a lovely country house (with sheep) and with charming owners.  (https://theoakswestsussex.co.uk) Other than needing to telephone to be let in or out of the gate, it was a perfectly idyllic spot. 

After a great visit to Denise’s sister (and a mega thunderstorm which proved that the leak needed additional attention) we headed for the Channel Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel passage on Le Shuttle proved to be exceedingly easy and fast. 

We spent the night before our passage doing laundry in a campground near Folkestone and had a mere 20 minutes to drive to the check in. 

We had watched several videos shot by travelers taking Le Shuttle, but it was still with great trepidation that we typed in our number at the first gate. Suddenly, up popped a “Hello Mr. Cook!” message. We printed our boarding pass/hang tag and proceeded to the departure lounge, OK, the departure parking lot. The whole process is analogous to an airport, only you drive and it is spread over literally miles, each step/road getting you closer. Find the terminal on a map/satellite view program – the facility is simply huge. But this makes it easy for them to sort tall/wide/regular vehicles as well as commercial trucks. And, of course, all of these vehicle trains share the tunnel with the Eurostar passenger service. In September there were hourly departures and there are even more in the high season.

At the departure holding area we went inside for a coffee and a bottle of Bailey’s (show your boarding pass, please) for our faux Irish coffees at night and then we returned to the truck to await our call. We enjoyed watching the dogs bounding into the animal control area.

When the big board called our group (again, just like an airport), we followed the signs marked “France” and drove to UK emigration, and then to firearms control where we were shunted off to the side. We thought we had been selected for a customs check, but it turned out that, despite our ticket being marked “No LPG” we had been sent to the gas shut off check. I guess it is automatic – if it is a motor home, it must have gas. The charming inspector asked if we knew how to turn off our gas and we replied that we didn’t have any. He apologized at our having been sent over, but could not send us on as we were blocked by a motor home that could not find their gas fitting. So we chatted for a moment until things were sorted out and then drove on to French immigration. Thereafter we joined the queue on the bridge and worked our way down the ramp and onto the train. Inside the train we drove through car after car until we were stopped behind another vehicle. We dutifully set the parking brake, put the truck in gear, and rolled a window half way down. Within minutes we were moving and Fred was snoozing.

Once across, we headed to the Cité de Europe and specifically the enormous Carrefour hypermarket.  We stocked up on meat and vegetables barely avoiding being blown away as we loaded the truck.  The winds at that point were at least 50mph, it was most unpleasant.  We then headed off to our first night in France, at a camping aire in Eaucourt.  It was a charming spot, run by the Mairie (mayor’s office) and we enjoyed the experience.

We then headed to Les Andelys, so that we could visit the Chateau Gaillard, built by Richard the Lionheart.  How often can you look up from a campground and see a sight like this?

We climbed up to the castle, the same afternoon, as the forecast was for rain overnight and most of the following day.  It was a most interesting visit, which we followed up with coffee and cake by the River Seine.

As impressive as the ruins are, they are, after all ruins. This digital recreation helps you understand jus what a massive structure this was: (http://www.virtuhall.com/chateau-gaillard-EN.html) Finally, if you want to know why all of this was done, and how it ended, read here: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_Gaillard) Richard may have been a cruel, murderous villain, but he knew how to build a castle! Sadly, for the Anglo-Norman dynasty, his brother, Jean sans Terre (John Lackland – the King John of Robin Hood and Magna Carta) failed the first rule of castle warfare – you ALWAYS move to lift the siege.

From Les Andelys, we moved on to Caen to visit the famous “Museum of Peace” now called the Caen Memorial (https://normandy.memorial-caen.com/museum/d-day-landings-and-battle-normandy )

The museum attempts a comprehensive review of the events leading up to D-Day, starting in 1918. As a result, it is much more a broad historical overview than a “guns and tanks” exhibit. The focus is more “why” than “what” and the focus is on the French experience, from occupation to liberation. All in all, a most thoughtful place to visit – build right on top of a former German headquarters. As a side note, Caen was so badly damaged during the war that the current city is almost completely modern. There was a terrible price paid for liberation. In the case of Caen, most of it was paid by the Brits and Canadians.

In Bayeux we camped in an aire in the parking lot of the Battle of Normandy Museum. (https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/memorial-museum-battle-of-normandy/) This is more of a classic guns and tanks museum, but it adds the dimension of covering the whole month long battle of Normandy.

It is easy to forget that D-Day was merely the beginning and most of the hardest and most costly fighting came later in the battles of the hedgerows and the armor slaughter around Caen. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord) Bayeux was spared the fate of Caen and Saint-Lo and, as a result is a much more picturesque place to visit.

We started our visit with a stop at a creperie for lunch.

Delightful terrace overlooking the river which was being torn up to reduce flooding. Mme. la Duck let us know that she was not pleased. We, on the other hand, had a great meal.

The real focus of our visit to Bayeux was to revisit the famous tapestry. (Which is not, in fact, a tapestry.) For reasons that escape us, the Viking ship that we took over had huge images from the Bayeux Tapestry on every stairway landing and we spent the whole crossing practicing our latin reading the captions. There is so much to say about this document from its role as propaganda to its window into the dress and customs of a bygone era. Simply put, you must go see it to appreciate it. In the interim, this is is amazing. How is your anglo, as opposed to franco, latin? (https://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/the-bayeux-tapestry/discover-the-bayeux-tapestry/explore-online/)

At Longues-sur-mere, right near Bayeux there is a well preserved German artillery emplacement. Four guns, a command bunker and related ammunition bunkers, machine gun nests and mortar pits. The site is well preserved and well worth a visit. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longues-sur-Mer_battery)

And we continued on to Omaha.