Normandy, Side Note

Calvados, Craft Beer, and French Wine

Michel Peron, the enthusiastic owner of Au Fin Goussier

Most people know about French wine.  The French have a couple of thousand years of experience growing grapes and making wine.  There are lots of areas in France that grow grapes for wine and many different regions.  In France, wines and brandies (which is distilled wine) are named after the regions and that they come from.  It is in this spirit (pun intended), that I write this blog installment, which does not encompass a day of the journey, but is rather a side entry about one of the many wonderful aspects of France.

As Joseph and I walked through the ancient streets of Bayeux, we happened across Au Fin Goussier, a wine shop owned and enthusiastically run by Michel Peron.  Here are links:

https://www.facebook.com/Au-Fin-Gousier-593030540744597/?ref=page_internal

http://www.aufingousier.fr/ 

  

If there was such a thing as a Ph.D. in aromas, Michel would absolutely have one.  He is so knowledgeable about each region and his selection of wines is vast.  We made his shop a regular stop during our short time in Bayeux.  He also had local craft beers, which was our initial attraction to his "Cave a Vin" or wine cellar.  We certainly sampled those, but we also took advantage of his offer to a wine tasting.  Michel has individual maps of each wine region and can show you where the grapes were grown and the differences between the wines from the different regions.  He gave us a restaurant recommendation, to a place that he supplies the wines to, and it was excellent.  We paired our meal with the wine we preferred in our tasting with Michel.  Incidentally, everything was reasonably priced also.  

Our other discovery was Calvados, the apple brandy made in Normandy; specifically the Calvados region, which is where the bulk of the fighting in the Battle of Normandy occurred. Many a GI discovered this brandy as well during their fighting across Normandy.  Needless to say,  they availed themselves whenever they found it in cellars and there were many instances of "happy" GIs amidst the campaign (I know, hard to believe, right?).

Don't let the term "Apple Brandy" throw you off.  It is not sweet but has a delightful bouquet of apple and is a strong brandy that varies in smoothness with age.  The older, the smoother (pricier).  You can get Calvados in the USA, many wine and liquor stores carry it.  Give it a try!  It really is unique and a nice change from other Brandies.   

Michel, showing the region where the wine we were tasting came from
He has dozens of these maps, all of them particular regions in Fran

    

 

Calvados, the apple brandy from the Calvados region of Normandy.  Craft, local beers (above) from various areas of Normandy.

Normandy, Day Five. Bayeux, The Tapestry, Ancient and Modern History

Section of the Bayeux Tapestry

This was the day that we didn't drive anywhere.  Bayeux is an amazing town full of its own wonders, museums, sights, great shops, and restaurants.  We started with a tour of the famous Tapestry that depicts the events of the year 1066:  The lead up to and the Battle of Hastings which resulted in the Norman Conquest of England.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, it is a fascinating chapter and a pivotal point in history which had a profound and lasting impact upon England.  I won't bore you with details, but if you would like to learn more, here is a great link: 

https://www.britannica.com/event/Norman-Conquest  Also, here is a link to information about the Tapestry, which is a fascinating piece of antiquity; an embroidered cloth nearly 70 meters long and 50 centimeters tall:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry  After touring the tapestry with a headset and narration, we walked to the Memorial Museum of the Battle Of Normandy.  It is a comprehensive display of vehicles, weapons, tactics and regalia used by both the Germans and the Allies.  It is one of many museums in Normandy but by far one of the best.  We then took a short walk to the European Cemetery, another somber and beautiful place honoring the dead on the European allied side (Canadians were buried there also). In total, the cemetery contains 4,648 burials. 

Bayeux was one of our favorite places and we are so happy that we stayed there the longest and made it our "base of operations," for our tour of Normandy. 

Museum of the Battle of Normandy, Bayeux, France

Allied Uniform Display

Weapons display

A German Artillery Piece

German Uniform display

Allied Self-propelled artillery

Typical Mounted Norman Cavalryman
Museum of the Tapestry

The Normans were Descendents of Vikings or "Northman" who settled
on the coast, hence the name "Normandy."  The ships used in the
invasion of England were very much like the Viking longboats.

German self-propelled anti-tank weapon

A Norman foot soldier

The Battle of Normandy Museum, Bayeux, France

 The Bayeux Memorial was erected in white stone facing the cemetery. The Latin epitaph along the frieze of the memorial is reference to William the Conqueror and the Invasion of England in 1066. The translation reads: “We, once conquered by William, have now set free the Conqueror’s native land.”

Poppy flower wreaths

Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot's grave

Crew members who died in Aircraft shot down were buried side by side

A Polish soldier's grave

Normandy, Day Four, Walking in the Shadows of Sacrifice

Omaha Beach, The American Cemetery, Pointe Du Hoc

After settling into our accommodations in Bayeux, we toured the town center, easily walking everywhere and discovering our some locally brewed beers at a great Wine shop run by Michel Peron (more on that later).  The Next morning we set off for Omaha Beach encountering the Overlord Museum along the way.  Another great museum displaying equipment, relics  and more from the Battle of Normandy.

Overlord Museum near Omaha beach
Tanks used in the Battle, depiction of
a Higgins Boat, (landing craft)
evacuating wounded from Omaha Beach.

 

From the museum, we drove to Colleville-sur-Mer to experience the American Cemetery.  It is an extraordinary place.  Most of you are familiar with it, having seen it in films and documentaries, but to be there in person is a truly spiritual experience.  Over one million people visit the cemetery each year.  It is 172.5 acres of meticulously maintained grounds honoring the remains of 9,387 American dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day invasion and ensuing operations to take Normandy.  The majority of the visitors there that day were Europeans, many  French with a handful of Americans.  All of them reverent and respectful.  The French, despite what you may have heard, are still very appreciative of the sacrifice the Americans made to free them from tyranny.

The American Cemetery At Colleville-Sur-Mer
Just above Omaha Beach

   
It was a beautiful and moving experience for Joseph and me.  It is unfortunate that everyone cannot come here and sense what we felt.  

Omaha Beach Memorial & sculpture

Pointe-Du-Hoc

From there we headed east along the coast to the Omaha Beach Memorial.  As we drove towards the shore, we saw an old concrete bunker and stopped.   After that we drove along the length of Omaha Beach, stopping at the memorial.  To see the challenges the invaders faced just in the topography alone-vast stretches of exposed beach at low tide- then add in the defenders and the weapons, is simply awe-inspiring.  From there we headed to Pointe-Du-Hoc, site of the famous Ranger assault.   Pointe du Hoc is a promontory with a 100 ft cliff overlooking the English Channel.  It was the highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east.  It is still pock-marked with bomb craters due to the 

Les Braves sculpture. Read more about this interesting
 sculpture at the link below

http://www.rotblattamrany.com/les-braves-memorial-of-omaha-beach  

extensive bombing that occurred before the invasion.  Again, so awe inspiring to peer down and see what the Rangers faced in their climb and assault.  You can read more about it at the link provided below.  It had been a cloudy day until we got to Omaha Beach and Pointe Du Hoc.  The sun shined brilliantly on that crisp fall day.  It was calm, beautiful and peaceful on the cliffs. The concrete bunkers, eerily echoing the voices of the tourists walking inside of them.  A scenic overlook, and another reminder of the sacrifices made over 72 years ago. 

Read more about Pointe Du Hoc and the Ranger assault:

https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/pointe-du-hoc-ranger-monument#.WEeAHPnx7IU

Omaha Beach Memorial

Normandy Battle Fields- Day Three (continuation)

  After our stay in idyllic Honfleur, we headed west, driving through Deauville, hugging the coast until reaching the Orne River.  This was the western boundary of the Normandy invasion.  Following the Orne south, we came upon the Pegasus Bridge, the site of the British Airborne Glider assault that secured the eastern flank and helped to ensure that Sword Beach was not reinforced while the British, Canadians, Free French forces and others landed.  There is a great museum here and the actual bridge has been preserved as part of the exhibit (there is a new bridge over the Orne).  The bridge was renamed "Pegasus" after the British Sixth Airborne Division's patch, which depicts the winged horse of legend.  You can follow our trip by referencing the map below.  

 A glider that was used in the assault

  A model of the bridge depicting

We immediately stopped to tour the museum.  We were very excited.  Now our tour of the Normandy battle sites had officially begun!  We spent about two hours here, then proceeded to parallel Sword Beach heading towards Bayeux.  Bayeux is a town on the Aure river in Normandy, 10 kilometers from the Channel coast. Its medieval center contains cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and the towering, Norman-Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame. The famed Tapisserie de Bayeux, on display in an 18th-century seminary, is a 68 meter long, 11th-century tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman invasion of England.   We would go see that later.  We found an awesome place right in the middle of town, complete with a parking spot (very important) again, using Air B&B.  We could see the Cathedral from our window.  This would be our "Base of operations" for the next three days.

The Cathedral in Bayeux

Bayeux was untouched by the fighting during the battle of Normandy as it was not a strategic town. The towns most damaged and nearly completely destroyed were Caen on the eastern and Saint-Lo on the western edge of the Normandy Battlefront.            

View from our B&B

 

Normandy coast depicting invasion beaches and strategic towns.  We started our driving tour in Honfleur, proceeded west to Utah Beach, Ste-Mere-Eglise with a side trip to Le Mont Ste Michel.

              

Scene from Bayeux, and the actual Pegasus Bridge that once crossed the Orne River

Normandy, France via Paris and Honfleur Days One through three

     As a history buff, particularly of military history, I have always had a fascination with the events surrounding Operation Neptune, the Normandy landings which were the beginning of Operation Overlord, the invasion of, and battle for Normandy. Going there has always been on my bucket list.  This October, I finally had the opportunity to go and see some of the historical sites myself.  I had the further honor of going with my son, Joseph, who is an active duty Naval officer and Naval Aviator.  He came to Atlanta from Washington, D.C. where he is 
currently stationed.  I met him at the airport on Saturday, Oct 22 where we were able to get on the 3:30 pm departure to Paris (CDG).  After arriving early Sunday morning in CDG, we took the train into Paris and walked to our accommodations.  We spent Sunday and Monday in Paris, taking in the sites, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower and thoroughly enjoying the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of France with its collections of weapons and uniforms tracing French military conflicts, plus Napoleon's gilded tomb.  This is an amazing museum.  I have never seen so many suits of armor in all sizes, shapes, and designs.  It is truly worth a visit.

Suits of Armor on display at the  Musée de l'Armée

On Tuesday we rented a car and set off for Normandy. It's an easy two-hour drive on limited access highways with tolls.  Our first stop was Honfleur,  a small town in northern France's Lower Normandy region, sited on the estuary where the Seine river meets the English Channel. Its Vieux-Bassin (old harbor), lined with 16th- to 18th-century townhouses, has been a subject for artists including Claude Monet and native son Eugène Boudin. Nearby Saint Catherine's Church is a vaulted wooden structure erected by shipbuilders beginning in the mid-1400s. We were able to find a place with a balcony overlooking the old harbor using Air B&B.  This is the eastern part of the Normandy battlefront and Honfluer was untouched by the conflict.  It is almost like being in a Monet painting, the town is so picturesque.  We spent the night there enjoying the sights, and a delicious meal ( I had sole Meuniere) before setting out the next day.  We drove along the coast and avoided the highway, enjoying the beautiful Normandy countryside aglow in all of its Autumn glory.                                                                       

Enjoying Cidre 

Le Vieux-Bassin in Honfleur

Our balcony view