The Cannon Family's travel blog

Today dawned cloudy with a threat of rain. Seemed like the perfect setting for today’s plan: a visit to Omaha Beach. Only a 20 minute drive from where we are staying, we arrived at the Overlord Museum just ahead of two bus loads of school children. Yay?

The museum is impressive, outlining the building up to the D-Day invasion as well as the landing operation. There was also a special exhibit on the Monument Men which was equally fascinating. The history and horror of the time can be overwhelming. It’s hard to think of the current political situation and the rise of the far right in so many countries when you are reminded of the devastating losses the world had fighting to prevent that movement less than a century ago.

There are dozens of D-Day museums in the area: so much abandoned munitions and memorabilia put to some use in purpose-built buildings as well as a variety of other structures. This museum has the benefit of being located right next to the Normandy American Cemetery. The visitor center is an unbelievably well curated and moving tribute to the people who lost their lives in the Battle of Normandy. While only Americans are buried there, there is a clear recognition of the contributions (and losses) of all the Allied countries. So moving.

The rain started as we got to the cemetery and the fog made it impossible to actually see the beach – reminded us of the haar in Aberdeen! we took that as a sign to venture onwards and return in the afternoon when there was a promise of clearing. Wandering mediaeval towns in the rain was a more appealing option and provided a few more lunch options. So off to Bayeux we went!

Normally this would have been the highlight of the trip and the subject of a lengthy post as I have had a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry on the bucket list for years. However, it was not to be. The museum is closed for the next year for renovation and the famous cloth retelling the tale of William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings is en route to London for an exhibition while the renovations take place. Hopefully that means I’ll get to see it then. 

So Bayeux is an adorable mediaeval town like many other adorable mediaeval towns that we visited on this trip and on others and we were happy to wander around in the sprinkling rain to see what was on offer. We found a lovely café that did very yummy galletes (buckwheat crepes so GF!) : mine had Andouille sausage and mustard sauce and Frank’s had chorizo and cheese. With the obligatory glass of the local cider of course.

A wander around the cobbled streets was a great way to digest lunch and eventually led us to yet another Notre Dame- the third this trip! This was by far my favorite- multiple eras of construction starting with William the Conqueror in the 11th century. It was the original home of the tapestry and an interesting combination of different architectural styles. The highlights for me were the impressive stained glass windows in the transept (circa 1850s) and the gift shop selling stylised nativity scenes for locations around the world. We bought the Ecosse version which has Joseph in full kilt playing bagpipes and a bottle of whisky with a sheep as witness to the virgin birth. Outstanding! Other places were equally stereotypical and I wish I had a reason to buy them all!

The clouds and rain had cleared by this time so back to the cemetery to see what was actually visible. It was MUCH more crowded and the groups of Americans teenagers who didn’t seem to give a monkey’s rump that they were in a solemn place made me want to scream. We were lucky in our timing though as we were there for the retirement of the flag accompanied by Taps on the trumpet. Even the teens were quiet for that.

We spent some time walking on the actual beach, admiring the beautiful surroundings and wondering how it could ever be viewed as a vacation destination with all the horrific history. But the sun was finally out and the calm lapping water provided some serenity after an emotional day.

Data for today – nothing related to D-Day:

• Steps: 20,129 or 8.7 miles
• Shops visited: 8
• Purchases made: 0
• Meals based on seafood so far: about 6

With our full 1 day of experience under our belt, we didn’t rush to get up and out this morning. A light breakfast of fruit and yogurt with toast got us started and the grey skies told us to layer up. The we were off!

The plan today – yes, there was one! – was to visit Honfleur, a dribble fishing village in the mouth of the Seine. About an hour’s drive from Rouen, we took the back roads through the countryside which took a little longer. The skies were overcast but the weather apps promised sun for later.

The town is lovely- we get an old Annapolis vibe for those who get that reference. We stopped at one of the dozens of cafes along the harbor and enjoyed Normandy vide and moule frites – Roquefort for Frank and Camembert for me. Yum!

Then it was off to explore. we meandered through cobbled streets and popped into the shops along the way. There seems to be mostly art galleries, souvenir shops and purveyors of Calvados- the apple brandy that this part of Normandy is famous for. We stumbled into St Catherine’s church – a wooden edifice constructed by shipbuilders which may be my favorite one so far. Another candle lit – St Anne this time, tres apropo! – and we emerged to glorious sunshine.

A walk along the waterfront was in order followed by a climb up Mont Joli, 430 feet up some steep streets for a fantastic view across the Seine to Le Havre as well as over the town itself. Magnifique!

By the time we got back down to town, it was obvious that the tour buses from either Paris or nearby cruise ships had descended on the water front. There were hoards of people everywhere! Even the simple act of getting some ice cream turned into a marathon event. The travel gods were telling us it was time to move on.

Back to the car, top down, and we are off along the coast for our first quick stop at a beach. Trouville su Mer and Danville were recommended to me by a colleague at work who grew up in the area. It is a glorious old seaside resort- think Victorian Brighton – with wide sandy beaches, cafes, and a grand casino. It was a beautiful place to wander along the beach looking out at the channel.

We opted for a quick stop at a hyper market (French for Walmart 😂) to pick up a few things for a picnic style dinner: cheese, bread, olives, meat, cider and wine. A perfect end to the day.

Stats for today:

• Steps: 16,717 or 7.4 miles
• Uphill measure: 18 flights
• Types of cheese consumed: 4
• Layers of sunscreen applied: 3 (and we still have burnt bits😳)

We started our French residency with a much needed long lie. We managed to conquer the combo microwave/toaster (still don’t understand how THAT works!) and have a lovely breakfast with scrambled eggs and various bread products. Frank has my blessing to enjoy the products of the local boulangerie and I will not begrudge him the wonderful fresh baguette while I managed with the palatable GF option from the local market.

We took our time heading out to catch the bus into Rouen. The weather was unsettled: very warm with heavy clouds that threatened rain but the disappeared for long periods before looming again. We arrived in the historic city center just before noon to find that most things were not open. Hmmm. In some instances it was a “not open on Monday” issue. In others, it was “not open until 2” so we had lots of time to wander through the streets of the city. We realised there were more gothic religious buildings than seemed reasonable for a city this size.

After touring large swaths of the old city with the squint buildings and entertaining decor, we had lunch at a cafe in the square outside the Notre Dame de Rouen cathedral – once the tallest building in the world. Frank had a Roquefort croque monsuier and tried his first Normandy cider- both of which were a hit. I had a salad with more meat on it than veg and a lovely chenin. The sun stayed out and dining al fresco was just the thing.

We finished about 2pm so it was time to get some history and culture going. And maybe a little retail therapy. 🙄 (Frank’s idea!) We went inside the vast cathedral with the three different styles of tower which makes it so unusual. The stained glass wasn’t that impressive but we did admire the innumerate saint chapels, including the one for Joan d’Arc. She wasn’t from Rouen but did meet her end here and the city has embraced that fact. Lit the obligatory candle for mom (€3 euro version- I hope she notices 😁) then it was off to see more churches.

Saint-Maclou Church was almost more impressive for its intricate and obnoxiously detailed Gothic design. Much smaller than the Cathedral, it was more my style with the post-war reconstruction using much more attractive stained glass options than in some other places. It was also in a section of the city with an inordinate number of “tippy” buildings which increased the charm.

We spent some time popping in and out of shops to see if there was anything worth bringing back and scored one Tom Petty album (“Let me up I’ve had enough” for the curious) and then opted for a long walk along the Seine. The clouds couldn’t decide what they were doing so we vacillated between scorching sunshine and threatening rain. It was thirsty work so we stopped at a riverside brasserie for some cider, snacks, and people watching.

It was during this sojourn that I extracted a confession from Frank: he was struggling with the lack of planning and structure for this trip. What!?! After all the years of giving me grief over the planning and the details? After all the digs about taking a trip and just living in the moment? And now I plan a trip that does exactly that and I still get grief?! Sheesh. We’ll find a happy medium but there’s a small nugget of validation blooming in my soul right now so I’m going to enjoy it in silence…. Maybe. 😂

We headed back into town for dinner at a brasserie directly across from the Joan d’Arc church and the cross marking where she was burned at the stake. Dinner was excellent: Frank’s sea bass with veg and a curry foam was perfectly cooked and my pistachio sausage (not a typo!) and warm potato salad seemed more German than French but was excellent nonetheless. During the meal the heavens opened and the threatened rain finally arrived. It was a slightly soggy trip home but I deemed the first full French day a success.

Now for the numbers:

• Steps taken: 23,976 or 10.4 miles.
• Calories expended: 788 – far less than those consumed!
• Churches visited: 4 – two inside, 2 outside
• Mistakes made trying to speak French: 1,493 (approximately)

No big announcements or photos in an airport lounge for this one. We’ve been hoping to do a driving tour of Normandy and Brittany for a while – this trip has actually been planned for months. But a whole lot of life stuff kept popping up and it wasn’t clear we were going to actually make it until about 10 days ago. Yay! Let the French Road Trip (FRT) begin!

So we did a marathon drive from Aberdeen to Greenwich to meet some besties from the US. After day of drinking, chatting, and pretending to learn about tea clipper ships, we headed farther south through the Chunnel to Calais. Really should have kept up with the Duolingo French lessons!

Then another couple of hours and we are in our gîte in Canteleu, a village on a hill outside Rouen. The drive itself was magnificent- sunshine through French farmlands with the convertible top down. The roads were quiet – because Sunday – and Frank had plenty of time to adjust to the right-hand drive car on left-hand drive roads. (Really need to pay attention on roundabouts!)

We knew France would be basically closed on a Sunday and our travel weary selves were not ready for the French schedule for dining which is late even at the few tourist restaurants we found open. So a trip to the Carrefours City in Rouen for the basics and we prepared a tasty steak dinner with a lovely Côtes du Rhône (the €4 bottle – none of the cheap stuff!) and ate al fresco. Tres magnifiques!

No data for today – we’ll cue up the geek info for tomorrow. Bonne nuit mes amis!

After all the excitement of the safari, it was time to wind down a bit. we did the reverse Cessna trip from Kogatende airstrip to Arusha in the company of two Canadians from BC who were going to be on our connecting flight as well. We landed in Arusha and were met by one of the representatives from the Safari company. Because we had a three hour layover in Arusha and there’s nothing to do in the Arusha airport, they took us to a local restaurant where we could get lunch.

But eventually we had to do the “go through security and sit and wait” thing in the tiny airport again. An hour later, we landed and were met by the driver who proceeded to take us across the island to our resort in Matemwe on the north east coast. The contrast between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania was obvious even from the passenger van. Tanzania itself is a bit of a mixing pot – 63% Christian, 34% Muslim – Zanzibar is 99% Muslim and you could see it everywhere. I was interesting to see but wouldn’t really affect us since we didn’t have any intention of going outside the resort while we are here. 

We got checked in and shown to our swim up a villa which was lovely. The whole resort is brand new – it only opened in November. And there are some places where you can see that: buildings still under construction just outside the main resort area, construction detritus poorly hidden, missing landscaping, and the lack of amenities that I know are on the agenda such as a gym et cetera. But still beautiful all the same.

Our biggest disappointment? The beach. The sand is absolutely amazing: talcum powder fine and bright white and beautiful. And that’s the best thing to be said about it. It’s advertised as a “wild beach“ which means that it’s not groomed or cared for by any one in particular. It’s a public beach so there’s no obvious entity to take responsibility. There’s a small patch just outside the resort that seems to be tended but that’s it. The sand gets a bit of sprucing up but the water, while bath water warm and aquamarine, has sea grass and a variety of other natural stuff still floating in it. I guess that’s makes it “wild”. What makes it less appealing is rubbish left behind by the wide range of beach goers (largely articles of clothing?) and the constant badgering from the “Maasai” hawkers on the beach – in traditional tribal garb and fake Ray Bans – trying to sell everything from beads to snorkelling trips. The are VERY persistent to the point of being exasperating and require stern NO – or “Nada Gracias” when we needed to pretend we only spoke Spanish. 

However that doesn’t detract from the lush greenery and strong winter sun. The temperature and humidity are higher than what we had expected even with our stalking on weather apps. All of which makes it difficult to get the 10k steps in to walk off all the food! As it turns out, that would be a moot point. After two days of lounging on our deck with our own little pool and generally starting to relax in earnest, we ran into a small snag. Or rather I ran into a hard chair. With one of my soft toes. Which did not respond well. In fact, it’s probably broken given the pain, swelling, and discolouration. {sigh}

So for two days I have been confined to a sun lounger by the pool with my foot propped up. I confess that the forced relaxation is more than I bargained for but is great for making progress on my Goodreads challenge!  

I’m able to hobble around so getting to meals isn’t a problem and nice people are bringing drinks to me so I suppose it could be worse. It will make our snorkelling trip and Stone Town tour interesting. But that’s a story for another day.