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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. 

The first day is always the fairly boring travel day. And this trip was no exception. We were lucky enough to have a reasonable flight out of Aberdeen too Madrid through Amsterdam. And of course since the reason for the trip initially was business, I got to fly business class. So to be the nice spouse, we got Frank business class too.

The flights were fine. Between business class food and lounge access, we did nothing but eat from the UK to spain. Attach it to the hotel in madrid, settling in, and then exploring the city for a little while on our first travel day was about all we could manage. We found a tapas place that served nothing but gluten-free food which was lovely and called it an early night.

Day two was the main reason for the trip: a presentation to the governing council of the Bank of Spain to discuss the report that I had helped to create as an expert external reviewer on their data management practices. This meant I had to drag a suit with me on vacation; even though it was linen it was very hot to be wearing in Madrid. The presentation went very well and the whole team celebrated with a lovely lunch that lasted until about 5:00 p.m. 

Then it was time to adopt the Spanish tradition of siesta and take a nice nap before venturing back out for tapas and wine with one of the bank staff that I had worked so closely with. We wandered back to the hotel at 1:00 a.m. the work part was done; now it was time for the holiday.

Not much exciting data for the first few days.  Temperature ranged from 22 overnight to 37 during the day. Frank clocked the most steps wandering around the city while I was working. More fun stuff to follow when we get to the holiday part.

Here’s a few pics from the interior of the bank. Their art collection is insane and the architecture is stunning.

Today promised to be another warm and dry day – maybe not as much sun but definitely no rain.  Yay!  Time to do some more country walks and see about getting a little more history in.

We headed north west to check out a seemingly lovely walk in Tonbridge. We headed down a marked footpath, as we did previously with less success, and this time it was just as we expected: an obvious trail with visible markers and lovely scenery.  And a lovely ramble it was!  For the next 90 minutes, we walked through fields and forests, along the River Medway and across locks and streams.  We met other friendly dogs and Casey got her zoomies sorted running in a field with Dougal the Springer Spaniel.  It was funny and heartwarming. 

After our much more successful experience walking in the Kentish countryside, it was time to continue our Kent Country Pub tour.  Today’s dog and GF friendly establishment: The Poacher and Partridge.  This place has definitely embraced the gastro pub thing.  A traditional pub with a large restaurant that includes a wood fired pizza oven plus a huge outdoor space with a separate bar.  Very chic for the middle of Kent IMHO. 

We had some local beverages – I finally found a Kent wine I can say I liked Chapel Down Rosé from the one recommended winery we weren’t able to visit!  And the pizzas were incredible:  Frank had something vaguely greek on the house sourdough crust.  I had a white pizza with mozzarella, goat cheese, beets, and caramelised onions on a decent gluten free crust.  Casey had the “Doggie Deli” plate:  a dog bowl filled with sausage, ham, carrots, and peas.  You would have thought she had died and gone to heaven!

Our bellys full, we needed to do a little more walking to burn off all the delicious calories so off we went to Hever Castle.  As Tudor history folks are likely to know, this was the home of the Boleyn family for more than 70 years in the 15th and 16th centuries.  Yes, THAT Boleyn family.  In fact, it was a Hever castle that Henry proposed to Anne giving the Pope the finger and starting his own church. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the Anglican communion but I’m not saying what he did was right.)

Unfortunately, the Boleyn part of the castle was under restoration (grrrr) so I got to learn more about other history of the house.  Like how Henry gave it to Anne of Cleves when he divorced her.  Even more recent history of the house, it was bought but John Jacob Astor in the early 20th century. Yup, American money restored the residence and even got Astor a Barony and a Viscount title.  All for a mere $10mill or so.  Hever was also the site of another royal engagement:  Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon accepted the proposal of George VI at the estate. Yup, the current King’s granny got betrothed there. Pretty cool.

Although parts of the castle weren’t available, the immense and gorgeous gardens were.  Holy landscaping Batman!  This place is beautiful!  We wandered everywhere we could on the grounds – including the Italian gardens which closed shortly afterwards for a wedding. (I can’t even imagine the bill for that one!) Casey was determined to catch one of the many ducks and was surprised, yet again, that they are able to leave the ground to avoid her reach. 

Then it was time to head back to the cottage to pack and prepare for our departure tomorrow.  We booked a table at the Rose and Crown again since it was a lovely place for a meal and it is a 4 minute walk from the cottage.  While it was much more crowded and lively on a Friday night than was the case on Tuesday, we still had an excellent meal (salmon and honey ham in case you were wondering) and Casey got her fish treat.  After a wonderful day, we were wonderfully sated and ready for a good night’s sleep.

Data for today:

• Distance for today’s ramble: 6.27 km
• Total steps taken: 20,101
• Number of Henry’s wives discussed at the castle: 6
• Best T-shirt slogan: Divorced,Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. (Finally some good branding!)

This lesson is one that we needed to remember rather than learn. Our beach holiday tradition started many years ago with a trip to Jamaica that set the bar for all other beach trips. To some extent,we have tried to create the same experience every time.  Sometimes we are successful; sometimes we are not.  But this trip has really highlighted the shortcomings in this approach and reminded us to just enjoy each experience for its own merits.

Let’s make one thing clear:  this trip has been wonderful.  It was not exactly what we were expecting but it was most enjoyable nonetheless.  There were unexpected things – some pleasant surprises, others not – but nothing terrible. (Although Frank might have disagreed when the water stopped flowing while he was in the shower earlier this evening!)  The resort is very nice and will be even better when the season starts and everything is open.  We wanted an all inclusive on the beach and that is what we got.  We didn’t appreciate that the included bits would be somewhat lacking.  The local spirits are bogging!  The beer is fine and the rosé is drinkable.  The food is also fine but there has been no interest in catering to special diets.  Wait – what’s not strictly true.  There is a section of the buffet that has poached chicken, boiled potatoes, and steamed carrots.  Not exactly gourmet but technically gluten free.

The beach is also fine – sand and pebble as advertised.  The fact that we didn’t pack quite the right footwear to really be able to enjoy it fully is really on us.  But we got to swim in the clear turquoise water of the Mediterranean.  We have had a week of nonstop sunshine. We had plenty to eat and more than enough to drink.  We got to sail on a very cheesy pirate ship and watch small children revel in loads of suds.  We ventured inland to a canyon with a wealth of waterfalls and enjoyed the natural beauty of the place.  We slept well in a bed that feels bigger than our first apartment.  We watched people and made up stories about their lives.  And we generally just relaxed which is really what this week is all about. 

So today’s lesson children is really about counting your blessings.  We are lucky enough to be able to have these experiences when there are so many others who cannot.  I mean really – everyone should spend time on the beach with an international biker gang (club?) How else would you know you’ve actually lived? 

We have been lucky enough in our life together to be able to travel to many places and experience many different cultures.  On this trip, we have two more to add to our list.  I want to state outright that I am painting with a VERY broad brush and realize that these statements are really only applicable to the people we happen to have interacted with during this week.  Assuming that they are a representative sample may not be appropriate but I am doing so anyway. 

We knew nothing about Turkey before arriving here.  I still feel like we know next to nothing.  But one thing I do know is that smoking is very much still a thing here.  This is the first place I have been in decades where smoking is allowed indoors and pretty much everywhere!  There’s an ashtray in our hotel room and on every table in the bars and restaurants.  It’s so weird!  The smell of smoke comes through the vents in our bathroom which is mildly unpleasant.  You might think that it is the guests that are smoking so I shouldn’t put it down to the local folks.  The guests do smoke (more on them in a minute) but so do the staff.  In fact, we took the opportunity to have a spa day yesterday and during my massage, the masseuse put some hot stones on my forehead, covered my face with a towel and stepped out for a smoke!!!!

We also didn’t pay attention to the religious calendar when choosing our destination.  We are on holiday in a primarily Muslim country during Ramadan.  I have no idea who is fasting but I know that the queues for food after sundown are MUCH longer.  And many of the food services workers look very grumpy, especially at lunch, which may be completely unrelated but I know it would annoy me to watch people eating (so much eating!) when I was fasting.

Now let’s talk about the cultural differences we have with our fellow guests.  We have been to many places where we struggle with language but this is the first place I can remember where English is not commonly spoken even by the staff.  In fact, the staff are definitely multilingual, speaking Turkish, German, and Russian before English.  The vast majority of the people vacationing here are Russian speakers.  And they have very different perspectives on personal space and no respect for queues!  On more than one occasion, an entire Russian-speaking family has decided that they were more deserving of a place in line than I was and just jumped in line in front of me.  Again, I know that these may be the exception to the rule (insert joke about British tourists on holiday here!) but it does seem to be pretty common for those that are here.  They are not all Russian mind you. They come from many of the former Soviet states (that I improperly refer to as the “Stan” countries) as well as Georgia and Estonia.  At least that’s what I can gather from the Rolling Anarchy biker club jackets that have become very common here in the last day or two.

So children, today’s lesson is that just because you are well travelled and know that different places have different cultures, that does not mean that you don’t be surprised by how those cultures manifest while on holiday. And now a picture of pretty scenery.