Normandy

We left our Paris apartment early on Wednesday, May 24, taking a taxi to Gare Saint Lazare to take our train towards Normandy. The end destination for or train was Cherbourg, but we were to get off at Carentan where my brother Jeff was to meet us. We were not sure of the train stop prior to Carentan, but then realized that French trains run on schedule, so we knew just when we would arrive.

We spent the remainder of the day and evening catching up since we last visited almost exactly two years ago.

The part of Normandy where Jeff and Oriana live is very green and lush this time of the year, so it also means that keeping the lawn in check is an ongoing need. We visited several gardens nearby that are pretty amazing, with micro climates supporting unexpected plants and trees.

The local town of Port Bail is always a pleasure to visit, with Tuesdays being market day. Markets in rural France are a special treat with many stalls selling local produce, meats and cheeses, etc

One stall was selling a selection of cheeses from a kind of sample table, so we had to buy five for the remarkable price of 5 Euro, (about $5.50)

Each piece of cheese was quite large and it made for a great way to sample different varieties. We also found a farmer selling home made butter within which was incorporated seaweed, absolutely delicious and unusual.

There was also a large stall selling nothing but nougat. We were able to taste a number of versions, I had forgotten how sweet nougat is, and yes, we did buy some!

There were mobile barbecue rotisseries roasting chicken and lamb, it all looked delicious.

Part of the town of Port Bail.

This part of France has one of the top tidal ranges in the world, and during our visit we witnessed one the highest tides of this year. It is a community event, so we had to go and see it happen.

What is not obvious from this photo is the fact that this whole area has no water in it at low tide, and the area extends for what seems miles.

During our visit I began to have dizzy spells and suspected that I was dehydrated, but after a couple of days decided to see a local doctor to make sure it was not more serious. It was a good chance to experience the French medical system. And so with the help of Jeff and Oriana. I was able to get an appointment to see Dr Eve, within 24 hours, very efficient, a complete exam which verified my self diagnosis of dehydration. The doctor herself took my payment and gave me a receipt, total cost for more than a 20 minute appointment was 25 Euro, (about $28).
I also got a small prescription, filled at the local pharmacy for less than $15, where the medication was delivered by a computer controlled system down a chute near the pharmacist.

We also visited the most northerly point in France, and the light house, Phare du cap de la Hague, close to the town of Auderville.
It was a good day to be by the ocean, pretty cool, but very fresh!!

The lifeboat ramp nearby.

We had the most amazing meal in Auberville which consisted of sampler plates for each of three courses. It is a great idea as we got to sample small portions of almost every dish the restaurant prepared.

 As you can see from the above photo, we sampled seven deserts. I only took photos of this plate, but both of the others were similar.

 

And so that you know what everything is, they bring the descriptions on this little chalkboard to the table.

This truly was a different and wonderful experience.

Jeff and Oriana are keen gardeners and were in the process of building new planter beds for vegetables and I was able to help a little bit.

The beginning.

Diane and me in the garden.

There is a bar overlooking the estuary that leads into Port Bail, which was really beautiful on this sunny day. Miles of sandy beaches and a view to the island of Jersey.

France is a lot about food, (maybe that is an understatement), and so there are many opportunities to sample great dishes in old world surroundings.

We had dinner at this restaurant which was another great experience.

Diane had the oysters, harvested locally,

and I had the plat de fruits de mer, which, as you can see, was just phenomenal. It was also just the "starter".

On Friday, June 2, we left for the next part of our journey, an early train to Paris. We had booked all of our train tickets before we left the US and this all worked really well.

 

Very comfortable seats for a  smooth and quick journey back to Gare Saint Lazare.

Again, we took a taxi across Paris to the next main rail terminus, Gare de Lyon to connect with the high speed TGV train to Turin Italy. That day was very hot and humid in Paris, and with a long time to wait for our train, it was a challenge to find a cool spot to plant ourselves and our luggage.

The station was very crowded and busy. We had not realized that this was a holiday weekend in France and many people were off to a weekend away. Everything worked out just fine and then we were off to Italy.

 More to follow!!