ON TO NORMANDY

June 12, 2005

Our departure morning dawned bright and clear.  People began to leave the party house at around 8am.  We were busy doing our last minute cleaning and straightening.  We left the house very clean, but were not able to wash the linens because of the 3-hour wash cycle, so we just left them by the washing machine.

We loaded our green backpacks into our bike trailers and headed off to the ferryboat, stopping briefly at Mme. Evan’s house to drop a note and the keys into the mailbox.

We got to the ferryboat in plenty of time and had a chance to watch a scuba class head out into the bay.  When we got on the boat I explained to the boatman that we planned to catch the ferry to l’Orient to catch a train.  He was concerned about the tight timetable, so I think he left a bit early.  The boat was full anyway, with 3 guys with big duffel bags, a woman with a stroller and another cyclist.

We scooted across Port Louis in record time and were at the next dock in plenty of time.  The trip to l’Orient was uneventful and we got to the train station with no problems.  Don was able to disassemble and pack the bikes in record time and we caught the train, no problem.

In Rennes our host, Damien, was waiting for us, and recognized us right away.  He loaded our bags and bikes into his car and we headed off to our next home exchange in Breville sur Mer. 

Damien is a schoolteacher. He speaks some English, so we were able to chat on the drive.  When we arrived at his house we unloaded our stuff and got a tour of the house.  Lydie arrived just about then and we continued to visit and chat over a glass of orange juice.  Damien and Lydie are moving into a mobile home for the two weeks we are here.  They are very good sports about it all.  After our juice they took another load of clothing, bicycles, and equipment over to their temporary home.

When they returned we had an aperitif of Pommeau, a local drink.  Then Lydie served a very nice meal of vegetables, meats, cheeses, salad and bread.  Damien had made a tarte au pommes for dessert.  After dinner they left for their temporary home and Don and I unpacked and settled in to our new home.

Monday we had a leisurely petit dejuner and then drove to Coutances to do some shopping.  I had hoped to visit the bookshop there, but it does not open on Mondays until 2pm.  We went to the enormous Leclerc store, where Don bought a Michelin guide and map of Normandy and I did some grocery shopping.

In the afternoon we went to the town of Granville and walked around the jagged promontory, looking at the WWII fortifications, views and beaches.  France seems to have many beaches and few people.  Maybe in July and August they will be full, but right now they are empty.

The weather continues to be sunny and blue.  Our view from the house is just gorgeous and I love to look out the window all the time.