Normandy with Elodie and Damien

We spent the first week of our spring vacation in Normandy, a region in the north of France, with our friends Elodie and Damien.  Both of their families still live there, and run small farms.  We got to experience family life, Norman culture, and history.  We drank lots of cider, the typical beverage of the region, and ate farm-fresh beef and milk.  Reminders of World War II are still very present in the landscape and minds here.  Upon arriving we heard stories from Elodie's grandparents about growing up under the German occupation.  We also visited the D-Day beaches and American and German cemeteries.  The region is very rural and agricultural, and we spent some time on Elodie's family farm.  Despite the region's reputation for being rainy and cold, we had beautiful weather for our entire stay.     

Barfleur and Gatteville

Seaside houses in Barfleur. 

A tractor used for oyster harvesting.

Millions of lady slippers on the beach in Barfleur.  

Oyster farming in Barfleur.  

The lighthouse in Gatteville is one of the tallest in France.  We climbed the 365 steps to the top, from which you have a spectacular view of the coast.  

Typical Norman stone houses in Gatteville.

An 11th century stone church in Gatteville.  

D-Day Beaches

Gold Beach is where Samuel Kalikman, Sarah's grandfather helped debark English troops on D-Day.  You can still see the remains of the floating bridges used to unload soldiers and vehicles.  

Le Point du Hoc was considered unassailable by the Germans because of its steep cliffs.  But Allied troops used sophisticated climbing equipment to scale the cliffs and attack the German fortifications.  The cliff was heavily bombarded during the attacks, and you can still see the craters left by the bombs.   

Standing in a bomb crater.

A German bunker.  Everywhere you go on the coast in Normandy, you can see the remains of German fortifications.

The cemetery of St. Laurent, where nearly 10,000 American soldiers are buried.  The cemetery overlooks the sea, and includes a spectacular memorial and reflecting pool.

A comparably austere German cemetery.

Savigny and the Farm

Walking down the main street in Savigny, the small town where Elodie and many of her relatives live and farm.

A couple of newborn lambs on Elodie's grandparents' farm.  In the background you can see the church of Savigny, which has a very typical Norman steeple.

A view of the family farm.

There are about 80 cows on the farm.

Bruno, Elodie's dad, let us hold some newborn piglets, who weren't too happy to meet us.

Elodie's uncle's stables, where we saw saddles that German soldiers, occupying Savigny during the Second World War, left behind as they fled advancing Allied troops.

A couple of Percheron horses, a breed typical of Normandy, on Elodie's uncle's farm.

Les Iles de Chausey

We spent a day on the tiny island of Chausey, which is about an hour by boat from the coast of Normandy. We embarked from Granville in the fog, but once we arrived we had spectacular weather. The island has only 1 store and about 50 full-time inhabitants.

Dolmens seen from the beach.

The harbor.


Adeline, Elodie, Damien and Brendan on the trail that leads around the coast.




We picnicked on the beach.


At low-tide, you can walk far out from the coast.


The island was covered in beautiful yellow flowers.


There are a few cottages.


Granville is a chic seaside town.


The sheep of the pré-salé graze on grass that is covered by the sea some of the time, giving their meat a unique flavor.

Pèche à la Main

We spent an afternoon with Elodie and her mother digging for clams, oysters and mussels on the coast. You have to wait for a very low tide, then you walk kilometers out onto the ocean bed and collect shellfish using special rakes. We came home with several kinds of shellfish, including palourdes (a kind of clam), a pied de cheval (a flat oyster), mussels, and coques (small clams), and had more than enough to enjoy a delicious meal. We ate some of the palourdes raw with vinaigrette, and others we stuffed with butter or cream. The mussels were prepared mariniere (steamed in white wine).


Collecting mussels.


A flat oyster, a wild oyster, and various clams.

Le Mont St. Michel

Cave Party!

We were invited to a going away party for the English exchange students at Langeais. The teachers told me that the party was in la cave (the basement) of one of the students. Of course here in Touraine, a cave means an actual cave.

Brendan helps set up before the party.

The house where the party took place.

My Classroom at Montaigne

At one of the schools where I teach, I have my own classroom, which I've tried to decorate somewhat. The kids really like the poster of Obama.

It's Finally Sunny in Tours!

We've had some really nice days lately for biking, strolling, and sitting in the park.

Eating macarons in the courtyard of the Musée de Beaux Arts.

Meeting friendly cats.


A pretty house near the Loire.



Fritz the Elephant was a Barnum and Bailey circus elephant that went mad during a circus in Tours and had to be shot. Barnum offered the dead elephant as a gift to the city of Tours, which they gratefully accepted and stuffed. He's now on permanent display at the Musée de Beaux Arts.

Personal Profiles

Listen to my friends describe themselves, then answer the questions on your worksheet.

Villandry

Villandry is well-known for its spectacular gardens. We visited today with a couple of teachers from Great Britain who are leading an exchange program with their students at Langeais, where Sarah teaches. Although the weather was gray, the castle and gardens were still beautiful.