Holidays...part 7

Wednesday

We shouldn’t have let Tom sleep in the car, he kept waking up in the night and calling for us.  Not a great night’s sleep, especially considering it wasn't windy or rainy!

The weather forecast wasn’t good again for today.  However, it was a bit warmer which was welcome.  We decided to have a half day out and half day in the camp today so headed out to Ranville and Pegasus Bridge to see the bridge and the gliders.  The museum was quite small, but full of artifacts, but of course the main thing to see was the ‘actual’ bridge and the life size replica of the glider in the garden.  Once again, I’m not sure how much went in with Tom (especially as he was noticeably tired and therefore fidgety today) but he now certainly knows the Germans were the baddies and we were the goodies and we won the war.  He is very curious as to how wars start, it’s a hard concept to explain (The second world war being easier than the first world war) but slowly I think he is beginning to understand.  If, when they do the war at school he is able to add a tiny bit of knowledge to the classroom discussion I will be happy.

Horsa Glider

The museum was littered with life histories of some of the soldiers that survived.  One in particular stood out – a Yorkshire man who parachuted into France, got captured, escaped (by cutting a whole in the bottom of a train with a knife), got back to England,  got reassigned to the gliders, was the only man on his glider to survive (had to have his leg amputated) but still went on to many more escapades.  Quite a character.  I wonder if he is still with us?

Once we were done, we headed to the new bridge for a look and had lunch at one of the cafes.  We were served by a very friendly waiter who allowed us to order in French, but then reverted back to English when he had something to ask to us! We are suffering from the usual problem here – neither of us are great at French, but whenever we try to speak it (or even before we get to speak it) we get spoken to in English.  That makes our life easier, but it does mean that our French doesn’t get any better.  I understand why they do it but it is really annoying when you make the effort to speak their language just to get it thrown back in your face, it doesn’t do anything for your confidence and after a week of being here I’m now wondering if I should bother trying to say anything in French?!

Soldier Tom

Anyhow, after lunch we headed back via a short stop at a supermarket for cidre and pain raisins (oh and a cheeky bottle of whisky which was being sold at half price).  We then went back to the campsite.  Tom and I went for a swim / slide whilst Matt did some work.  A storm approached, and my word did the heavens open.  It didn’t rain, it bucketed it down.  Luckily there is an indoor pool here, so we were in that, but the rain on the roof was deafening and the water pouring down the sides was unbelievable.   Tom and I thought we were in the right place, but just as it was easing, a wet Matt appeared, he needed help as the tent was flooded out.  Tom and I left the pool, but then Tom thought our tent had floated away and got a little upset.  By the time we had got dry and got to the tent the rain was over.  There was quite a pool of water in the kitchen which we mopped up with a bucket and mop.  Took a good hour but we got there eventually.  Luckily nothing got damaged.  Just one of those things, if you are camping you have to expect and deal with the worse.  At least it wasn’t cold or snowing (that’s happened to me before!)

The sky cleared for a while so we got out the boules set and played that.  We then decided to make tea, however, the rain started again, and this time it wasn’t going to end for a while.  A shame as I needed water for the rice and we were planning on a bbq.  We waited a while, but the weather was set in.  I was going to get soaked just getting the water, and there was no way we could do a bbq.  In the end we gave up and went to the restaurant at the campsite for a very average dinner (lots of people here had the same thought and they were over run and under staffed making the service and food pretty poor!)

Oh hum, it had stopped raining by the time we got back to the tent, but then it started again, so we played Uno until it cleared up.  Tom then went to the toilet block to do his teeth  etc and was in bed for 9.30 (quite early) and was asleep in half an hour – phew.

The rain stopped once he was asleep and so far hasn’t come back.  We are crossing our fingers for a nice day tomorrow – one weather forecast says it will be nice, the other says it won’t!  Don’t think we will be remembering this holiday for good weather….

Holidays...part 6

Tuesday

Today dawned a bit brighter – the sun was shining and the sky was blue when we awoke, however, that soon changed and the grey clouds rolled in.  We decided to go to Cerza Zoo today – we had seen a flyer and thought it looked good.  Typical, it started to rain just as we arrived!  We paid a hefty €51 to get in to what we were expecting to be a small regional zoo.

Rude tapir

We were wrong, very wrong, this was possibly the best zoo we have ever been to.  Not only were there loads of animals, but the enclosures were massive and although you hardly saw a zoo keeper, all the animals looked in pristine condition.

There were two routes to walk – a red and a yellow.  We decided on the red first – which turned out to be the African animals.  However, the first place we went to was the reptile house – with snakes, fish, a rather good looking iguana, alligators, tortoises etc. and then a bird house full of lorikeets, a kookibura and other exotic birds. 

We then headed out to Africa.  First stop was an enormous field (20 acres) full of giraffe, rhino, ostriches and cows.  Anyone who knows me well, knows that giraffes are my favourite animals, and they were in good form.  They were all feeding by a look out so we went up to see them and they put on a great display for us.  They were of all different shapes, sizes but mainly colours –  there were light coloured ones, dark coloured ones – some with distinct lines, others not so, a real mismatch of markings, certainly not all of one kind.  None of them were doing the funny tongue thing that the daddy giraffe was doing in Dalton zoo the other day, but even so we (particularly I) enjoyed it.

Tom and a lion

We then carried on into the African zone where we saw hyenas, painted dogs, zebras, pygmy hippos, red river hogs (very pretty piggies), cheetahs and lions.  The lions were absolutely magnificent.  Ramses – the man was a very handsome fella, he looked as if he had just been to the hairdresser and he was very proud of his girls.  There were also 3 cubs.  The enclosure was designed so that there was a hide in the middle of it, we headed to it and enjoyed seeing them all.  Unfortunately none of them were playing ball – and wouldn’t look at us to have a nice photo taken, but he was definitely a pin up lion – and he knew it – he even gave us a lesson of the bees and birds to prove it!

White Tiger

Once done in Africa we went to the restaurant for lunch – all very formulaic fast food– but nice enough and it fortified us for the next trail – the yellow trail which took us into Asia, N & S America and Australia.  It was a long old trail, however, we had plenty to see.  Tom didn’t stop once – he was very excited by the whole thing.  We saw tapiers, spectacled bears, brown bears, camels (not mangy which was nice), bison,  gibbons, otters (fast asleep),  and white tigers.  The white tigers put on quite a display for us.  There were 5 of them all together, mum, dad and 3 cubs born in April.  They came to stand by our look out for quite a while and stared straight at us, did some yawning, played a bit and then went for a wander off.  Matt couldn’t quite believe his luck (tigers are his favourite) he smiled for the rest of the day.  They were very magnificent.

We then searched out a drink each – although it was a cool, damp, rainy sort of a day it was thirsty work watching these animals.  Tom then had a go on the children’s safari (a little train which went round a track decorated with lots of big soft safari animals).  The guy running it was so good that he gave them a free second turn.

Nik and friends

We then went to see a 3D film – a cartoon all in French, but the message was very right on – humans are bad as they cause all the other animals on the earth to suffer through their selfishness.  Tom almost started to cry when a cartoon snake came out at him on the 3d screen: this, the boy who sat through D-Day footage yesterday with not flicker of concern!!!!!

We then went on the safari train which took us around other parts of the zoo which can’t be seen on foot – including the regular tigers. 

All in all it was a wonderful day out.  The only thing missing really was elephants. I have a feeling we will be back.

Tom fell asleep in the car almost immediately and didn’t wake up when we got back to the campsite.  In the end we had to wake him up otherwise he would have missed his tea.

Happy iguana

Tea was pasta and sausages, all cooked on the stove as it was raining (again!)  After dinner, the weather cheered up a bit so we went outside to play boules.  Before too long the children who moved into the tent next to us last night were out watching and eventually they joined in.  The rest of the evening was spent playing with them (Owen 8 and William 3 from Guernsey).  First boules, then table tennis, then silly running around.  All good stuff.  Once again it was almost 10pm before Tom went to bed, but another good day.

Holidays...part 5

Sunday

At Cabourg station

What a difference a day makes – we woke up to grey skies and rain and wind.  Yuck!  The temperature had decreased by over 10 degrees too.  It was like waking up to a typical morning in Ingleton!

Not to worry, we had a plan: by the side our our campsite there runs a train line which also runs along the prom in Houlgate.  We had looked it up – it is a local line which runs from Cabourg to Deauville/Trouville.  It was a nice looking train and you know what the boys are like about their trains.  The timetable was decent enough for a Sunday so we decided to go.  To make sure we got the benefit of riding along the coast, we drove to Cabourg so we could ride alongside the beach in Houlgate.  This we did and what a lovely journey it was too.  There is some very interesting and very large property around here – and looking down on it from a posh train is always very interesting.

We got to Deauville / Trouville in time for lunch and went immediately looking for a nice restaurant for a Menu Prix Fixé.  We didn’t succeed.  It was our fault really.  We had read in the travel guide that Trouville was the more down to earth of the towns and Deauville a bit snooty.  We didn’t however, check where the station was and which way to walk when we got there.  We did look for a map on arrival, but couldn’t find one.  We followed our noses and ended up in Deauville, in a very posh tea room, having a gallette (Matt) and crudités (toasted sandwich – not quite what I was expecting) for me.  Tom wanted a crepe sucre, but we would have had to wait until 2pm for that so he ended up sharing with us.  We reallised once we had ordered that the tea room was obviously very famous for a skewer of lovely looking pastries and dippy eggs that everyone around us were eating – oh hum!  In the end it didn’t cost us much as we had a carafe of tap water to drink. 

Summer skies

We then watched a fountain, looked around the market and headed for the plage as it had stopped raining.  It started to rain as soon as we got near to it!  We then discovered Trouville across the water and a small boat transporting people across so we decided to stand in queue to get it as it was about 1.5 miles to walk up to the bridge and back down again.  The heavens opened on us again, so we headed straight for an establishment for tea and a bun and to get out of the rain.  The first place we went to didn’t have space, but the second did, however, it was a bar and although they advertised that they did food, they didn’t.  Oh hum, we were out of the rain and that was most important.  The bar man then told us where to go for a crepe so we headed over once we finished our drinks.  They were well received but plainly out of a packet and microwaved, not exactly what we were hoping for.  However, by the time we had finished them, the sun was out so we went for a wander.  We found ourselves by the beach.  Tom wanted a paddle, so we went down to the waters edge and he had a play.  However, the heavens opened again so we ran for shelter with everyone else at the Poste de Secours. 

Trouville waterfront

Luckily it was a short shower, and carried on with our wandering and found the main street of Trouville – full of nice looking restaurants, souvenir shops, galleries etc etc.  Ah ha, this is what we had been looking for.  We spent a very pleasant hour looking in the shops and purchasing some local specialties to try out (mainly biscuits and cider).  We then headed back to the station for our return ride home.

Matt and Tom playing tennis

Once back at the campsite we got the bbq on the go and made dinner.  The sky had cleared, and although it wasn’t hot, it was warm and dry.  Afterwards I was playing beach tennis with Tom opposite our tent (we managed to purchase a new set today).  A girl staying in a tent nearby came to ask if she could play and that was it for the rest of the evening.  Tom hung out with Emma for a while, playing games, listening to music, then her older brother, Max got him playing football with him, then another boy materilised for football.  We ended up drinking with the parents of Emma and Max (from Ilkley, they and Matt have a mutual translator friend – always, always we can find someone in common with strangers!).  It was after 10pm by the time Tom went to bed, it was after 11pm by the time we went to bed.

Monday

We were having a good night’s sleep last night until the rain woke us up.  Humpfh!  It was a revolting day.  Really revolting!  It hardly stopped raining all day.  And it was windy and cold too!  This isn’t what we ordered.  We decided it was a museum day and headed over to Caen to go to the Mémorial de Caen – a big museum about the war and for which Canvas Holidays had given us a discount. 

It was a very adult museum – lots of boards of explanation and photos – no buttons to press etc, however, there was quite a lot of cinema and tv screens to watch.  Once again, we found ourselves explaining everything in very simple terms, but not sure how much went in.  The worse bit was when we were going through the sections about the Jews and the fates of the Resistance that got caught.  I thought that too much to explain to him and steered him quickly through – the concept of fighting in a war is bad enough without all the other bits and pieces that went on. 

He did really well considering the nature of the museum and he even managed to sit through a 15 minute film about D-Day full of bombs, bullets, dead bodies etc without getting upset or fidgety.  Query: how can he cope with seeing real live people being shot on a beach, but not Shaun the Sheep dangling over a quarry and living happily ever after?????!!!!!

Moules Muncher

We spent a good 4.5 hours in the museum before heading back.  We stopped off at an Intermarche for more provisions and bbq gel (feeling very positive here) and then headed into Houlgate in search of dinner.  Houlgate was desserted and a lot of cafes and restaurants were either closed or not serving food.  We finally found one which was and ordered moules (for me) and faux fillet (for Matt – to find out what it was more than anything – we think either beef or veal but not sure why it is called faux?!)  Tom was sharing with us as all the children’s meals here are quite expensive €9 / 10 and as unimaginative as in the UK.  Tom decided that moules are really really good.  I was very proud of him as he tucked into moule after moule enjoying every single morsel – but I ended up with only half my dinner as a result!  Still, how many English rural 6 year olds do you know will happily tuck into a bowl of moules?  Next time he can have his own bowl!!!!!

We got back to the campsite half expecting a flooded tent, but it was intact with only a few pools of water.  Tom ate 3 puddings before heading out in the wind and rain to the toilet block to do his teeth and loo.  He then went to bed  and was asleep by 9.10pm – earliest night of the holiday so far, but there was nothing else to do it was such a horrible night. 

Holidays...part 4

Saturday

Wow, wow, wow!!!!!  Today was the hottest day I have experienced in quite some time.  We roasted for the day – it didn’t relent until about 9pm a long and very hot day!

Long, long way to the sea

We were up quite early – the heat woke us up and by 8am it was too hot to be in the tent!  We had breakfast outside.  Pain Raisin for Matt and Tom and a cheese and ham croissant for me (all of us eating our favourite French things).  It didn’t take long to decide what to do today – it was hot, the sky was blue – it was a perfect day to go to the beach.  We packed up all the beach things and headed over (about 1 mile away).  We got a parking space without much trouble and carted all our bits over to the beach.  The tide was a very very long way out, in fact we could hardly see it on the horizon.  However, we decided to find ourselves a space on the high dry sand and got ourselves settled (that meant working out how to put our beach shelter up – it’s been a while, but we got there in the end without it flying off)  Tom and I then decided to head to the water, so we both creamed up and walked down to it.  It took a long while – about half an hour to get there.  When we got there, Tom was straight in.  I wasn’t (I was still wearing my dress) but it didn’t matter – the sea was so shallow and there was practically no waves at all meaning I could paddle as well with no problem.  Tom sat down, splashed around and generally had a good time until he realised Daddy wasn’t with us and wanted to go and get him.  

Tom in a sandhill

We returned to him – another 30 minute walk!  He was looking hot and bothered.  I thought I had packed everything, but of course I had forgotten about a book / activity for the adults to do whilst left on our own and he was bored.  Too hot to sleep, we were too far away to watch and apparently some families had been arguing near him.   I don’t think many people get it right on the first day of a holiday, so we put it down to experience.  Tom didn’t mind though – he got out the buckets and spades and made some sandcastles.  He then decided to take his Dad down to the water – which was getting nearer now.  I stretched out in our beach shelter and snoozed.  It was very very hot but I was tired and managed to drop off for a couple of minutes.

They boys came back damp and to save Tom getting covered in sand we decided to play piggy in the middle with the football to build up an appetite.  Lunch today was more ham and cheese croissants – all of which got devoured.  It took a while to convince Tom as suddenly he decided he didn’t like cheese!  You can imagine how well that went down – needless to say he finished it, even though it was under protest!

By now the sea was much much closer, so Matt and Tom went back down for a play, then we swapped over and then swapped over again.  I was in the sea up to my chest – but there were no waves to play in – meaning it wasn’t as much fun as normal and giving me less incentive to get fully immersed.   We did enjoy watching fish dancing amongst our toes and finding the warm bits of water and walking to the ‘islands’ of sand in the sea.  Tom had a whale of a time,  didn’t stop grinning from ear to ear the whole time he was in the water.

Old woman in old dress

By 2pm, however, we were all flagging.  We decided to call it a day and head into town.  Houlgate was celebrating its 110^th anniversary today and they had closed the main high street to traffic and put in games, stalls etc plus a lot of locals had dressed up in clothes from the ‘olden days’ and were parading around.  It was all very interesting, but first things first, we all needed a drink.  We stopped in the first café we found and had a drink each – Matt and I pretty much drank ours in one breath.  Tom took longer, suprising, as he was very red in the face and was flagging big time by the time we got there.  We all then decided to get an ice-cream each – to try to cool down even further.  This we did and it worked.  Our red faces returned to more or less normal.

We then returned back to the campsite and got out our swimsuits ready for a dip in the pool.  The pool was surprisingly empty (much emptier than yesterday)  The first pool we went in felt freezing cold – this mainly because we were all still hot from being on the beach all day, after a while we acclimatised and enjoyed feeling refreshed.  Tom, of course wanted to do the waterslides, so we were made to do them a number of times, but mainly we just enjoyed being cool again.

We had planned to go out for tea tonight, but once we realised it was festival day in Houlgate, we decided against it: it was too hot and the town would be packed.  We decided instead to go to the bar at the campsite.  Matt and I had a pizza each and Tom a hot dog.  None of us could finish our tea – it was just too too hot, and the food, especially the pizza was very filling.

We thought that as he had had a long, hot day, Tom should go to bed early(ish) so we put him to bed, but he wasn’t having it – every car noise, person walking by disturbed him.  I think it was about 2 hours before he finally succumbed to sleep.