Rita and Joe, Thanks for sharing. You may have noticed some of the locals looked a little shell-shocked. That's because I recently drove a rental car over the same route, Texas style. I presume the little hand signs the other drivers kept flashing had something to do with the number 1. They sure were Texas friendly. Can't wait to go back. Chuck > [Original Message] > From: ritadekock@belghacom.net <joearmstrong@belgacom.net> > To: <ARMSTRONG-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: 9/18/02 11:56:14 AM > Subject: [ARMSTRONG-L] Brittany and Normandy, 2002. Very Non Genealogical > > Dear Armstrongs, > > A memorable Trip. > > By Joe Armstrong, > > Wintam village, in the Province of Antwerpen, > Monday September 9, 2002. > > Willy Borms and his wife Christiane came > and took Rita and I to St Niklaas and left us at a > certain bus stop beside 4 other people who were > going on the same tour as we were. That was > Monday 9th of September. > > The coach arrived a bit late due to heavy traffic, > then we set off and picked up more people at > Lokeren and then Gent. It happened at Gent that a > man and his mother sat opposite on our right Eddie > and his mother Rose Marie are from Nieuwport on > the coast of Belgium and we soon struck up > acquaintance with them and spent most of our > meals sitting with them.. We stopped for coffee > along the way and onwards to Amiens. There > we visited the cathedral. > > Separately, some of us realised we had better ones, > I felt that my local i.e., Durham Cathedral could hold > its own, as this is supposed to be one of the better > ones in France. Still the carved ornate frontage was > very good I have to say that. > > From there we went on to Rouen, and were getting off > the bus after deciding I did not need an umbrella when > a peal of thunder struck and we all got wet crossing the > street! The whole group, 53 of us hustled along close to > walls, it did not help, we all got soaked. Arrived at the > Caf� Flunch, a fast food place in the Rue Des Carmes. > What a sorry spectacle we looked. However, fast food > or not, it was good quality. Oh those French! > > After that we walked, (thankfully in the sunshine) to > the place where Joan of Arc was burned to death. A > cross stands on the spot now. Looking around the > square at the ancient houses I tried to imagine the > awful scene, the mob, the vengeful churchmen who > condemned her, the fearful English soldiers who > were given the dirty work of burning her for a witch. > Too much noise, too many people, too many smells > from nearby restaurants all cashing in on the historic > site gimmick prevented my mind from travelling back > to the 15th century. But I have stood at the place. > > Next to the spot is a church, but of modern design, > you know, roofs like wings etc. In the form od a > ship. A bit of origami in metal and stone. > > Back along the narrow streets and through the ornate > archway to the bridge where a plaque marks the spot > where Joan's ashes were thrown in the Seine, (they say) > but I fear the river's edge would be different then to the > built up quayside banks of today. It was probably under > the modern road! > > BTW. Over here they call her Jean D' Arc, pronounced > like 'Shan Dark' > > To coach, another long walk, then on to Honfleur. It is a > very picturesque town, also a very expensive one! Caf� > prices were exorbitant. We walked (naturally) to the > harbour and visited a lovely wooden church, really > spectacular it is. The shape inside is of timber arches > supported by lines of square wooden beams along the > length of the nave. It has a feel not quite like any church > I have been in. I sat there lost in thought, recalling other > churches, in other places but this had a different feel to it, > more homely somehow. We were quite taken by its wonder. > > Bought picture cards then back along to our coach and on > to our destination at Caen and arrived at the Campanile > motel there late. Had dinner after 9, but it was excellent. > A bit of confusion re Rita's needs but Ren� the guide > helped out and sorted things. The three smokers who > got on at Gent smoked in the dining room, the only > ones to do so, naturally, they sat at the next table to us. > The sign 'defense de fumer' means nothing to them. > > We had a good room, facilities were a bath cum shower, > a good shower at that, washbasin, toilet, all necessary > towels, shampoos/soaps each day./ also TV set with an alarm > feature for early calls, a long table and tea making > equipment. To bed, and slept like babes! > Tues, Sep, 10. > Up early, to breakfast with Rose Marie and Eddie. > We four sat at another table. Still the smokers ended > up on the next one to us. I think they must be aware > that nobody is making overtures to them but all are > being friendly with us, and especially Rose Marie > and her son Eddie who is a pleasant chap. > > Off to Bayeux and to the museum to see the famous > tapestry, again, a long walk! What a fabulous thing > it was for me to creep alongside the real one behind > its glass frontage, leaning on the handrails designed > to keep folk off the glass. I scrutinised every picture > as much as time permitted, but always the inexorable > clock ticking away. My mind went back 60 years to > when Mr. Bell our class teacher first told us of the > tapestry, was it really that long ago? But here we > were, standing before the reality of that thing nine > and a half centuries old. The endless hours of > hand-stitching that must have gone into the telling of > the story of the Norman Invasion of England. It is > 74 metres long! > > To my surprise I saw that the two figures generally > held up to be Harold Godwinson can not be the same > man. In the 'arrow-in-the-eye' shot he has green > stockings, in the one where he falls backwards > dropping his axe, he has stockings with alternate buff > and green bands. I must go over my chain of photos > that we bought to see what I can 'sus out'. > > I caught out the Timewatch TV programme twice, > (Julius Caesar) and the (Conquistadors), can I do > the same with such a famous thing? > > From that breath-taking venue we came back to > normality and to the restaurant La Petit Normand > for lunch, we had a starter of raw fish, ( well, > smoked herring and raw salmon), a dinner of pork > fillet with frites and vegetables and piquant sauce, > also a flan caramel. Oh those French! > > On from Bayeux to a closer battle scene in time. > To Point Du Hoc and visited the scene of devastation > of the German bunkers by Royal Navy shelling > on D-Day. It must have been hell at that moment, > hardly a yard of ground is not disturbed and full > of craters. They have been left to nature. We > walked through one that did not have a path > through it because it was too steep. We made > it by use of my walking stick; I could get partly > up, then reach it back for Rita to grab to pull > herself up behind me. Of course the place was > also a memorial to the many young Americans > who assaulted those cliffs. > > From there to Arromanches where we visited > the D-Day museum, saw 2 films and took photos > of the remnants of Mulberry harbour lying in the > now peaceful bay. Had a coffee along the street > from a old French woman with a face like her > (well) ahum.. > > Along past Omaha Beach to the American > cemetery where 9,000 of them are buried. I > stopped to read one that looked different, a > star of David marked a Jewish American grave. > Rita found an Armstrong there too. > > Donald B. Armstrong, > Tech Sergeant, > 524 Bomber Squadron. > 397 Bomber Group (H). > Ohio, September 3rd, 1943. > > That huge cemetery, only one of many, was > a solemn reminder of the debt we owe. I am > sure there will be many more in that vast > array of white marble gravestones that shows > the price of liberty. Continental Europeans > are very conscious of it. > > Back to the bus and returned to Caen. Had dinner > at 8. A little sooner than last night. Starter of fish > terrine, Duck with garlic potatoes etc. and ice cream > for dessert. Oh those French! Again to our room > early and then to bed for an early start. > Wed. Sep. 11. > Up at 7, breakfast at 8, they are all self service, a > goodly selection of fruits, cereals, orange drinks, > coffee, cold meats and cheese with lovely crusty > bread. Oh those French! > > Off to Mont San Michel, a good long run through > nice scenery, very green and a rolling landscape. > Normandy is a lovely Province. Passed the Bocage > country where so many murderous fights took place > in 1944. There the Allies had to fight for every yard > of ground in those tree and brush squares designed to > keep the wind at bay from the farmlands. > > We saw Saint Michel from a distance of some > kilometres, it was far more spectacular than I had > realised. I thought it was just another town, but it is > a church cum fortress built out of an outstanding rock > formation, similar to Holy Island castle in Northumberland > but much larger. The walk for car visitors is too long, > 2 kilometres, but we were dropped at the special > point for buses. > > Had not enough time and it was red hot. We only had > time to look at the shops, (this was the complaint of all > the places we went to) and we had to turn back when > we reached the monastery. Bought cards, took photos, > Rita got some special famous biscuits for her > grandchildren and back to the bus. > > To St Malo, a very strongly fortified walled town > with a crowded harbour containing a forest of masts. > Had lunch in the Caf� de l'Ouest. In the Place > Chateaubriand. It was crowded and we had to sit > just the two of us, but we had a good > meal, a bacon and onion omelette with salad and > pommes frites, and red wine. It had a donkey cart > in metal on the canopy, containing a lady with a > Spanish style fan and a gentleman handing a gift to her. > Very chocolate box I thought. Coming out a dolt of > a waiter stood to attention and shouted something > to me about about "Mein Fuhrer" but then I've always said > Frenchmen can't tell the difference between Brits and > Germans. > > There we went into the cathedral of St Vincent and > there I looked up and saw some strange by-plays of > colour caused by sunlight through the stained glass > windows, in themselves, too modern to be special, > but the lights were magnetic. Because of that light > we found the tomb of Jaques Cartier, who lived 1491 > to 1557 the man who discovered Canada, and died > there! His remains were brought back to France in 1949. > > Walked round shops (literally, it's a circular town 3 kms) > and had coffee and a beer in the le Lion d' Or. It was > expensive, coffee 3.50, Euros beer 3.50 Euros. > Oh those French! > (Euros are about the same value as U.S. dollars). > > We had all the time to do little at St Malo that we > would have liked at other places. Back to the bus > at 5. On the return journey we stopped for fuel, and > they used the stop to give us all a drink of Pommeau > or Calvados. It was a nice gesture, maybe calculated > for tips but fine anyway. Ren� the courier described > how the five main drinks of Normandy were Pommeau, > and Calvados (made from apples) Poir�, made from > pears, Benedictine, a liquer made with herbs, and lastly > Cidre, cider to you and me. Back at 7.45, dinner at 8.15. > Crudittes with cream sauce, main course spaghetti in a > yellow sauce and a cutlet of pork. Fruit for dessert. > Again, Oh those French! > > We sat as usual with Rose Marie and Eddie and did > much talking but we had to break it up for lack of time. > Despite having weary, aching legs Rita had to pack > everything for, guess what, yet another early call, in > fact, the earliest one yet, 6 a.m. for breakfast at 7. > > Thurs, Sep. 12. > Left 8.30. arrived later at F�camp and to the > Benedictine palace cum distillery. It is a splendid > building, a riot of carving, plaster work, works of > art in many forms. A classic example of the richness > that religious zeal can produce. It is also a museum > with many interesting old locks etc, works of the > Flemish painters and all. We had our free drink in the > visitors lounge and of course bought a bottle, in fact > 2, one for Willy and Christiane as a small token of > appreciation for all the favours they do us. Also > bought cards. > > One man from the four that got on with us at St Niklaas > told me a surprising thing, that English and French had > 51 percent of the same words. I can believe it. But I'm > sure they'd never understand the way we say them, <Grin> > > Both Rita and I were amazed at how much we can read > in French, she can speak it better than me and revived > words she thought she did not know. Leaving there at > last we wended our way back to Etretat on the coast again, > a very old village of half timbered houses, whole > timbered in some cases. We had lunch upstairs in the > Auberge Express in the Place Foch. I thought the two > could not handle 54 diners but I was wrong. Having the > orders made the day before the man and his wife > served us all in double quick time. We had beer and > mussels and fritten, French style, very tasty. > Oh those French! > > Back to the bus and set off for home. It was a long run > through gradually flattening landscapes, we stopped at > one place for coffee and toilets, a hurry up joint, no milk > for the coffee, no courtesy either, Ren� says he will not > use it again. > Oh those French! > > From there over the frontier into Belgie as the board > says, to Kortrijk where we dropped off the first people. > Hit traffic jams a bit round there (they call them files > pro feel-es), then on to Gent. There we said goodbye > to all those getting off including Rose Marie and Eddie, > we have their address to send photos and a CD of > Highland bagpipe music. Hmm! > > What a trip, what a whole package of memories and > exciting venues, wonderful French cuisine, and a > mixture of people and cultures. > > At Le Mont Saint Michel we were in throngs speaking > all languages imaginable. Saw one group of Americans > taking a photograph of an 18 inch wide stone stairway > between two houses. No doubt to show to the good > folk back at Duluth, Minn. > > I thought of all my old Armstrong lurkers and partakers > on the List while we were at these remarkable places > and pondered what they would have thought of such > things. It was, despite its short duration, more > experiences than I can cram into a year normally. > > I even found myself looking closely at the D-day > photographs to try to recognise my Uncle Jim, or > Edward, or Geordie! All three brothers were in the > Allied Invasion, the first two on the first day. > Strangely, they all look the same, British, > Canadian, American etc, only the type of clothes > were different, they were all bright youth at its best, > and many of them were to stay that way in memory, > and to remain forever close to where they landed. > > We must go to Brittany and Normandy again. > > We decided that we must. > > Rita De Kock, > Joe Armstrong. > > > --- Charles Armstrong --- mutinyct@earthlink.net --- EarthLink: It's your Internet.