Falaise is the nearest town of any size, situated about 5 kilometres away from the cottages. Although much of the ancient town was destroyed during World War Two the castle and some of the town’s walls are still in place. Falaise has a special place in British history as it was here that William the First [The Conqueror] was born in 1027.
Sylvia and I decided to explore this historical town on our own and after parking near the information centre made the short walk to the castle. There are extensive building work going on around the monument but the tower and some of the battlements are still in evidence.
It was good to get a French perspective on the historical events leading to the Battle of Hastings as these were depicted on various AV presentations through the visit.
The castle gave superb views across the town although we were not brave [or fit enough] to take the large number of steps to the top of the tower. This view being taken from the battlements.
After walking around the town and castle, it was time for lunch. We found a small restaurant on one of the town’s squares which appeared to be very popular with the locals. It offered the following ‘menu du jour’.
Although we could understand most of the menu the initial starter eluded our language skills.The waitress also had a problem with the translation so she disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two large shelled creatures on a plate. That’ll be two chefs salads then please!!!
[Google has since provided me with the translation – they were in fact WHELKS!]
The lunch was magnificent. The salad was a combination of cheese, olives, tomatoes and greens liberally dressed with olive oil. We both chose the duck for main which literally fell off the bone. This was accompanied by a huge plate of ‘frites’. For dessert Sylvia had a beautiful Crème Brule while I had a very rich and creamy Chocolate Mousse. A great lunch.
After a short walk along the old town wall followed by a visit to the supermarket to stock up with cakes and pastries for tea, we returned to the cottage to await the arrival of Helena and Diarra. Here I relaxed planning future journeys…………..
and Sylvia patrolled the grounds taking more photographs.
After the arrival of Helena and Diarra and the introductions that followed we all decided to go for a swim. As Rosalind was one of the few who didn’t partake I asked her to take a few photos on my camera. The following are just a mere sample of the 85 pics she took!!!
Tyson splashing his mum.
Joey joining in the fun.
Poppy and her Dad and caterpillar.
Matt demonstrating his diving technique.
Another great day!
"Tyson slashing his mum" ... so violent for one so young
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