Left Bois en Ardres for the last time this morning and took the A16 all the way to Abbeville where we switched to the A28 to St. Saens, then the A29 to Le Havre, over the bridge and down to Honfleur. One of the few places in Northern France unbombed by the Allies or the Nazis, it boasts skinny old houses, lovely harbours and a zillion restaurants, all busy on Sunday. Nonetheless, we found seats at Le Petit Bistro, and had a lovely Toast de Chevre (they don't say "roti" here) salad, followed by fresh Moules en Creme and a Crepe Maison Sucre. Our precarious parking time was up, so we pressed on, resolving to return on a weekday.
Variously and incorrectly located by our map, our road atlas, our guide book, and our GPS unit, the Canadian invasion beach Juno proved a little elusive. We eventually tracked it down by the simple expedient of finding Sword Beach and driving along the coast until we saw a monument. The bold monument is on the esplanade, adjacent to Canada House, one of the most photographed houses on the coast. Still standing after the D-Day invasion, it became an impromptu R&R site for the Canadians. It is said that the locals were delighted to find that one of the first regiments to liberate them was the French-speaking Regimente de La Chaudiere. The Canadians pushed inland from here and were the first of the Allies to liberate a major town; Caen. Paul admitted to being a little choked-up by being on the site and didn't think he could handle the war cemeteries, so we headed off to our final destination a B&B in La Rue which we were delighted to find had a view of Mont St. Michel!
Variously and incorrectly located by our map, our road atlas, our guide book, and our GPS unit, the Canadian invasion beach Juno proved a little elusive. We eventually tracked it down by the simple expedient of finding Sword Beach and driving along the coast until we saw a monument. The bold monument is on the esplanade, adjacent to Canada House, one of the most photographed houses on the coast. Still standing after the D-Day invasion, it became an impromptu R&R site for the Canadians. It is said that the locals were delighted to find that one of the first regiments to liberate them was the French-speaking Regimente de La Chaudiere. The Canadians pushed inland from here and were the first of the Allies to liberate a major town; Caen. Paul admitted to being a little choked-up by being on the site and didn't think he could handle the war cemeteries, so we headed off to our final destination a B&B in La Rue which we were delighted to find had a view of Mont St. Michel!
The graceful Pont de Normandie at Le Havre
Our lunch stop in Honfleur. Bistrot with a "t".
Inner harbour, Honfleur
Reg and her Crepe Maison
Monument, Juno Beach
Inscription
Canada House, June 6, 1944
Canada House today
Juno Beach. Note that all the other buildings are new.
Our B&B at La Rue
Mont St. Michel from our window
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