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Monday 24th March 2014 Landing in France: The previous day evening after the first innings of WCT20 match between India and WI, where WI were choked by Indian bowlers - we left London on way to Dover to catch the freight train to France. We stayed overnight at Folkestone. Unlike the allied forces of June 1944, we landed at Calais (pronounced Kalai) on this day about 200kms west of OMAHA, UTAH

and Arromanches beaches, where the Allied Troupes of WWII landed. The purpose is not to liberate France from the tyranny of Adolf Hitler but to saviour the sights, smells and season of France.

We left Folkestone, near Dover, today by car through Euro Tunnel. This Euro Tunnel was an Engineering marvel, when it was built. Euro Channel Tunnel is a 50.5-kilometre rail tunnel linking Folkestone, in the United Kingdom, with Calais in northern France. This

Tunnel was opened in 1994 carries cars in a Train across the Channel (see pics above).

It took us 35 min to cross the Channel and land in France. Surprisingly no one checked our passports for Schengen Visa. I spent close to

Cars getting into the Train on Euro Tunnel

Cars in the Train

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Rs 14k for this!! But I am told they may check while we go back!!! My son-in-law had booked earlier through www.booking.com a

cottage at Omonville, which is a commune in the Seine-Maritime area in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France, about 280 kms from Calais. The cottage is a beautiful house with large garden and two bedrooms on the first floor and kitchen and sitting room in the ground floor.

The entire cottage owned by a farmer couple {arnaud.prevost@cegetel.net} is all to ourselves. It is modern in amenities but traditional in structure. But the upper storey where the bedrooms and bathroom (only one) located has low sloped wooden roof (see pic) with wooden beams protruding. These beams have left an indelible mark on all of our heads with gashes!

Each Room has a dual air-conditioning system (unlike under floor heating in our London home) which doubles up for heating and cooling to suit the temp variations of seasons

The Cottage with dining room with a view! Three sides glass windows

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After having appreciated our new temp abode and its amenities of the place we set forth to explore Normandy, as per the program planned by my resourceful son-in-law. Cleres We decided to go to Cleres, about 30kms from Omonville to see the daffodil festival. But, alas the festival was over yesterday itself. This town is very small and beautiful, as the pictures show.

But we had happened to visit the Park at Cleres. Some of the photographs and notes presented here show the extraordinary animal & plant kingdom of this park. Founded in 1919 by Jean Delacour, the animal park of Clres has more than 1,500 animals in semi-freedom in a park of 13 hectares open to the public.

Cleres Town View

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Flora and Fauna of Parc de Cleres

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Interesting information on Flamingos: Flamingos live in large colonies consisting of 50 to several thousands. Their ability to live in highly concentrated salt water is remarkable. The Chilean Flamingo has a curved beak lined with plates, which filter muddy water and capture algae and small invertebrates. The foods contain pigments: carotenes, which give colour to pink-oranged feathers. The flamingos are monogamous (!!). The pair builds nests of mud on the ground and both parents incubate the single egg. Excellent in sailing, flamingos are also able to swim and even run if they feel threatened. Culinary delights of France Wine, champagne, apple cider and cheese form the gourmets delight to any visitor to France. Unfortunately Indian palate is not accustomed to enjoy these foods but a good foodie would love a visit to France just for savouring the cheese and champagne. We visited a restaurant in Cleres to have the first taste of France, so to say. For French people a day without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze. There are hundreds of varieties of Cheese (paneer for the uninitiated) and those interested may visit http://www.cheesesoffrance.com Your idea of cheese is the yellow strip/spread you put on the bread (courtesy Brittania), you are in for a surprise. The Cheese of France come in wide variety of textures, shapes and most importantly flavors. Cow, goat and sheep milks are fermented,

Chilean Flamingo

A small sample of cheese on my plate: reluctantly sampled

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processed with specific temperatures and ingredients to get the cheese its uniqueness and taste. Some cheese are allowed to ferment for years if not months. I was unable to acquire the required courage to sample all the variety of cheese this restaurant in Cleres had served us. They say the loss is entirely mine. Dieppe After an exhausting visit to the park we set forth to see the beach town, Dieppe. To shop for groceries for the week and also take a small walk around the beach.

Dieppe is a port on the English Channel, north of France in Normandy. Dieppe also has a popular pebbled beach. This beach has a history related to Second World War (WWII). On August 19, 1942, Allied soldiers, mainly drawn

from the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, landed at Dieppe in the hope of occupying the town for a short time, gaining intelligence and drawing the Luftwaffe (German Airforce) into open battle. Canada had lost a lot of soldiers in this campaign. The monument erected on the beach has an interesting structure (see pic). On the 19th August of every year the sun will align with the maple leaf cut away on the monument and illuminate the leaf inlaid on the base of the ground.

The pebble beach

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Tuesday 25th March 2014 Bayeux Before visiting the D-Day beaches in Normandy we visited Bayeux, a town near the coast of the Normandy. During the Second World War, Bayeux was the first city of the Battle of Normandy to be liberated, and on 16 June 1944 General Charles de Gaulle made the first of two major speeches in Bayeux in which he made clear that France sided with the Allies. Apart from the above Bayeux has another interesting history concerning Norman Saxon war of the 11th Century. The city has a museum comprising of a Tapestry (an embroidery on cloth), 70 metres long, made in the 11th century. UNESCO lists it as a Memory of the World. Celebrating the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, this linen canvas was embroidered after the Battle of Hastings on October 14th, 1066, probably in a monastery in the south of England. In this piece of canvas with the help of 58 scenes the Vikings ships, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, a pretender to the throne of England. Interestingly this 1066 war is chronicled extensively in literature, with every one giving his own version of William the Conqueror & Harold the Betrayer.

The final show down at the Battle of Hastings with severed limbs and decapitated heads scene 52

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To pay 6 euros per person to see this canvas I felt as a total waste of time and money. But then this canvas is over 1500yrs old that makes it interesting. India has such pieces of art on walls ( Ellora). The other important sight to see is the Notre Dame a cathedral of 13th century. D- Day Beaches Visit to Normandy is not complete unless one sees the landing beaches of WWII Omaha, Utah and Arromanches, where the British, American and Canadian Armed Forces have landed on 6th June 1944 to liberate France. Earlier attempts by the British in 1940 have near Dunkirk, a port town in Normandy nearest to the Channel - flopped. The Dunkirk evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo, also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France, between 27 May and 4 June 1940. The operation became necessary when large numbers of British, French, and Belgian troops were cut off and surrounded by the German army during the Battle of France in World War II. In a speech to the House of Commons, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called

Romansque style towers

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the events in France "a colossal military disaster", saying that "the whole root and core and brain of the British Army" had been stranded at Dunkirk and seemed about to perish or be captured. A small error by a German Commander saved the day for the British. (To those who need more information on this may see the British film Dunkirk, starring Richard Attenborough). Obviously the joining of American and Canadian forces in 1944 in the war had changed the Allied Command Set-up that resulted in the liberation of France and subsequently the end of WWII. Thus Hitler was expecting the attack from around Calais/Dunkirk as was attempted in 1940, and had fortified his troops around the English Channel nearest to Frances Coast. But in a meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill the operation and planning of landing was given to the Joint Commander of the Allied Forces General Eisenhower, who took the landing decision about 300 kms west of Dunkirk. June 6th 1944 is known to the World as D-Day (in military it is termed as Operation Overlord) as christened by Gen Eisenhower, who took the momentous decision of the time and place of the attack to breach the defences of German Army. The landing beaches are code named: Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword. We could only visit the Omaha beach for lack of time. Some of the photographs presented here bear testimony to the sacrifices the soldiers of the Allied Armed Forces have made to ensure the World as we see today.

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There is a cemetery near Omaha with around 9387 graves of American Soldiers who gave their life for this battle known amongst

Flags of the Countries that formed the Allied Forces http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8074625.stm

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the war veterans as Bloody Omaha. We could not pay our respects to these great souls as by the time we reached the cemetery it was closed (5 p,m closing time).

(This liberation of France was best captured in the American Film The Longest Day released in 1962 (1964 in India). This film has a vast ensemble of Hollywood and British actors including John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery etc.)

Ration of the Soldiers

Memorial on the Beach

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Wednesday 26th March 2014 Honfluer Honfluer is often regarded as the best preserved old port in Normandy. It is an extremely picturesque seaside location, which only lacks a beach; this is due to the accumulation of silt from the River Seine causing the sea to withdraw. This town has the some of best art galleries. The collection is simply awesome. We can't take photos of these arts! Sad. But one photo I can without any problem, which I did. A visit to these galleries is a sight to behold! Most rich and famous from Europe visit these galleries to buy their art. Cider Tour Lower Normandy' is home to the mellow meadows of the well-signposted (with an apple) Route du Cider, or Cider Route, the only one of its kind in France, where cider and calvados producers in half-timbered manors are happy to show you how the magic is wrought. It's a 40km circular route, along which you'll pass villages everywhere apple orchards, perfect for picnics and sampling a drop or two of distilled nectar. But the season (late March) is not the season to see the apple trees in their full bloom. We just saw stalks of dry apple trees! Still we managed to visit a distillery and bought a bottle of cider. The distillery was also not operational ! This was a bad timing.

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Thursday 27th March 2014 We left early to Paris from Omonville, more as a formality than any sight seeing purposes as we all had been to Paris more than a couple of times both on business and tourism. Pont de Normandie On the way to Paris from Omonville one cannot miss this 20th century structure the type that is familiar with those who live in San Francisco. The Pont de Normandy is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the river Seine. Its total length is ~2,200 metres.

This is not the picture I have taken, because we went in the wrong season

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This bridge was opened in 1995. The bridge itself is not something of a great marvel as we had seen many suspension bridges across the world including our own laxman jhoola. But it is remarkable the way the marketing of the bridge for tourists is done, as though it is eighth wonder of the world.

There is a bridge

across the Road right opposite the structure from where the above photo was taken which is specifically made for pedestrains (& tourists!) to cross the bridge and take pictures. It has a caf and a restaurant to quench your thirst and palate & Rest rooms.

The entrance gate is very unique in structure (more like a sculpture) as seen in the pic below

More about the bridge can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_de_Normandie

Model of the Bridge

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Paris Paris is a Ghasi-piti destination for all Indian tourists. Though my daughter does not appreciate this description. She feels Paris is the most romantic city of the World, and there is always something to write about this city, however many times a person has visited this wonderful city. But I cant add much as we had not spent enough time in the city. But I do have some interesting pics and data. March and April are the wrong months to visit Europe if your purpose is to see the architectural sights. All these structures are up for maintenance and have ugly scaffolding obstructing one photogenic views!

Though, I managed a picture of Eifel without the scaffoldings! (see pic below) It is not fair to Gustav Eifel if I dont post his gate way to the then World Fair, which later came to be known as Eifel Tower. He may feel bad that the famous monument of Paris has gone unnoticed by me even though it is a bit too common!

Arc de Triomphe is with scaffoldings spoil sport

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Queues to climb up the top were long and are expected to take over 2 hrs to get in, so we decided to skip the climb, thus you dont have pics of Paris from atop the Eifel any way any tourist who goes Paris will give you these. But I have an interesting view that no tourist can give you. The day we visited, the Prime Minister of China also wanted to accompany us to Paris, so we had a famous road in the World entirely to ourselves: Champs Elysees! Equivalent to an MG Road in any Indian City on a bandh day!!

The Champs-lyses is arguably one of the world's most famous streets, and is one of the most expensive strips of real estate in the world.

The Champs-lyses, because of its size and proximity to several Parisian landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe, has been the site of several notable military parades, the most

infamous being the march of German troops celebrating the Fall of France on 14 June 1940, and the two most famous, the subsequent marches of Free French and American forces after the liberation of the city, respectively, the French 2nd Armored Division on 26 August 1944, and the U.S. 28th Infantry Division on 29 August 1944.

Champs Elysees and the view of Arc de Triomphe from the middle of the street (a unique photo!)

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We could hardly move in Paris as there were traffic jams (restrictions is the right word) all over lasting 3-4 hrs caused by Chinese PMs visit. So we had to beat a hasty retreat to Omonville. Surprisingly, once the traffic restrictions were removed we could get out of Paris within 30min! So unlike back home! Friday 28th March 2014 Rest and Relaxation at home ( Omonville) We decided to take off and sit at our temporary home and enjoy the weather and the cottage atmosphere. We had pattice (aloo tikkis) in the sun, made by my wife with all the modern gadgets and with some great improvisation in the ingredients and the cooking.

Street performers

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Saturday 29th March 2014 Rouen Today we had decided to visit Rouen the capital of Normandy. This town is famous for the young French heroin Joan of Arc (Jeanne dArc) centre. This 19-yr old was executed for heresy in 1431. There is a cathedral dedicated to her memory at the same place she was burned at stake in the central square.

The Churches soaring modernistic interior layout & exterior shape is lit by some marvellous 16th century

stained glass that depicts the story of Joan

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The city being a capital is modern alright, but it kept its interior timber framing buildings in tact.

A lot of wood is used in the construction across Europe. If they had the same electrical systems that we have in India, whole Europe would have had a fire accident every day in every town and city!

Rouen is known for its Notre Dame cathedral. It is a beautiful building with classical interiors as depicted in the pics below

The Cathedral in Rouen

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Tit Bits: Utilisation of the street & pavements for Restaurants is designed

such that the traffic ( motor as well as the pedestrian) is not affected at all. It is pleasant to sip a cup of coffee on the outside of the caf and enjoy the people doing the same when the sun is shining at 18-200C

Europe has some exotic vegetables that are not available in our part of the world

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My wife was pleasantly surprised to find an Indian Brand so prominently displayed in the market square of Rouen.

Sunday 30th March 2014 Good-bye to Normandy Today we left early morning to Omonville on way back to London. We had a pleasant time. Only regret was that it was not the right month as our cider tour was a disaster and we did not have enough time to spend more time at the D-Day beaches which are of great significance to me especially being an avid reader of WWII (The book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - a non-fiction book by William L. Shirer chronicles the rise and fall of Nazi Germany from the 1920s to 1945 and beautifully describes these landings and the film Saving Private Ryan has the opening scene of the cemetery of Omaha Beach, also the film Longest Day captures the moving account of the great military conquest).

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Our Passports were checked for Visa at the exit of France Border and entry to UK border. So, dont take the risk of going to Schengen countries without having valid visa!!

Sign Post to remind the motorists that they have left their town)