Around the Norman country side

Sunday, May 17, 2009

We started out our first full day in France with delicious French pastries enjoyed with A&D at a cafe. After breakfast and packing up the car with us and our picnic we headed off for the Normandy beaches to get a taste of U.S. and allied history on French soil. We arrived around 10AM at Omaha Beach in Colleville-Sur-Mer, home to one of the historic June 6, 1944 D-day landings and the U.S. Memorial Cemetery.

Entering the beach area we took a quick look at the planned memorial entrance and then climbed down to the actual beach below. The beach is awe-inspiring. To stand in this vast openness where the allied forces landed, you can't help but realize how so many lives were lost. There was (and is) no cover. There was nowhere to run but forward, toward the German army in the sloping hills that line the beach. It's startling to realize that nothing but pure force of will could have propelled the allied armies over the bunkers and allowed them to take the beach head. Standing on the beach in France I got the same patriotic jolt I get from a visit to the FDR Memorial, a jolt meant to remind me of those who sacrificed for what was right and righteous and to whom I owe many of the freedoms I enjoy today.

(Alyce on the Beach)

(The quote that marks the entrance to the beach and Memorial Cemetary)

After seeing the beach we climbed the 50 or so steps back up to the Memorial Cemetery. We walked through one area, looking at the names of those soldiers who fell fighting for the allied forces. We also stumbled across a number of unknown soldiers. Finally, we trekked down to the memorial chapel and back to the statuary area. It was a sobering visit that I would make again.

(A view of the Cemetery)

(Grave of an unknown soldier)

After the Memorial Cemetery, we stopped for a short and delicious picnic by the water. Again, A&D spoiled us with market goodies including some of the best goat cheese I've ever had!! After we'd eaten our fill we continued to Pointe du Hoc, where there are still giant craters in the ground from the shelling that took place there as well as a number of still standing German bunkers. It's crazy to think that bunkers that were meant to be temporary were constructed so well that they are still standing 65 years later.

(Alyce climbing into one of the bunkers)

(Dave at Pointe du Hoc)

At Pointe du Hoc the wind was picking up but we weren't to be deterred. After we'd seen our fill of bunkers and shell holes we made our way up the road to Utah Beach, the second landing site for U.S. troops on D-day. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived the winds were so high we were being pelted with sand. So our stay at Utah was much shorter than Omaha. We snapped a few shots, saw a Sherman tank and then jumped back in the car en route to St. Mere Eglise, the landing site of a parachuter gone astray on D-day. When we arrived we saw that the steeple of church on which the soldier's chute caught has memorialized his landing, as you can see in the picture below.

(The kind of creepy mannequin parachuter)

By the time we had seen the parachuter we were chilled to the bones and needed something to pick us up so into a local cafe for a tea. When we were done we piled back into the car and headed for our residence for the night, a hotel in Avranches. We enjoyed a lovely dinner there and even had a chance to walk through the gardens and see Le Mont St. Michel in the distance.

Counting down the minutes until the screaming...

Friday, May 15 and Saturday May 16, 2009

As is usually the case with European flights, we flew overnight from DC to Paris. But in the interest of cheap tickets we got the shaft on connections. Since we were flying Northwest it would have been the sensible thing to fly DC to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Paris. Alas, no. Instead we flew DC to Minneapolis and then enjoyed 9 confined hours in economy class. But to tell the truth, the flights weren't bad and we arrived in Paris tired but in good spirits. Waited in line for a bit, got our rental car and hit the road. Had a little snag with the GPS in the airport and took a very interesting detour through a parking garage, but once we were out on the open road we cruised into the most incredible country side. Pastoral and verdant, we were totally mesmerized.

After a couple hours our eyes began to droop and we opted to pull off for a roadside nap. 45 minutes later we were back on the road and Ben was feeling confident he could make the rest of the drive without falling asleep and disturbing the peaceful country side by running off the road. Three and a half hours after starting out we rolled into Rennes and thanks to the kookey GPS lady we found Alyce and Dave without incident. (FYI - I'm going to co-opt Alyce's acronyming and call them A&D from here on out).

I rang the buzzer on their apartment expecting a happy scream to greet me and I was not disappointed! My "we're here" was followed by a mini-shriek from Al and "we're coming down." Fast forward through the hugs and the hellos and the not so quiet babbling began. As Alyce's own post on our arrival points out, catching up on nine months isn't easy! But we forged on valiantly, Alyce and I babbling all the way through the car parking and up to their apartment, even through the delicious snacks (locally grown strawberries, herb crusted cheese, perfect french bread and incredible chocolate deliciousness!) they had waiting for us from the morning's market. After our bellies were full we headed to the hotel to settle in to our hotel with Dave and Ben walking behind Alyce and I, chatting to one another, not even trying to keep up with the rapid fire sentence swapping going on ahead of them.

After settling into our hotel we headed back to meet A&D for a quick walk around Rennes and then a delicious dinner at a local creperie.

(Me with a freakishly manicured duck bush in Thabor Park)

If you haven't figured this out already, this trip was intended to be food-centric and A&D started us out with a bang! Savory gallettes with goat cheese, meats, creme fraiche...utterly delicious! And it only got better. For dessert, sweet crepes with the salty caramel Alyce had so thoroughly talked up. We couldn't believe our tastebuds. Just writing about it I'm salavating for more.

We enjoyed our dinner and our catching up so much that we didn't want it to end, but we'd been up for many, many hours and so after our delicious dessert we headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Let me start by saying, while tremendously delicious, this cake is not what I'd characterize as "good for you." But it's so good. I made this for brunch on Inauguration Day (thought it deserved something special) and everyone raved about it! Credit goes to Ina Garten for the recipe.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Serves: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
WW Points: Far too many!