In Normandy: D-Day beaches, books, Art Nouveau houses and art...

D-Day 75 Garden Arromanches

So I've had my first holiday in ... basically, years. I have decided that 2024 would be the year I actually keep some time to enjoy myself instead of always giving priority to money-earning activities (i.e teaching agency work, which I have temporarily paused since December 2022, and freelance editorial work, which sometimes can become all-consuming, with constantly changing deadlines and demands). I have decided to tread carefully whilst I consider my next move. Sadly, all this has meant that my third novel The Right Place has once again been placed on the back-burner and the pace of development of my bookselling venture has slown down drastically (although I keep finding more items to add to my stock, see below).

So back to my fortnight away: It was truly thrilling to discover a completely new area for us: Normandy. 
I actually grew up in France but all our summer holidays were spent abroad, so I don't know France very well! 

We stayed in the most brilliant gite, Le Lieu Vaillant, in Blay (about 15mn drive from Bayeux) which I highly recommand (you book via Gites de France who offer a very swift an efficient service!): a quiet rural location, animals everywhere (goats, horses, a dog, a cat and so many birds!). There is a lovely little brocante shop full of treasures which you can reach on one of your little local walks (Rock'N'Broc). We might have bought quite a few items in there... ;-) 

We were there to visit the D-Day landing beaches: Omaha, Juno, Gold and Sword (the latter two being the ones where the British landed) and on the final day, Utah. 
I am surprised at how much it has affected me (but I am one half of a British/French couple, so it was bound to happen, I guess), and I have learnt a lot about the area and what happened there in 1944. I will follow the 80th anniversary evenst closely indeed... Now we know the landscape in which the Allies fought!  
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We were able to do this in the best conditions, without the hordes of tourists (it is going to get busy in June, this year being the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings!). It was surprisingly quiet for the Easter holiday season, and one of the advantages of holidaying there is that 99% of the time, you can park for FREE anywhere you like, even along the most famous beaches! We are really being taken for a ride in the UK... :-(  

Mulberry A harbour, Omaha Beach, St Laurent-sur-mer

Omaha Beach

Piper Bill Millin, Sword Beach

Coming over from England... One of the fabulous maps designed in the 1950s by Robert Foster, Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

Beautifully designed metal flags, The British Normandy Memorial, Ver-sur-Mer

Both pictures above: The British Normandy Memorial, Ver-sur-Mer. A stunning location. We visited late in the afternoon and therefore were on our own! 

Bayeux graffiti

We also went to see the absolutely fabulous BAYEUX TAPESTRY. 
It's so famous, it was actually surreal to actually see it for real! And it is SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL!
A truly fascinating work of art and history! The upstairs exhibition about the tapestry, its origins and the hostorical context is also fascinating. Careful: the museum will close in September 2025 for two years as they develop a new home for the tapestry - hopefully they won't ruin the experience by making it too interactive! Just seeing it is enough... 
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Bayeux is a very beautiful and incredibly prosperous town twinned with... Dorchester, which is up the road from us (how didn't I know this, I wonder?). I think Dorset County Council should actually take a trip to Bayeux to understand how to run a city properly. All the shops are occupied (and they have so many!) and the city knows how to show off its culture and heritage with pride (and they have thrown money at it too, and it shows).
Oh, and once again, you can park anywhere for free. 

Another favourite place was Arromanches, where the Mulberry B Winston Port is located - and is a pretty spectacular sight! You do have to be there to appreciate the scale of the endeavour... 
We visited La Galerie owned by artists Decaroline and Vanluc. Next door, you will find the beautiful La Brocante Chic (all well worth a visit!). 

Utah Beach

Seafront, Hermanville-sur-Mer

La Horde

Chalet Henri

The astonishing La Bluette. 

If, like us, you have a massive thing for houses and architecture, especially Art Nouveau and Belle Epoque, then do have a long stroll along the seafront at Hermanville-sur-Mer and Lion-sur-Mer. 
Houses such as La Horde, La Bluette and Villa Henri were designed by the famous architect Hector Guimard, who designed the instantly recognisable Art Nouveau Paris Metro entrances. 

Tucked away rue George Lelong, just bnehind the seafront in Hermanville-sur-Mer, you can find this gorgeous house full of gargoyles, ceramic animals and poems. The owner is a poetry lover and has added Charles Baudelaire's poems himself to his house (poems from Baudelaire's infamous Les Fleurs du Mal collection of poems). At the top of the facade, you can admire a stunning sundial dominated by the ceramic skeleton, just my thing! 

Above is the fascinating Villa Louis, Lion-sur-Mer. It's an artist's house and has four rooms you can stay in! It's also packed full of vintage treasures and curios... Go to their website to watch a little video which will give you a tour of the house! 

And of course, there were books... 
We visited the super premises of Orep Editions, which specialise in books about Normandy. It is a real treasure trove for anyone interested in the history, heritage and culture of the region. All the books are published by them and their collaborators, including some English-language volumes. We did buy quite a few books - I purchased this great book about Maurice Leblanc, the creator of the illustrious 1900s "gentleman-thief" Arsène Lupin for myself!  
​And, yes, I might have come back with a few books... 
You will read about these on the Arcane Publishing instagram page HERE over the next few weeks! 

We'll be going back as soon as possible, because there is so much to see!