August 1: Portsmouth to Caen, and Lion-Sur-Mer

Time to say bonjour to France! I had a ferry crossing booked from Portsmouth to the port near Caen, and with the need to check in early I was unable to fulfill my quest to do most of my traveling via public transport — the train couldn’t get me there in time! So, I had the luxury of Steve’s Taxi service to provide door to door service from Lucy’s in Winchester to the Brittany Ferry terminal building in Portsmouth. It was an enormous ferry, taking both pedestrians and lots of vehicles across. Some of the sailings are at night, which are a bit slower, so there’s an option to get a cabin with a berth for sleeping. The trip was just under 6 hours, but I thought a berth/private cabin sounded pretty nice so ante’d up the $20 to get one. Which came in handy as I napped for an hour or so on the crossing.

The best part was that the sun was out for pretty much the entire time, and the channel was very calm so it was lovely to sit out on the rear deck and read my book and feel warm for the first time in several weeks. Interestingly because I am reading the D-Day book by Stephen Ambrose, I was so very aware of the thousands of men and ships that made this same crossing — from Portsmouth to the Caen area — almost 75 years ago for the invasion of Normandy. Our landing was quite a bit smoother, and a simple shuttle bus took me to the car rental at the train station. From there I made my way back to the north coast to the little town of Lion-Sur-Mer, about where Sword Beach was for the British troops’ landings.

The town has been occupied since antiquity, as evidenced by certain vestiges of buildings dating after the colonization by the Romans. However, it was not until the Middle Ages that the village of Lion-sur-Mer really formed, becoming a small fishing port as early as the 12th century. The city was transformed into a seaside resort in the 19th century, as sea-bathing became in fashion. Villas were quickly built on the water’s edge, and Lion-sur-Mer turned mainly to tourism.

Classified as an historic monument, the church of Saint-Pierre reveals a bell tower dating from the first half of the 12thC, while the original building was built in the 11thC, on the remains of a necropolis with a sarcophagus of the 4thC. Transformed over and over again, it now reveals a mixed and varied style, as evidenced by the Henry-de-Blagny chapel built in the 19th century and neo-gothic style.

I strolled along the beach, thinking about DDay, and noting the various architectural styles and ages of the buildings along the seashore. The channel/sea was full of seaweed, and terribly smelly so after awhile I made my way back through town for dinner and a rest in the lovely Le Vivier B&B, which has the most beautiful gardens outside my window.

And that was Tuesday.

  1 comment for “August 1: Portsmouth to Caen, and Lion-Sur-Mer

  1. DLE
    August 2, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Great choice of reading for this leg!

    xoxoxox

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