August 5, 2013
Honfleur to Cabourg: More hills
Although it is so full of tourists we loved Honfleur. Last night we went down to the Port to eat, it was difficult to choose exactly which restaurants to give our business to. I had a great salad and Ken a gallette once more washed down with the local cider. Then came massive excitement when a fight broke out a couple of restaurants along. Punches were being thrown and lots of shouting, great interest from all around and that restaurant emptied out in a flash. People came running from all directions and the fighters were taken away, just to start up further down the street. Eventually when everything had completely calmed down the police arrived. As we walked home I was sorry to see that the restaurant where it happened still had no clients.
We were up early as usual and on our way. We had anticipated that the route would be pretty flat today. Why do we never learn? Our coffee stop at Trouville was fantastic and we each had an enormous pain au raisin. Best however was the French man in the next table who was extremely keen to talk with us. I struggled away in my terrible French, he was around our age and charming, perfectly capable of coping with my mauvaise Francais. I would have thought that the enormous pastry would have got me over the hill from Villers sur Mer but it didn’t. I screamed down the other side though. At Cabourg, although we had only done a short distance our bikes had difficulty going past the Information de Tourisme. We have decided to stay two nights here. Tomorrow we will take our unladden bikes and visit some of the World War 2 sites and museums and the next day go on to Bayeaux .
After La Havre the very stony beaches have been replaced by sandy beaches and this place is full of people enjoying their seaside holiday. There are lots of lovely dogs too. I fear however that French dogs may lose the use of their legs. There are special carriages like baby buggies for dogs and many of them seem to need to be carried. Ken was watching one walking with its owner who walked a while then sat down and refused to move. Rather reminded me of a lovely but very lazy Golden Retriever we had when our kids were little who only walked with enthusiasm when walking towards home.
It is certainly a fun time for young and old here. The glace merchants are certainly doing a roaring trade. Every second shop is some sort of eatery, most of the rest seemed to be selling either beach clothes or huge packs of buckets and spades. Down on the beach red looking bodies are sunning themselves and in the distance (the tide is way out) people are frolicking in the sea. The police on their bikes are keeping a benign eye on things. This town must have been completely spared in World War 2 as it is full of really lovely Victoria era buildings this must have been with the advent of trains, the time when visiting the seaside first became a really popular thing to do.
Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 314 km (195 miles)
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