About 18 years ago, on a trip to a small town in Brittany with friends, I learned about the long-distance coastal path, the GR34, or “the G” to those in the know. And now here we are on an 8-day walk with those very friends along a section of the path known as the pink granite coast. Blissful rain and a 15-mile day didn’t dampen our spirits one bit.
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With temps still hot we stayed close to the shoreline and headed to northern Normandy where we found small fishing villages and white chalk cliffs (same geologically as the White Cliffs of Dover). We bid our friends au revoir as they head further north and we head south to Brittany. One day our paths will croissant again.
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We kicked it up a notch and joined the watch party at a bar for the French World Cup match. Everyone sang the national anthem and jumped up to scream for their goal models. Pitch perfect!
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The Four Cs of Normandy include Camembert, cider, Calvados (apple brandy liqueur), and crème (cream sauces or crème brûlée). When we see “à la Normandy” on a menu we know it will be bathed in butter and cream. I understand my mission.
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With temperatures soaring we took to e-bikes in search of cooler coastal weather. We rode along the Gold and Juno D-Day beaches and took a swim in the English Channel but, even with that break, by the afternoon we all suffered from heat exhaustion and collapsed on the side of the road feeling the burn.
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We started our tour of the D-Day beaches and monuments at the center for history and peace in Caen and moved on to the American cemetery at Omaha Beach with 9000 marble headstones. The sculptured trees made me think of paratrooper parachutes. Our peaceful walk on Omaha Beach was such a stark contrast to the horrific deaths that happened there.
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Across France the solstice brings amateur musicians out onto the streets of every town. In our tiny town of Bayeux alone we saw and heard over a dozen bands. Everyone is urged to play music outside — in their neighborhoods, at cafes, or parks. No talent required. The Director of Music at the French Ministry of Culture discovered, in a 1982 study, that one young person out of two played a musical instrument. In a note-worthy move, he started the Fete de la Musique to bring music out onto the streets every summer solstice.
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