Fete de Frommage and Trouville Chaos

This morning we were up early to take TZ and DG to their first Overlord Tour of the D-Day sites. We will all go on one together on Tuesday, but this is an extra one they wanted to do.

I took a walk down by the beach while Greg showered, and came across this...

I know it wasn't meant for me, but I claimed it anyway. And, Nic, whoever you are, nice job. Happy Mother's Day to all.

I'd read about a cheese festival in Pont L'Eveque, so we headed there. Along the way, we saw some fabulous scenery. I think Normandy is actually prettier than Brittany, and I thought it would be hard to beat. We continue to see the beautiful yellow flowers, and Greg has taken many pictures of them trying to capture their glory. And they smell so good too! We're hoping to find someone who can tell us what they are and why there are fields of them everywhere.

The Fete de Frommage was a foodie extravaganza! They had a huge tent set up with maybe about 100 vendors who were selling cheese (obviously), wine, sausage, spices, breads - and giving little samples to us as we passed along.

We bought some cheese and some dried fruit. And then had to split a Croque Monsieur because it looked so good.

There were lots of people there, and many were in some kind of ceremonial-looking costume. And they even had a bank playing "When the Saints Go Marching In". Fun time.

Then we had the idea to go north to the coast to Trouville. Greg had seem some pictures of the waterfront area, and it looked really nice. I don't know if it was because it was a Sunday, or if it was just because it is a beautiful sunny day, but the town was bumper to bumper traffic. We tried to find a place to park, and when we couldn't find one, we just drove out of town. It would be nice to go back, but I don't know if we'll have the time.

Sundays are difficult here because everything closes. Large supermarkets close and many smaller specialty stores do too. We looked for a place to pick up things for dinner, but couldn't find one, so after we pick up TZ and DG, we'll probably try to find a restaurant that's open.

Just a little side note... It is strange not to hear American voices. We've only run into two other Americans in the time we've been here (before our friends arrived). At the cheese festival, we were surrounded by friendly French folk, many of whom chatted away to us while we nodded and smiled. I had a very animated conversation with a couple who knew I didn't understand but insisted on continuing to tell me something. I hope it wasn't anything life-threatening. And I sometimes feel that I'm being really rude by not responding. The vendors at the festival would all greet me and say something about their products, and I'd have to tell each one that I didn't speak French. But that didn't stop them.

Tomorrow we hope to visit more charming French villages and discover calvados.