La daabacay: 22.08.2022
I spent 4 days at this beautiful place on the Normandy coast, specifically during the commemorative ceremonies honoring the Canadian soldiers who fought against the Germans and their French allies in 1942. The ceremonies were very impressive and took place in every small town. Several streets were closed, and in Dieppe, there was a large military camp reminiscent of the 1940s, which was somewhat unsettling to me. ๐ณ
The Les Goelands campsite is very chill and in a great location ๐, if it weren't for the nuclear power plant right next door that I found out about yesterday. ๐ But if you don't look in that direction, you can easily ignore the uneasy feeling and enjoy the beautiful coastline. ๐ Inland, it's a bit bleak here because most of the fields are harvested and dry and brown, except for the many cornfields. However, I have met many nice people here, like Paul from London, with whom I have almost completed a mini triathlon for 2 days now: morning yoga, followed by a run, then cooling off in the sea, and in the afternoon, cycling 20-30 km. During all these activities, I learned so much about him, yoga and breathing techniques, community and charity work in London, and his life. In the evenings, we sat together with Bert and Ria from Holland, who retired early to fully enjoy life, including traveling with their motorhome.
Surprisingly, it is still very difficult to communicate with the French because my French is limited to a few polite phrases, and most French people cannot, do not want to, or are too afraid to speak English. It's a shame. ๐คทโโ๏ธ
Tomorrow, I will continue towards Brittany, to Mont Saint Michel, which technically still belongs to Normandy.
By the way, Paul enlightened me: I'm not even at the Atlantic yet, just at the British Channel. So it's about time I move on. ๐๐