I have enjoyed starting the day with a wonderfully flaky pastry. I am sure however, that this habit will not cross the ocean with me.

We arrived at the Chateau Falaise just after it opened. This is where William the Conqueror was born and raised.

There were story boards by the parking lot describing how Falaise was liberated in 1945 as part of Operation Overlord. D-Day was June 6 and the plan had been to have Falaise free by June 10. It took until August 9th for the Canadians (i.e., South Saskatchewan Regiment, The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada and the Fusiliers Mont-Royal) to finally gain control of Falaise. I have learned a great deal about WWII and its impact on the French. The pictures of the devastation inflicted at the time doesn’t match what has been rebuilt and it is hard to not think about what has been overcome. This said, we were about to walk into a castle that has withstood at least 5 sieges over the centuries and German occupation in more recent history. War has been a part of history for millennium and we haven’t learned to avoid it yet.

Our next stop was at the statue dedicated to William the Conqueror in the town square. It was impressive.

The castle grounds are open to the public without charge. The atmosphere is park-like It is only when you want to go into the castle that you have to purchase a ticket. We started our tour at the same time a group of young children (kindergarten/grade 1) were starting thiers. While they had a French speaking guide with a jester hat on to interpret the site for them, we were given tablets that, when held over an icon in each room, would give information about the room and show us a picture of what it would have looked like in William the Conqueror’s time. It was impressive tech and the story-telling was good. In each room there was a projected image animating the story of different characters in the “William the Conqueror/Battle of Hastings” story. There is an ongoing collaboration between British and French historians to tell an integrated story in both England and France.

The final room of the castle had a movie that told the whole story from William’s birth to his coronation as the King of England. It was well done and left me impressed that, within less than one year of the King of England’s death, William planned an invasion, equipped an army, invaded effectively, taunted his foe to make sure he fought before William’s troops ran out of supplies, fought and took over England. The guy was a great project manager.

Looking for something entirely different, we went searching for Beuvron-sur-Aug, one of France’s “most beautiful villages”, as a place for lunch. We have learned that the title is another way of describing a quaint tourist trap. The food was good and it was a pleasant was community to walk through.

Our last challenge of the day was to find a cidery and do a calvados tasting. We have been staying in the Calvados region and on the “Cider Route”. We lucked into stopping at a lovely domaine just a few km from our residence. The Pierre Huot domaine has been producing cider and calvados (I.e., apple brandy) since 1865. We arrived just as a bus load of seniors were leaving the tasting room. We asked if we could do a tasting of cider and calvados and we were treated to a generous sampling of both liquids. Both were delicious and we bought samples to sip tonight and to bring home to share.

Our last stop of the day matched our first as we stopped at our local bakery to pick up quiche for dinner. It was delicious! Tomorrow we are off to Giverny and Lisieux for our last day in Normandy before heading to Paris.