Last Day

Today was the last day of our wonderful holiday!
We packed up after breakfast and headed to Honfleur which was always one of my favourite places as a child. 
I once wandered off to buy my mum a present in one of the shops. I was about nine. They couldn't speak English and thought I was lost and asking for help. I couldn't speak French and just wanted to buy a lovely pot of mustard.
I remember that they wouldn't let me leave and I got really panicky. Eventually my mum turned up and all was well.
She still has the mustard pot on her kitchen shelves!
When we got there this morning we managed to park quite close to the harbour and set off for a lovely walk. It's so beautiful!
The Little Misses loved the carousel and taking lots of pictures with mummy's camera!
After ice cream and coffee we headed back towards the ferry at Caen.
I had planned our route to take us over Pegasus Bridge because I wanted the Little Misses to see a bit of D-Day history.
We parked up and walked over the bridge to the Cafe Gondree. I remember seeing it on the coverage of the 70th anniversary of D-Day last year and wanted to go.
Already a cafe, it was the first house to be liberated in France during the last hour of June 5th 1944. The night before D-Day. 
By the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Imagine that, young men from Bicester and Buckingham and Winslow and Oxford!
It was such an evocative place - full of memorabilia and commemorations. Embarrassingly we had to pay for our drinks with handfuls of coins - €14 in change, all the money we had left! Luckily Mme Gondree was very grateful for the change!
We sat outside trying to explain a little bit of the history to the Little Misses. It was very real actually being there, able to point to the beaches and the bridge and explain what happened there seventy one years ago.
And to explain that the lady in the cafe had been there on that night just a bit younger than them; that it wasn't ancient history.
We went back inside for Mr K to look at all the photos and artefacts and Mme Gondree (the lady in pink to the right of the cafe door) came over to talk to us. She asked how old Miss L was and said that she had been struck by her long blonde hair. It reminded her of herself as a child.
She told us stories of her father doing her hair with strips of newspaper to make it curlier.
She talked to the Little Misses at length about how it had been during the Occupation - no toys, no clothes, not enough food, tough times. And how the Red Cross had come in the days after D-Day and given her a dress and a little doll with a spotty dress. She still has them both.
It was incredible talking to her. She was there! And really doesn't seem that old.
We chatted about the castles we'd seen on our travels and then got into a surreal conversation about the virtues of the A43 over the M1!! She clearly has strong ties with England!
When we left we told the Little Misses how special it had been to meet her. They might not realise it or understand now but it had been a real privilege.
From there we went to Carrefour to stock up on yoghurts in jars (not a sheep or a chestnut in sight!!), cheese, gluten free muesli bars which Miss L loves, some dinner plates and side plates (I like to buy useful souvenirs!!!!) and a load of other French treats to remind us of our holiday!
The ferry was brilliant. The Littles Misses loved the cabin - especially the bunks and the ladders! They loved walking on the ridiculously windy deck and there was a fab playroom for them. They made loads of friends while Mr K and I sat outside feeling a bit seasick! We ate a huge meal in the restaurant (lamb tagine and chips for me, yummy!!!) and felt a lot better.
Miss E declared it was the highlight of the holiday and would like to go on holiday again sailing between France and England. Bless her, she's discovered cruising and doesn't know it!!
Six hours later we were zooming up the A34 towards home.
After a thoroughly wonderful holiday!!