We left De Montreal campsite and headed for Parcverger campsite which is where we stopped on the way down south. Prefer it going that way to be honest. We are now getting really close to coming home. Three nights at Parkverger and the weather was just like a spring day. When we left there we headed north to another aire in the town of Pamproux, when I say town I should have put the ghost in front. The aire was on the edge of the town and it was a beautiful spring day again so we wandered into the ghost town. Lots of loverly old buildings again and a fantastic old covered market building. I think we saw two peaple all the time we were walking around. 

The story’s that building must be able to tell. We only stayed on the aire one night. You can’t have to much excitement in a ghost town.

We decided to make some ground and get further north so set off early and headed out on the motorway (peage)that’s a motorway you pay for. For us if we want to get somewhere it’s worth it, the road was empty, not as empty as Pamproux but very quiet and they are in good condition. To do the same sort of distance on other roads would have been a lot longer. As it was we were on the road for five hours, including a fuel stop for the camper and both of us.The aire was right beside the river L’Orne in a town called Pont d’ouilly. we had a front row spot and no one else there. Again another spring like day, and as we are just chilling out and looking out at the river I spot something on the bank the other side. Like a rat on steroids. Turns out it was a coypu, never seen one before and here in front of us are four playing in the river and then getting out and feeding on the field. Apparently they are a real pest and farmers shoot them because they do so much damage to the riverbanks etc. 

After checking out the weather we decided to move on the next day, forecast for rain and we wanted to get to North Normandy to go to the American war graves. So we set off again through some real bad weather, wind and heavy rain, lots of spray on the roads etc. Got to the aire and set up. The last few miles were very rural roads. The camper is now the dirtiest I have ever seen it, but no point washing it as there is more rain forecast, and we have to leave on the same roads. I must admit it is bugging me though. 

Today we went to the Normandy American war cemetery and museum. The reason we drove all them miles just so we would have the time to visit them. A bit of history for you. The battle of Normandy, also known as D Day started on June 6th 1944.The D stands for day. The cemetery is on the site of the temporary American St Laurent cemetery established by the US first  army on June 8th 1944. The first American cemetery on European soil in World War Two.It covers 172.5 acres and has 9386 graves of military dead. Most of which lost their lives in the D Day landings. On the walls of the missing, a huge semicircular wall are 1557 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. 

The cemetery is so clean and regimental. All the crosses are millimetre perfectly in line what ever way you look at them. The grounds are perfect and you can see the  Omaha beach below which is where they would have landed in there boats etc. This was one of five beaches they landed on. All along this stretch of coast are differant museums and monuments.You can’t imagine what it would have been like to be there. So many young life’s lost. The museum is very good and a short film really brings a lump to your throat with relatives of the dead telling about the letters they received etc. 

So in two sleeps time we get on the ferry from Cherbourg to Poole and head off back to Devon. Thursday our last day we intend to get up near the ferry about an hour from here and visit a aquarium, a submarine and a Titanic museum just to pass the day. I would like to wash the camper also.