Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Montataire, the town of Gilda's ancestors
We left Gilda's family to go to Montataire (France), the hometown of Gilda’s ancestors, and see if we could find our more about Gilda's ancestors. We arrived in the late afternoon, so we had not to much time but we went to he cemetery were here great-grand parents are buried and found a lot of other graves of (distant) relatives. As the cemtery closed and we als had to find a place to sleep we diceded to do soem more research teh next day.
As it was evening and we need a sleep we drove around to find this nice place for just €28,00 a room. A bit like the F1 style of hotels but just a bit better. Also they had a nice restaurant were we had a nice meal.
Next morning we went to the town hall of montataire to see if we could find out more about Gilda's family history. There was a ladyworking at "Le Marie" that was ever so helpful and provided us with all the information we wanted. She took our address and promissed to send the transcrips of birth and death record to our home address.
Also we went back to the cemetery as now we new a bit more about Gilda's ancestry. I took a lot of pictures of the headstones of (posible) related persons, with the intention to show them to Gilda's grand-mother (99 years in august 2004), and see what she can remember.
After having visited Montataire we drove on towards Normandy. We drove all the way to Rouen were we slept in one of the convenience hotels called Formule 1 (F1 for short). The address F1 Rouen Est, D138 ZAc du Champ Cornu, 76240 Le mesnil-Esnard France. Phone: 0033(0)891705372. No luxury, but just a room with one double bed and one single bed, a TV and thats all. Showers and toilets in the hall, but they are really clean, as they are cleaned and disinfected automatically after each use.
Price €23,00 for the room and for € 6,80 per person extra you have a big breakfast. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate, bread, butter, jam, serials, milk, orange juice as much as you can drink or eat.
As it was evening and we need a sleep we drove around to find this nice place for just €28,00 a room. A bit like the F1 style of hotels but just a bit better. Also they had a nice restaurant were we had a nice meal.
Next morning we went to the town hall of montataire to see if we could find out more about Gilda's family history. There was a ladyworking at "Le Marie" that was ever so helpful and provided us with all the information we wanted. She took our address and promissed to send the transcrips of birth and death record to our home address.
Also we went back to the cemetery as now we new a bit more about Gilda's ancestry. I took a lot of pictures of the headstones of (posible) related persons, with the intention to show them to Gilda's grand-mother (99 years in august 2004), and see what she can remember.
After having visited Montataire we drove on towards Normandy. We drove all the way to Rouen were we slept in one of the convenience hotels called Formule 1 (F1 for short). The address F1 Rouen Est, D138 ZAc du Champ Cornu, 76240 Le mesnil-Esnard France. Phone: 0033(0)891705372. No luxury, but just a room with one double bed and one single bed, a TV and thats all. Showers and toilets in the hall, but they are really clean, as they are cleaned and disinfected automatically after each use.
Price €23,00 for the room and for € 6,80 per person extra you have a big breakfast. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate, bread, butter, jam, serials, milk, orange juice as much as you can drink or eat.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Remember D-Day June 6 1944 (part two)
Remember D-Day June 6 1944 (part two)
After our breakfast we left Rouen behind us and we headed for the Normandy beaches. Sure we could not book a hotel or such, so still had no place to sleep. Bit that did'nt bother us much as we just hoped to be lucky as we mostly are when travelling around.
Our planned route was: Rouen -> Caen -> Bayeux-> St. Mère Eglise.
But near Caen the roads became blocked and at Bayeux we turned directly to the Normady shores in the direction of Arromanches. During "Operation Overlord" this area was known as "Gold Beach"
Roads were getting even more blocked, and we saw more and more WW II Jeeps, Dodges, GMG et cetera.
We managed to enter Arromanches and even found a place to park our car not far form the main road and the beaches where the artifical port was build just after june 6th 1944, the so called Mulberry's.
We sat ourselves on a nice terrace and had a wonderful bottle of local cider. Just in front of us we could see the remains of the old Mulberry B.
We now were getting some of the spirit that was roaming over Normandy those days of remembrance, specially when we started walking down mean street and meeting all those English WW II veterans that had liberated Europe.
These old men had come to pay honour to their fallen comrades but also to celebrate the beginning of victory over an evil empire.
Photo's click here
After our breakfast we left Rouen behind us and we headed for the Normandy beaches. Sure we could not book a hotel or such, so still had no place to sleep. Bit that did'nt bother us much as we just hoped to be lucky as we mostly are when travelling around.
Our planned route was: Rouen -> Caen -> Bayeux-> St. Mère Eglise.
But near Caen the roads became blocked and at Bayeux we turned directly to the Normady shores in the direction of Arromanches. During "Operation Overlord" this area was known as "Gold Beach"
Roads were getting even more blocked, and we saw more and more WW II Jeeps, Dodges, GMG et cetera.
We managed to enter Arromanches and even found a place to park our car not far form the main road and the beaches where the artifical port was build just after june 6th 1944, the so called Mulberry's.
We sat ourselves on a nice terrace and had a wonderful bottle of local cider. Just in front of us we could see the remains of the old Mulberry B.
We now were getting some of the spirit that was roaming over Normandy those days of remembrance, specially when we started walking down mean street and meeting all those English WW II veterans that had liberated Europe.
These old men had come to pay honour to their fallen comrades but also to celebrate the beginning of victory over an evil empire.
Photo's click here
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Remember D-Day June 6 1944, Normandy June 2004
D-Day June 6 1944 -> June 6 2004
This year Gilda and me decided to celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. We tried to book a hotel, but they had all been booked for more then a year. Even bed and breakfast and camping’s were all booked full. So we decided to just take our chance and just drive over to Normandy and see what we could find. If noting, we would just sleep in our car. Gilda had gone ahead and was staying with her grandmother in Châtel Censoir; a small town not far form Auxerre. I drove down from Amsterdam on the 29th of May to pick up Gilda. On my way down I got a small preview of what was waiting! Jus before I crossed the border to Belgium. I overtook a colon of old military cars, most Willy Jeeps, but also a Dodge and GMC truck. There must have been 15 cars all together, and most guys were wearing 1944 military uniforms.
When I was driving trough France I run into even more colons of military cars and I even saw a beautiful flight of old planes. A few Spitfires, some Dakota C 47 and a few bombers.It took me much longer then usual to get to Châtel, as I just had to slow down and watch all these magnificent machines.
But I managed to get there and told Gilda all about it and we could not wait to get to Normandy.
On our way there we had a stop at Montataire to do some research on Gilda's ancestors.
This year Gilda and me decided to celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. We tried to book a hotel, but they had all been booked for more then a year. Even bed and breakfast and camping’s were all booked full. So we decided to just take our chance and just drive over to Normandy and see what we could find. If noting, we would just sleep in our car. Gilda had gone ahead and was staying with her grandmother in Châtel Censoir; a small town not far form Auxerre. I drove down from Amsterdam on the 29th of May to pick up Gilda. On my way down I got a small preview of what was waiting! Jus before I crossed the border to Belgium. I overtook a colon of old military cars, most Willy Jeeps, but also a Dodge and GMC truck. There must have been 15 cars all together, and most guys were wearing 1944 military uniforms.
When I was driving trough France I run into even more colons of military cars and I even saw a beautiful flight of old planes. A few Spitfires, some Dakota C 47 and a few bombers.It took me much longer then usual to get to Châtel, as I just had to slow down and watch all these magnificent machines.
But I managed to get there and told Gilda all about it and we could not wait to get to Normandy.
On our way there we had a stop at Montataire to do some research on Gilda's ancestors.
