The Fridays tour - Normandy 15th-22nd June

[User10571]

Now then, you sound like of those old geezers that can't handle change!

Not me, I flex with the flow, young whippersnapper......
I just reserve the right to grumble.
And eat chocolate

In quantity.

 

[Tim Hall]

A couple of great compositions there. I wish I were sober enough to link directly to them for an acknowledgement.

Allow me:

This assumes we have the same taste in great composition. Anyway, tip top pic Mice.

By the way, did Les Vendredis go to Barfleur?

 

[StuAff]

Allow me:

This assumes we have the same taste in great composition. Anyway, tip top pic Mice.

By the way, did Les Vendredis go to Barfleur?

I agree, and yes, we did.

 

[srw]

I was thinking more of the pic of Alice at the entrance to Orglandes, among one or two others - but yes, TC on the beach makes a great pic too.

Yes, we did go to Barfleur - twice. Being a suburban boy I enjoyed Razor clams mariniere as part of my lunch. - "Razor clams? I can pick them up from the beach at Swansea" said a certain Welsh food guru disimissively.

There are probably some photos of the place among the less interesting pics in our photodump.

 

[Tim Hall]

I agree, and yes, we did.

Hmm. 18 years ago I was taken there by friends, a couple of weeks before I got married on a kind of stag weekend thing. After an excellent meal, we partook of unknown green drinks and were then refused entry to a club.

Anyway, this one made me and Mrs. Hall laugh:

 

[andyman]

My pics too are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianmac55/sets/72157634329276742/

Ian, I never did get to visit the memorial just up from Le Grand Gite so was pleased to see you had stopped their as we drove past heading home on the last day

I was even happier when I looked at your pictures to see you had included some close ups from the memorial

How poignant it became when I read that the bomber in question had taken off from AAF 153 in Framlingham. I lived in Framlingham, Suffolk for 11 years and AAF 153 is better known as Parham Airfield, backs onto the garden of the house where my kids lived.

It's in private hands now and the owner still uses one of the airstrips ( I actually taught my son Ross to drive on that same runway!) Many a day we have wondered up to the airfield and visited the well maintained, albeit very small tower museum.

I will now make a double effort to return and read more on Lt Mann, his crew and the ill fated mission.

Thanks!

 

[andyman]

.....

I have started a blog about my cycling and have a link to the Mice Goes to Normandy here: http://the5milecyclist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/mice-en-tour-avec-les-fridays.html

Mice

Oh such hilarity - I have just conveyed to Jo, the section of your blog that recounts our post fish restaurant stroll that ended up a double time stomp around the harbour! We are falling about laughing as we did then

 

[Snail Bait]

I didn't say, its in the proper red and green colours not the frankly ludicrous and abhorrent blue and pink version. Now that I have compared it to my ones I'd say that it is most probably from the second batch. It is crying out to be reunited with its owner and pleading not to become my unnecessary third Friday's jersey.

Would you believe me if I said it was mine?

 

[CharlieB]

Fab fab photos, @Mice and @ianmac62 ! Thank you.

 

[Mice]

Thank you peeps for your kind comments. It was a fantastic trip - and the descent to Veuville on the recce was stunning not least as I did 35mph going down there! (Which i realise is a pootle for you peeps but for me it is the fastest I can cope with!!) It's a beautiful part of the world - including Barfleur which I loved. http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-04kh9I-HjB0/UaZjpoDKo9I/AAAAAAAAcDk/xEiUzugxUhU/s1024/IMG_1703.JPG. http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hrUOfVBSh9s/UcTAwIf0ExI/AAAAAAAAe7A/3EKlIBUObJY/s1024/IMG_2744.JPG

(If these links don't work I'll add them from my laptop later)

I have put all the pics on my blog because they have different points of appeal for different reasons and they remain more of a photo journal rather than an Agent H/Tim Hall /Charlie B/svw/Ian MacS works of art.

I can hardly believe it's all over and I am still grinning from ear to ear!

Mice

 

[Mice]

Nice photos mice! This photo. Wow. Makes you want to ride a bike huh!?

Thank you iLB! I have to confess that the reason I took this pic was because I thought it would be fun to see Gordon go down it and then reappear on the horizon. So I camera-zoomed in on that bit of road and waited. And waited. After about 5 minutes I realised that the bit I was looking at wasn't part of our route and everyone had turned a sharp left before!! Hahahaha how I laughed as I shot off to find them all waiting for me at the bottom!!

 

[CharlieB]

Nice.
Somewhere around Pantone 333 or 334 here.

Thank you, J, but I thought it was somewhere around Cannes.

 

[Andrew Br]

I should have got in earlier with my comments because most of what I want to say has already been said......

For us it was a holiday of contrasting weeks; the first week involved lots of driving and very little cycling, the second week was the opposite. Thankfully, the cycling that we did early in the holiday was excellent; we even covered part of this year's TdeF route although we only realised this later

I think that we got to the chateau before everyone else having gone to meet the bishop to collect DZ's and AH's luggage. We neither shook his hand nor kissed his ring so we weren't as blessed as some.
After that, my memories seem to blur into each other but they're all good: terrific food, great cycling and, best of all, amazing company.

Many thanks to those who made such fantastic food for so many of us, to the bread run peeps and to the reccy party for coming up with very clever routes.
Biggest thanks though to everyone for being so lovely and to Simon for organising a holiday that Helen and I will never forget it was so good.
More good news; I'm back on the team. Yay !

Photos here:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31668252@N05/sets/72157634315631885/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/31668252@N05/sets/72157634321401480/

I should add that the better photos were probably taken by Helen.


.

 

[Mice]

More good news; I'm back on the team. Yay !


.

Back on the team! Hahahaha! Well done!

Great pics!

Mice

 

[User10571]

Yadda... yadda...
Photos here:
.... more yadda....

Oh good!
Something to look forward to, once I've had my bath and am tucking in to my chorizo, ginger & orange risotto. Nom!