The Fridays tour - Normandy 15th-22nd June

[ceepeebee]

Mind you, instead of lamenting the lack or otherwise of a decent cuppa char, we could just embrace the fact that the French make better coffee than we do…

Controversial! IME even the Dutch make better coffee than our French cousins.

 

[ianmac62]

the Dutch make better coffee

I think you've confused coffee with apple cake.

 

[ceepeebee]

Well, that too. I don't know what it is, but French coffee and I have never got on, it always seems so weak. Then again, I'm a complete aeropressing, hand-grinding snob about my coffee.

 

[Snail Bait]

Hi. I've just booked my ferry tickets. Out on Sat 15th at 4pm but garage is full for bike bookings so have to take wheels of and bung in a bag. If anyone of the bods who can no longer make it are cancelling that Portsmouth crossing could you let me know so I can ring them and get the bike space. Thank you. Cate

 

[Snail Bait]

Oh I don't know, I at least half regret every bit of rushing in my youth.

je ne regrette rien

 

[StuAff]

Having been thinking about submarines (on account of the forlorn sight of the increasingly decrepit Soviet sub at Rochester), one link led to another which led to this... http://www.citedelamer.com/exhibiti...rine-open-to-the-public-in-the-world/?lang=en
Possible solution to what to do in Cherbourg of a Saturday. €18 entry though, sheesh.....

 

[StuAff]

I have somewhat mixed views about this bike shop being rather too far away. On the one hand, I'd love to have a browse and a test ride or two. On the other, it might involve spending several thousand euros.... And not the ideal time for a visit, there's a race on that week......

 

[srw]

Well, that too. I don't know what it is, but French coffee and I have never got on, it always seems so weak. Then again, I'm a complete aeropressing, hand-grinding snob about my coffee.

There is an aeropress and a handgrinder in the car outside the flat, waiting to go to the office tomorrow morning - I've got bored with complaining about the stuff the canteen serves up.

French coffee is thin at least partly, I think, because the typical French* blend involves Robusta as well as Arabica beans. That gives oomph at the expense of depth of flavour.

*as, indeed, does the typical Italian blend.

 

[ianmac62]

For the sake of provincials, could you or ceepeebee explain what these objects are?

 

[srw]

And for the Yorkshiremen and Scots* - I've just spent £50 on the two devices. Decent coffee beans cost roughly £20 a kilo - you need about 15 grams for a double espresso, so the raw materials cost about 30p.

Over the last 2 years I've been working in this particular office I've probably bought a £1.75 frothy coffee a couple of times a week or so, as the filter jugs that get delivered to the office kitchen go stale before they leave the canteen. The £1.75 frothy stuff is no better than passable, so it often (far too often for my waistline) gets accompanied by a £1.50 cake.

You do the maths, as the Americans would say if they knew English.

*Other cultural stereotypes are available.

 

[velovoice]

[...] as the Americans would say if they knew English.

Hey! I resemble that remark.

I say "maths". But it could be that I've gone native.

 

[srw]

To my embarrassment I discover from OED online that there's a US citation for "maths" from 1948, and a UK citation for "math" from 1891. It's another cultural stereotype, isn't it?

 

[CharlieB]

Well, I bumped into one member of the recce party this afternoon. Without giving away too much, they told me, full of enthusiasm, that we're in for a treat.

That's all.

 

[redjedi]

so after a very nervous 4 weeks waiting for a replacement passport it finally turned up on Saturday, so now I can finally start planning for the holiday.

As the only luggage option available to me and my bike is a rucksack, I'll be travelling as light as possible, especially since I'll be riding all the way from London via Caens. I think I'll need to buy a medium sized backpack to limit what I carry as I only have a huge one currently.
I see the essentials have been covered already i.e. tea, coffee, beer but will I need to bring a towel with me or will that be supplied?

Are there any other items I need to consider bringing?

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

I've been thinking about towels too and saw those microfibre ones in an outdoor shop last night that fold down really small and weigh almost nothing. Might be an option.