As the clock in Waterloo Train Station ticked on, the time of my train to Portsmouth Harbour to meet the ferry that would take me to Normandie grew near. I knew I was close to the platform and gate, my electronic ticket was in my email on my phone and….my phone, for reasons best known to it, had locked me out of all password-protected apps and, thus would not let me access my email or my e-ticket. The available WIFI was not passing on the instant message to my phone with the code to reset my password, and there went my train. A kind Southwest Train employee pointed me to the humans at the ticket office after the machine insisted that there were no further trains to my destination that day. Another kind staff member got me on the next train out and I was in time to meet my Normandie hosts Lesley and Olivier at Gunwharf Mall in Portsmouth and board the ferry to Ouistreham with them.

Why Normandie?

I was, for many years, a member, and later chair, of the Alexandria, Virginia-Caen, France Sister City Committee, part of Sister Cities International (https://sistercities.org/). Through this great organization, I had the opportunity to visit the city of Caen and the region of Normandie, France many times. I have made friendships there that I will have for the rest of my life. And, I have come to love that part of France. There is, of course, the history, not only the World War II history, made popular by movies like “The Longest Day,” and “Saving Private Ryan,” but history going back to the time of William the Conqueror, who crossed “la Manche,” (the Channel) to England from Normandy and was crowned the first Norman King of England in 1066. The people of Normandy are warm, kind, and friendly. The cuisine is incredible. So, when I had this chance to return and stay with my dear friend Lesley and her partner Olivier, I was thrilled to return.

Back Home in Hérouvillette

Herouvillette is a small community where Lesley raised her daughters in an old farmhouse that she renovated herself! I have been a guest there several times over the years. Now that her daughters are off living interesting lives elsewhere, Lesley and Olivier share the home with an ancient brindle cat and two dogs that literally changed my life, Golfie, a beagle, and Skye, a highland terrier. Until a visit with Lesley several years ago, I had a lifelong fear of dogs-big dogs, small dogs, basically all dogs. Skye and Golfie miraculously cured me of this fear and have become beloved companions whenever I visit Lesley’s home.

Lunch in Merville-Franceville and a Visit to “la plage” with the dogs

It seems that you cannot have a bad meal in Normandy, at least I never have. Our first meal out was in a lovely little place that served wonderful “moules frites ala mode de caen.” I don’t think I had ever eaten mussels before coming to Caen, but now, I never miss the chance to have them.

After lunch we made a quick trip to pick up the dogs and then returned to Merville-Franceville to the “Gros Banc Ornithological Reserve,” a large area along the beach and dunes where local flora and fauna grow wild and birds nest. Families visit and picnic and enjoy the beach area. Golfy, in particular, loves the water. Both he and Skye enjoyed the many scents they encountered along the paths and trails.

The Port of Ouistreham

Ferries from Portsmouth dock in Ouistreham but I have never really spent much time there, other than in the ferry terminal. Ouistreham is the site of Sword Beach, one of the D-Day Landing sites. This one is where the British landed. Lesley and Olivier had appointments in the town, one morning, so I had time to explore the pedestrianized main street and the main beach/amusements area before meeting them for a demi-tasse. As this was still the summer tourist season, the banners honoring the D-Day heroes still hung from lampposts and this first, rather striking picture that I have shared on my Facebook account was posted on a building at the entrance to the business district.

The buildings that survived the war and those that were built since all reflect the Norman style, making this part of the city a pleasant place to visit. The many small shops, offering locally made products remind one of a time when all towns had unique stores to shop in.

The pedestrianized shopping area ends at the beach. A charming entryway is created there, and a large Ferris wheel sits close to the sea. I am told that this is a favorite destination for folk from the larger cities like Caen and Rennes to visit on a weekend to get away from the urban lifestyle for a few hours.

A Return to Caen for the Sunday Market

No visit to Normandie would be complete if Lesley and I did not visit Caen together. After all, it was in Caen where she was Director of International Relations for the City, that she and I first met as colleagues and quickly became friends. During my years representing Alexandria at events in Caen, particularly, the annual foire de Caen, (Caen’s International Fair) that was held in September, I was often the City of Alexandria’s official representative and Lesley would provide translation services for me when I spoke officially at the fair to Caen’s mayor and official delegation.

Each Sunday, morning, Caen’s Inner Harbor area is filled with stalls and booths of merchants selling an array of foods and goods. We had a wonderful time seeing all that was on offer. Below are just three examples of the kinds of delights that were on display at the market.

After we finished our shopping, we stopped, as you do, for a coffee and a tart. While we were sitting outside at the cafe, just a stone’s throw from St. Etienne Cathedral, the cathedral bells began a full peel!

The evening after our visit to the market, Lesley and Olivier had several friends over to enjoy the bounty of our shopping. It was a jovial night, though we spent much of it keeping the ever-voracious Golfie and Lesley’s cat and a visiting feline away from the food. Still, with good wine, good whisky, good food, and good conversation, some of which I could even understand, it was a great time. And in the end, when the guests had gone, Golfie and Skye did receive some treats. The cat had taken himself off in a snit.

Let’s Go to Cabourg

It was my last day in Normandie and Lesley wanted to take me somewhere fun, so we headed to Cabourg. We were having dinner with another Sister Cities friend that evening, my counterpart the former head of the Caen-Alexandria Sister City Committee, Marie Coquelin, an outstanding tour guide, should anyone be visiting Normandie. So, a brief local trip was perfect. Cabourg is another lovely little city right on the water. It has a beautiful and historic casino that really was the reason the city came to life. Now, the city is forcing the casino to move from its stunning waterfront location. Go figure! Below, three images of the lovely flowers in the town center and then the larger photo of the Grand Hotel.

And then, of course, there is Proust. Marcel Proust is inextricably intertwined with Cabourg. One of its main streets is named for him. He fictionalizes it into a town he calls Balbec. So, of course, he is memorialized with a statue.

Before we left, Lesley and I took a bracing walk along the beach promenade in what was nearly a gale force wind (I’m exaggerating). But it was bracing.

That summarizes my trip to Normandie. We did have a lovely dinner with Marie on my last night. She caught me up on all her family news which was great to hear as I have known her children since they were kids and now they have given her and Christophe 6 grandkids! I regret not seeing Christophe as we have had a great bilingual relationship. I speak English to him, that he understands, and he speaks French to me that I understand. I think that it’s some kind of “Vulcan mind meld” that Marie has made happen.

Anyway, Lesley and Olivier took me out for a nice farewell lunch the next day on the way to the Ferry terminal. The only real glitch in the whole trip, since the train screw up at the beginning was a three-hour delay in the ferry sailing to Portsmouth! But we did eventually leave Ouistreham and arrived in Portsmouth around Midnight. The folks at the Holiday Inn Express Guwharf in Portsmouth were great and had a room waiting for me.

The next morning, it was just a five-minute walk across the road to the Portsmouth Harbor train station and my train back to London. This beauty was in the harbor as I prepared to enter the station.

I would have had this up sooner, but it was eaten up by the ether twice. Here’s hoping you all get to see this version.

I have been neglecting my seeking out and finding of new churches to visit. Yesterday, I found myself at a loose end and decided to take a walk down to Covent Garden to get a start on my daily steps and figure out what I would do with the day. As I walked around the piazza at Covent Garden, I noticed a sign for St. Paul’s “the actor’s church” and thought that I had never paid a visit there, at least since I had got serious about church visiting. It turned out to be a great choice. Covent Garden, of course is remembered as the original flower market in London and was made famous by the movie version of “My Fair Lady.”

This was the best noncopyrighted image I could find from the movie, but you get the idea.

The church is a small one, and it serves the local community as well as the theatre community. There are several West End theatres in Covent Garden and I believe the shortest distance between two London Underground stations is between Covent Garden and Leicester Square where several more theatres are located. During the day, the church sells a variety of food for workers lunches and offers outdoor seating in their beautiful gardens. The simple interior has plaques with many familiar names.

This is a view of the church from the main entrance on the opposite side from Covent Garden. As you can see, it was a beautiful day and people were enjoying the sunshine while eating their lunches.

Below are pictures of the lovely baptismal font, inside the entrance and two views of the organ above the entrance.

There were many interesting plaques decorating the walls. I was drawn to several, in particular.

Noel Coward above Charlie Chaplin in the white marble with dark borders caught my eye immediately. I remember when Charlie was honored with an award at the Oscars in 1972, for “the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of [the 20th] century”. It was his first trip to the US in 20 years. He received a 12-minute standing ovation when he received his award. Diana Rigg is, perhaps one of my favorite actresses of all time. She was honored on the opposite side of the church with a much less noticeable memorial. I am from a generation of young men who first saw her as Emma Peel on “The Avengers” TV series when British TV shows were something new and exciting and when Ms. Rigg was particularly exciting to see. I am lucky enough to have seen her on stage in London’s West End several times, including in a memorable performance of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” I hope Patrick MacNee’s John Steed, won’t mind if I borrow from his standard opening on the series and change it, just a bit to say, “Mrs. Peel, you are still needed, and very much missed.”

One more traditional memorial on the church’s wall.

Let’s move out to the Church Garden now. I hope you will enjoy these pictures of the beautiful blooms I saw there.

One last photo from that day’s visit. When I walk from Bloomsbury to Covent Garden, I make it a habit to walk down Coptic Street, a small street that runs between the British Museum on Little Russell Street and New Oxford Street. It is on Coptic Street that I rented my first long-stay (5 weeks) flat back in 2016. It was a 5th floor walkup. As my friend Sally likes to remind me, “what were you thinking?” So, I walk along Coptic Street and look up to the windows at the very top of that building and think to myself that, I still can’t answer Sally’s question.

A lovely building, a lovely flat. So many stairs to walk up.

I am off for 5 days to lovely Normandy, France, from tomorrow. I’m never sure of what the internet situation will be. My hosts live in a lovely century old farmhouse with very thick stone walls that do not conduct well. So, I may be quiet for a few days. Wish me calm crossings of “La Manche.”

I was going to title this “Sorry, it took me a while to find a phone. Perhaps it was Fulham’s tragic loss to at the weekend to Brentford and the concurrent loss of their star goal scorer Aleksander Mitrovitch to the Saudi league, but I have had a form of writer’s block. I have been writing and rewriting this blog entry, but all that has come out have been rants about pet peeves of mine. Today, I’ve come to the British Library and am sitting in the Humanities Reading Room determined to get a blog posted. Let’s see. Before I leave Fulham, it was a beautiful day for football and the team was looking physically ready for the season. Here’s hoping they can replace Mitro soon.

I have spoken, over the years, of my love for the Victoria and Albert (the V&A) Museum. A recent visit was quite interesting. Let me share some of what I saw. In the Cast Courts, my favorite place, there is a very unusual set of sculpted figures that surround the base of a sarcophagus of Marchese Spineta Malespina who died in 1407. Look at the faces of each one. There are such specific expressions captured in the faces

of these figures that were originally painted and gilded, it is thought.

Not far from these figures, I noticed some other rather compelling casts that I thought were worth sharing. The first depicts Christ’s descent from the cross, the main other figures are “the three Marys (Mary, his mother, Mary the mother of James and Salome; and Mary Magdaline). The gospel attributed to Mark, the earliest of the synoptic gospels, places only female followers of Jesus at the crucifixion with the soldiers. Mary, the mother of James and Salome and Mary Magdeline are said to have been the first two to have been at the tomb on Easter morning and “proclaim the Good News” of the empty tomb that Christians believe signifies the Resurrection of Jesus.

The second is an interesting depiction of the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus’ good friend. His sisters Mary and Martha are important figures in another of the synoptic gospels, the Gospel attributed to Luke. And in the Gospel attributed to John, the last of the 4 gospels written.

This was done around 1125-1150 but was hidden for many centuries and only rediscovered at Chichester Cathedral in the 19th century. Clearly, something about this family must have struck a chord to have been mentioned in both of these gospels but as you can see, neither of the women appear in this important foreshadowing of the Resurrection. I found it interesting.

As I was making my way out of the museum, I came across these Rodin sculptures. I had been discussing with my London gang, who among us had been to Paris’s Rodin Museum. This was a funny coincidence.

Finally, somewhere along the line, we had a very humid day, and I needed a bit of shade a few moments of quiet to sit and meditate and regaine my sense of peace. As I was just a block or so away from Brunswick Garden, the smaller garden that is just a block or so away from Russell Square but is less busy and almost a hidden gem. I sat down and soon did cool off in the shade. i was able to meditate and regain my equanimity. Then I noticed all the blooms and I heard someone mention the tree that was over 200 years old. So, I took some pictures to share with you.

Britain’s National Portrait Gallery (BNG) is a fine institution that I have enjoyed visiting for lo these many years. It has been closed for a major facelift for the last several years and today was the first time that I visited the newly refreshed location. It is as interesting and provocative as ever. But somebody is still missing. Somebody important and somebody whose omission I have pointed out to them for many times since April of 2005.

As I toured the galleries that covered the 20th and 21st centuries, I saw many familiar faces from the arts, science, politics, British sports, and, of course, the British Royal Family. There were several portraits of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. One particularly touching one was the last portrait of her with the late Prince Philip. There were several portraits of the newly named Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Catherine. There was even a picture of King Charles III’s late first wife Diana, Princes of Wales. Amid all the portraits of people who have had a significant role in the United Kingdom in the last 18 years, however, let alone, the last year, I had to go to the exhibit titled “Works In Progress to find a recent portrait of King Charles, (by himself). “Hmm,” I said to myself, “where’s the Queen, where is Queen Camilla? Don’t tell me they still don’t have a portrait of her on display. She’s the Queen of the UK for goodness sake!” But, after checking with the staff available, it was true. No Queen Camilla. So, I’m not sure if it’s just me beefing with the BNG or if the BNG is beefing with the Queen.

Anyway, here are the portraits of the former monarch and her consort and current monarch, all by his lonesome. The final one is a portrait of TS Elliot by one of my favorite artists, Patrick Heron, who only did a few portraits of close friends. They are not always on display, so I am thrilled when I get a chance to see one of Heron’s works.

The other big news is that Fulham FC won their season opener against Everton, the “other” team in Liverpool. The home opener at Craven Cottage will be this Saturday and I will be there!

I’m hoping to make this museum week, with a special Wednesday visit with a good friend more to come.