There was a bit of a mix up when I bought my ticket from Portsmouth to Cean (Ouistreham). The upshot was that I ended leaving England a day or two earlier that I expected.

I rode from the camping ground on the Isle of Wight down to the ferry terminal at Ryde caught the ferry to Portsmouth.

Ferry to Ouistreham
The crossing to France was not the best in that it wasn’t possible to get a cabin. It was very difficult to sleep on the seat which hardly reclined at all.

Up the Canal to Caen 

The ferry arrived in Ouistreham around 6.00 0’clock in the morning. There was quite a long wait before was able to get off the ferry. There were a large number of other cyclists waiting to get off including a group on a charity ride. They were going to ride to Paris in time to see the finish of the Tour de France. They were very keen to get started as they had over 120 klms to complete on this day.

After finally getting off the ferry, I headed through Ouistreham to the canal that links the sea to the city of Caen. There is cycle path next to the canal.

Nice little Hotel
Before leaving Portsmouth, I had checked on the internet as to whether there was a hostel in Caen. There was but its website was all in French and they didn’t respond to my email regarding the availability of accommodation.

It was still early when I arrive in Cean. I had to wait until 9.30 a.m. before the Office de Tourism opened. When the office opened, I asked the very helpful young lady on the desk about the hostel. She gave them a call and told me that the place was ‘complete’, i.e. full for “the next week”.

She recommended a hotel less than a block away in the centre of the city. It turned out to be reasonably priced and really good.

Caen Memorial
One of the first things I did in Caen was to visit the Caen Memorial.

This is one of the many ‘memorials’ or museums that have been built to commemorate the ‘Normandy Landings’ in June 1944.

This particular museum turned out to be a good starting point for my tour through the Normandy Landings region.

It provides a summary of the issues confronting Europe in the period between the end of the first world war and the commencement of the second world war. It also covers some of the more important issue in the war itself including the French collaboration with the occupying Germans and the Holocaust. It also covers the impact the Japanese joining the conflict and of course that on the USA’s reaction.

In the final section, the museum covers the Normandy Landing themselves. This is both at overall context and material on the battles that took place in and around Caen itself.
The exhibits in the museum are very well presented and the audio commentary is excellent.

Sometime in Caen
I spent a couple of extra days in Caen due to the rainy weather. The city was badly bombed during the war and it does not have the charm of a lot of French towns and smaller cities, however the canal area is pleasant, and I found a couple of good restaurants and nice pub selling good craft beer.

Flickr Links

Portsmouth to Caen
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmpFQdDi

Caen Memorial
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmp8NVMf

Caen Other
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmfUpDjj

Garmin Link
Ouistreham
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2886249193