We'll Meet Again - 65th NORMANDIE AU REVOIR

WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!

We're just said our passionate farewells to the good people we have met here at the camping ground at Etreham. With heavy hearts we grab the last minute photo shoots, exchange clothing and souveniers, hugs and kisses. Goodbye, Au Revoir, - till we meet again!

When we can we'll do a big wrap up on Normandy!

PUT BAYEUX ON YOUR TRAVEL ITINERARY

The Cathedral is breathtaking - actually inspirational. The old town with it's water wheels and canals is simply gorgeous. We didn't see the "tapestry." We'd paid 8 euros each to see through St Mont Michel which we felt was "steep," so I tried to put over a story about driving all the way from Oz in a WW2 truck and that after all we did help them out in the War. I hoped we might qualify for a concession on the 7.20 euro each. (I usually don't have any trouble if I ask for "one and one" because they think I'm Dale's daughter!) "No reductions" she said and we walked out! Around Normandy, there are say 30 museums and at 6 euros each, that would be $720 for two. Tickets to the Moulin Rouge were $720 for two!

WE HAD ANOTHER OF THOSE WONDERFUL CO-INCIDENCES TODAY!

We'd left Bayeux quite late and were having "medium" degree of difficulty finding our way across Caen. For some reason Navman wouldn't let us get on the motorway. The spin off of getting lost is that you discover all of these fantastic landscapes and house styles. "Gingerbread houses in Disneyland," Dale reckons. Some of them have roofs resembling thick royal icing draped over a good fruit cake.

Well, we passed over "the world's largest suspension bridge" followed by an equally magnificent bridge which looked like the Olympic Stadium in Paris with it's rolling curves. Getting off the toll road by accident and finding ourselves being flagged over by two Belgium Pattondriver trucks (a dodge 3/4 tonner and a GMC driven by Jos Knapen).

What do you reckon? One of them, Nick, had seen the Yankee Joe advertisement on Milweb and had emailed me for a price! It was such fun to see them all "under the bonnet" and under the truck. They were fascinated by the 5 speed Dyna/Toyota gearbox conversion. Nick couldn't believe the 216 had done 6,400 kms on 4 litres of oil without missing a beat. He said to Dale "a secondhand engine, didn't you rebuild it for the journey?" Dale said "No, I changed the oil."

They didn't have any coffee, and were trying to make Antwerp with only only one more day - 400 kms. So we convoyed with them for awhile before they turned south towards Rouen. They took details of Dale's (real) father and promised to help us find him!

HOW WELL ARE WE DOING?

Well every now and again as Dale is trying to do a U turn (yet again), he slams the truck into 2nd and yells "I've had enough of this crap, I've a mind to scrap it (the truck) and fly back home!"

ANOTHER TRUCK HITS THE DUST!

Lang's starter motor gave up just outside the Etreham camping ground, and he had to get a push start. He ran into Adrian Snell from the MVT, his hands dripping with oil as he carried the starter along. We'd been with Adrian to the Swap Meet at Vervuille, opposite the US campsite, where we'd seen all the "starters" and said "if only you needed one." Adrian took Lang to the swap, bought the starter for 150 euro and he's back on the road!