Bonjour,
Most times when we go outside we walk past a statue of Armand de Bricqueville, a Count from a family of Norman nobility and a colonel in the Napoleonic army. He died in 1844 and the locals raised the funds to erect a monument in Cherbourg. The photos below show how time and seagulls have taken their toll.
It’s a bit hard to see, but etched into the granite pedestal are the names of the four battles where he fought. Originally there were two relief panels of bronze on the sides, depicting other aspects of his life, but in 1944 the German army took them off and had them melted down.
Anyway, we decided to tip our hat to Armand by going for a drive to Bricquebec to see where he came from. It was only afterwards that we realised he came from Bricqueville, not Bricquebec. Oh well, it was a nice day for a drive anyway through some lovely country lanes and probably the last nice weather we will see for months.
In the centre of town is the Bricquebec castle, started in the 12th century and then added to as further reinforcements were required with stone walls, towers and fortified entrances. It has been protected as a Monument historique since 1840 and, although parts of it are in ruins, it’s remarkably in tact. One part has been converted to an up-market hotel and restaurant and they obviously have gardeners looking after the grounds.
In the middle of the courtyard was a pyramid – Pyramide de Mémoire. This was unveiled by the local mayor in 1999 and is built of sand from Utah Beach.
Embedded in the pyramid are 2000 objects that were collected from the beach following the D Day landings. The idea is that, over time, the sand will erode from the pyramid and the further objects will uncovered for future generations to see.
This Thursday is a public holiday in France. Like nearly every other public holiday, it is a significant religious day – this time it’s All Saints Day. Even though they have lumped all the saints together on one day, they still like to have feast days for many, many other saints throughout the year. Just look at October.
But one of the contradictions in France is that, even though it is a very conservative and religious country, they do things that would probably not be accepted in Australia.
For instance, internationally October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The marketing usually features the face of some middle aged (or older) woman smiling at the camera. Could be an advertisement for just about anything. Not here. The billboard at one of the busiest intersections in town, outside the train station does it differently.
Well that’s the news for now. Prends soin.
L & M
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