After leaving Mont St Michel we drove straight to Caen and then on a self-guided tour through the D-Day landing beaches.

First we stopped at Arromanches Les Bain, where many of the allies landed. The girls bought poppy scarves and we took a few shots on the beach. The remains of the artificial harbour lie rusting in the ocean offshore like tombstones.

We then went on to Longues Sur Mer where German battlements remain dotted in the green hills, some of them bombed out and some intact.

After that we stopped at Collville Sur Mer, site of the American War Cemetery where almost 10,000 soldiers are buried, and which overlooks Omaha Beach.

It was a very sombre day, thinking about those that lost their lives in the area in both of the world wars.

We then drove on to Honfleur where we stopped for the night. It is a lovely little town near the Belgian border and we decided to go and find a good restaurant for our last meal in France.

Alex and I were happy with our meals, but Lidia didn't have a great experience. After ordering a meal that a waitress described as "pork sausage", a waiter came to confirm the order. Luckily, Alex's aptitude with the language saved Lidia from actually ordering tripe.

She then changed her order to a medium hamburger, which almost walked off the plate it was so raw. After a few wines, this didn't really matter so much.