That thought being sausage, chips and beans

So on sunday we went for a 30km cycle... Up the canal to the seafront and back through the rural roads of Northern France where nothing and I mean NOTHING is open.

Heading up the canal we headed past Pegasus Bridge, one of the major parts of the operation of the invasion of Normandy during WWII. There is a house there, the first to be liberated by the Allies which now serves as cafe/museum/shop... Packed with American and English tourists!

After cycling for approximately 3 hours we finally found an open restaurant. Of course being the only restaurant open for what seemed to us like a 30 km radius, the only menu available was not cheap! Fussy old me didnt like the look of any of the posh food on offer but what the woman had next to us looked ok so I asked for one of those... I was reliably informed that it was in fact an entree and was "Petoncles". As it was a good portion I ordered one of those. It looked like a dish of the little pasta SHELLS baked...

"Petoncles" is french for SHELLfish LOL! I now know that I do not like SHELLfish. (I do however still like the pasta SHELLS, just in case you ever have to cook for me) Nor could I force myself to eat the SHELLfish. So much so that in fact we were not charged for the SHELLfish!

As part of the free weekend we were planning to head to a guided visit of some german bunkers outiside of the town. So on an empty stomach and two glasses of wine, we headed up what turned out to be quite a mammoth hill but managed to make it just in time to catch the tour. The bunkers have been very well restored and the guide was obviously very knowledgeable on his subject, however between the two glasses of wine, his heavy norman accent and my bag breaking and subsequent scrambling around in a field looking for a broken clasp, a lot of the information did get lost in translation!

(For those of you concerned about my bag -

1. I could not find the clasp; but

2. It was only from New Look; and, most importantly

3. I can now look for a new one!)

We then headed back along the canal into Caen where there was thankfully an open Patisserie for me to buy some sugary goodness with which to spend my Sunday night!

Adventurous/no choice - I have also tried some other new food things -

Firstly, Moules Frites. A speciality in these here parts and family B could not believe that I had not grown up on this type of food? Especially being from Guernsey? ...Mum? Well, whilst I found the taste quite alright I CANNOT look at them and I find it very hard not to squirm around when pulling them out of their shells. Family B were suitably amused at me eating them with a fork, very polite they say, I CANNOT touch them with my bare fingers I say! I have a sneaking suspicion that things like that are still alive when you eat them?? Please dont put your answers on a postcard! I thought the same thing about the Oysters. I really thought that you were meant swallow oysters whole as they were still alive? And as for the shrimps that were eye balling me last week, well, dont get me started!

After studying the others eating their shrimps I think I get it:

1. First you have to pull their heads off;

2. Then you pull their tails off;

3. Then you skin them;

4. What you are meant to do with the legs I have not worked it out at this point;

5. But - how are you meant to do this when their little black eyes are watching you I dont know?

They had a plateful...

I had two...

À la prochaine!

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