Mulberry harbour

I've titled this post to sound like I'm  somewhere new, but I'm not. The artificial harbour around Arromanches was called Mulberry Harbour, and that's where I am. Today I learnt what a ridiculous engineering feat it was. A (most likely drug induced) idea of Winston Churchill, I've also seen this area referred to as Port Winston Churchill.

I visited the local museum today and the models of the harbour were superb. It was a bat shit crazy idea, but worked a treat. Hundreds of floating pieces were engineered in and towed from the UK to form two versions of the harbour. The British version was more slowly constructed (it took 10 days) but managed to survive a savage storm, unlike the US version (both versions were identical except in their assembly).

From my travels around Normandy so far the most overwhelming impression I get is if how brilliantly organised the entire invasion was. From the Pegasus bridge right along the beaches to Mulberry Harbour. But I'm yet to get to Omaha beach.

I stayed in Arromanches today mainly because I couldn't forsee the route ahead. The road to inland Bayeux leads from here but there are also some places to see along the coast. I decided to stay and head down the coast to see one of the places after the museum, however when I set off there was immediately a hill, so I immediately turned around. Literally made it 100 metres.

I went for a swim instead. The tide was high and here it totally submerges the beach so waves crashed against the rock wall. I found a spot to the west of the town and couldn't help but notice a foul smell. I looked around thinking there was probably a sewerage outlet. I couldn't find one so went for a swim and once out in the water noticed a sewerage outlet 50 metres down the beach. I couldn't smell anything once in the water so I stuck around anyway. When I came back in and put my shirt on I noticed the smell again. So it may be me. I think it's me. I stink.

I intended on walking the coastal walk to my earlier destination, a gun battery 4 or 5 km up the road, but I ended up lazing about reading a book instead. So I've added a hill to my trip to Bayeux tomorrow. I've almost finished my 4th book this trip. Now that's a holiday.

This evening I decided that seeing as I'd eaten almost nothing today I'll go out for dinner and have a big pasta feast. Which I did. I went to another yellow restaurant so they didn't throw me out on account of the smell. As I was eating I could see a little glimmer of coastal sky through the window and it was slowly getting pink. It occurred to me a nice sunset was coming so I got the bill but still had half a litre of wine to finish. So I finished it. Almost vomited, but I finished it.

I rushed out quickly as the sky was glowing bright pink by then and when I rounded the building I saw the most incredible sunset I've ever seen. I doubt I'll see better again. I took photos but quite frankly they do not match what my eyes saw. The colours are all wrong in the photos. It was a sunset of bright pink and luminescent purple at the dark edges. It glowed from around a cliff, and where the cliff met the sky there was a low bank of clouds that looked like the elvish words etched on the ring of power in the lord of the rings when the sun hit them. Not similar to. That's exactly what they looked like. If I could read elvish I'm sure it would have said "Hey Ben, did you just chug half a litre of wine?". The rest of the sky was brilliantly pink. That's what made it so amazing. I've not seen a sunset that colour. Like I say, the photos do it no justice, and that's how I think it should be. But I'll post them.

I'm now at a pub washing down my wine with a beer. First pub I've seen in France. It has the ambience of an opium den. I've still quit hangovers so will not be here much longer and will need to drink all my water tonight. Especially since tomorrow seems to start in all directions with a hill. Plus there is no Lidl in this town so no Brie Focaccias to keep me going in  the morning.

Time to go.