Houlgate

We've celebrated Jared's birthday on the road for two years running. I think it would kind of stink, having to squeeze a little bit of birthday fun out of a day when you're on vacation. This year we visited Versailles, drove halfway across France, got our car stuck in the mud, and managed to fit in a celebration at the very end of a long day. But I guess he can also say that every year for his birthday we take a fun family trip?

We drove halfway across the country on Jared's birthday because we were headed to our next stop, Houlgate, a small town on the English Channel. Houlgate was a good base for exploring the Normandy region and just a really charming little town. We learned from John Kennedy a long time ago that the best way to get to know a new area is to go for a run. So Jared and Abigail got up early our first morning there and went on a reconnaissance run to see what there was to see in and around Houlgate. They came back with all sorts of interesting information that was mostly related to places to eat or buy food. Restaurants, bakeries, butchers, candy shops, grocery stores, a mini-golf course, and the BEACH!

We ate a lot of baguettes while we were in France.  We can't talk about baguettes without "MARIE! THE BAGUETTES! HURRY UP!" (from Beauty and the Beast, of course) being shouted every time anyone mentioned the need for more baguettes.  Each day we would find a place to buy a couple of baguettes, made sure to grab some meats and amazing French cheese, and then we'd make  sandwiches at lunchtime. Jared mentioned it being one of his favorite parts of our time in France. Picnics on the beach, in the back of the car before going to Mont St. Michel, at the D-Day sites, just sitting down and eating sandwiches together. 

We got so lucky with the weather during our spring break trip. The forecast called for rain every single day we were in France so we packed rain jackets and umbrellas and just planned to get out there and have fun in spite of any wet weather. But guess what? The only rain that fell was during the night when we were sleeping. The rest of the time we had occasional clouds but that was it. What a blessing!

We decided to keep it chill for our first full day in Houlgate. We kept it close to home and just got to know the town a little. We found a grocery store because it's always cool to wander around grocery stores in different places; even the cereal aisle is interesting and new.  Houlgate is a cute little seaside town and the girls were just dying to go to the beach, even if it was much too cold to actually go in the water. So we took our baguettes and headed to the beach for a picnic lunch and a little beachy fun. The beach had so many seashells! There was a thick band of shells that must have been deposited by the waves just piled up all along the beach parallel to the water. So basically a seashell hunters paradise. The girls filled their pockets - and Natalie even filled up her hat - with shells to bring home. We had to make some hard decisions about which ones we were keeping to bring back to England with us and which ones were staying in their French home because really, how many seashells does one family need?

It was too cold to swim in the ocean, but it was not too cold to swim in the pool at the campground. If I remember correctly, Jared, Emily, and Abigail took naps while Samantha, Natalie, and I went to the pool. The girls had so much fun splashing and swimming together and they even made a couple of new friends at the pool. And they didn't even have to speak French because almost everyone at the campground was British. I had slightly less fun sitting on the side trying to read my book with eyes that were stinging and watering because the chemicals in the pool area were so darn strong. 

Houlgate was the perfect town for a quiet vacation day. The picturesque little downtown area with cute shops and half-timbered buildings, the beach with all those shells, the friendly locals, and of course the baguettes, Houlgate kept us happy!