Courseulles

My visits to the Normandy are associated with Michele Leplat, a woman who had befriended me when I lived in Paris. We lived in the same building and she often invited me to her apartment, slightly larger and prettier than my modest studio. I spent many pleasant evenings in her apartment with her and sometimes her young daughters, 11 and 8 when I first met them. She was wonderful company and I appreciated her hospitality, especially because I was alone and met very few people.

Michele had a house in a small village, Sainte-Croix-sur-Mer, located on the landing beaches of Normandy, close to Juno Beach (June 6, 1944) and she had invited me to come with her whenever I was in France. Her younger daughter and grandchildren were often at the house. When her grandchildren were older, Michele decided to buy a larger house in a small city nearby. But she died several years later, in 2003, Michele leaving her house to Virginie who was happy to move from a small apartment.

I had kept in touch with Virginie and she invited me to Courseulles whenever I came to France. This time I chose to come on a weekend when she was not working so that I could just spend time with her and her new (second) husband, Patrick, whom I had met on a previous visit, before they were married. I had no plans for touring the area. I knew I would be tired coming from a large city (Rouen) and also, I had often toured the area with Michele, so I was familiar with it. That was a wise decision because I enjoyed a very relaxing and pleasant weekend with my generous hosts.

Courseulles is a small fishing village of only 4,000 residents. The homes along the beach, including Virginie’s, were rebuilt after they were destroyed on June 6, 1944. A small estuary of the river Seulles (the origin of the town’s name) forms the fishing port whose activity is the delight of the residents. After I arrived on Friday evening we took a short walk along the promenade parallel to the water, called the “digue.” The promenade extends to the small harbor where people gather morning and evening to watch the fishing boats leaving and returning to port.

The tide at that point in the English Channel was not particularly strong so that watching it took a long time to advance and recede. But it was impressive to see the water almost at the wall of the digue in the morning
when I woke up; and far, far out in the afternoon, perhaps 500 feet away.





On Saturday morning we went to the market at Bayeux. My hosts proposed lunch in a restaurant they knew that had been recommended by colleagues of Virginie. The restaurant was close to her office, just outside Bayeux. When we arrived I thought it was just a modest café, but it turned out that it was a showcase for an excellent chef who served us one tempting platter after another. It was nearly 3 pm when we finished everything on our plates and a bottle of wine and, after coffee, we returned to Courseulles. Patrick went for a long walk while Virginie and I toured the main square and checked out the small shops selling beachwear, playthings for children, and regional specialties and souvenirs. We came back to the house and looked at wedding and vacation photos.

On Sunday Virginie proposed making mussels Norman style (Moules à la Normande) for lunch so we walked along the digue to the estuary where fish stands line the quais bordering the boat slips. Most people patronize their favorite vendors, but many prolong their walks to admire the various catches. Oysters are plentiful and renowned in the area. Since they bring good prices, they are an important part of the economy of the town - small, but comfortably prosperous.

The mussels were delicious. After coffee we went for a walk along the digue, clearly the favorite pastime of the residents. It was like a parade and it was fun to watch. We saw the town hall and gardens where Virginie and Patrick were married. We returned home and spent the early evening hours in the garden, checking on the status of the plants that Virginie was preparing for the late fall and winter.

Virginie was not expected at work until noon, so we spent a quiet morning over a long continental breakfast before we had to get ready to leave. I left Courseulles after 11:00, well rested and happy that I had come.