Since February this year, I have been following an Open University French course, a compulsory part of which is a week-long summer residential school at the University of Caen in Normandy. Thus in late July I travelled up by train from the Dordogne, in the south-west of France, to Caen. I was one of 13 students in one group, out of a total of 9 groups. There were a number of activities that we were involved in but the only relevant one for this blog was to prepare and deliver a presentation entitled ‘Let’s live better together’, each group having to decide on its own theme. I proposed the construction of a voie verte (greenway) from Caen to Falaise (where William was born). After some lobbying of my colleagues in the bar on the evening before decision day, my proposal was adopted by the group and I was nominated project co-ordinator!
We worked a few hours a day over the next three days and our presentation was to be given on the Thursday. We had posters and other works of art, a scale model, a large-scale IGN map with the route shown in pencil, sample letters to the mayors of the two towns, some pictures of users of another greenway (see below) … even a specially composed song, sung by the two guitarists amongst us. My word, we were a talented bunch!
On the Wednesday afternoon, we were given some free time. The day before, I had hired a vélo ‘town’: 7 rear hub gears, front hub dynamo and lights, a pedal-backwards brake, road tyres and no crossbar (see pic). I decided to try out the Voie Verte de Caen à Ouistreham (where you catch the ferry to Portsmouth), some 14 km of tarmacked path running alongside the Orne Canal, and passing by Pegasus Bridge (of D-Day fame). From Ouistreham, I continued along the coast to Arromanches, where you can see the remains of an artificial harbor built by the Americans for the D-Day landings, then to Bayeux (but was too late to see the tapestry), Creully, a delightful little village, and back to Caen by about 8. Then the bar and some well-deserved pints (yes, they served pints; well, 500 ml actually, and not of proper beer!) Autoroute Express on my laptop made my journey 93 km!
On the Thursday morning, all the groups gave their presentations, which were great fun. Afterwards I went up to claim our prize (every group got one!): le “Prix Armstrong” (in honor of both Neil and Lance!)
Pics from top to bottom are: my bike at the basin in central Caen; Voie Verte sign; three young cyclists; family with buggy; three lads on BMX bikes; jogger on separate path; slogan (“In little steps, in big steps, all together for liberty” - very philosophical, these French graffiti artists); lift bridge at Pegasus Bridge; Café Gondrée, the first house in France to be liberated in June 1944; tank outside the ‘Three Gliders’ restaurant; cycling group; police patrolling the greenway; sharing the greenway with a German container ship bound for Caen; two skaters; lady on skates with pram; man with baby. As you can see, a well used path.
If you have been affected by this article, please contact http://www.af3v.org/-Fiche-VVV-.html?voie=90
3 comments:
An interesting liitle story for which you should have won first prize. I could only enlarge two of the photos for some reason. One being of the two policemen on cycles, and the shifty characters facing the camera. The left hand person apeared to be deliberately looking away. The centre one and the left hand one were definitely trying to be invisible! Do you have an 'ology' now Clyde?
Fantastique! There has got to be a Ranger Ride along one of these voies in 2010?
Police on the Greenway?
No chance of that here in UK!
Seldom do we see them on the roads.
Post a Comment