We kicked off our third day in Normandy with a lovely morning visiting Caramels d’Isigny, a traditional caramel factory in Normandy. We were warmly welcomed by Natalie, who gave us a guided tour and told us all about how their famous caramels are made. We got to see the workers mixing, shaping, and hand-wrapping the caramels ready for the shop. Best of all, we even got to taste some! We tried two caramel fondants (non-sticky), a caramel popcorn, and a sticky apple-flavoured caramel; which ended up being the favourite. They were absolutely délicieux! After the tour, we had our third shopping opportunity of the trip and there were so many tempting treats to choose from, it was hard not to spend all our euros here!
Our next stop of the day was the moving and historic Pointe du Hoc. This important WWII site was once home to heavily fortified German bunkers and gun posts. On D-Day, the U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs under heavy fire to capture the site. It was incredible to see how well it has been preserved, although a few of the sites were now off limits we still got to explore bomb craters, concrete bunkers, and gun pits, which really helped us understand the scale and sacrifice of what happened there.
After this we went on to Omaha Beach, which also has a rich history and importance in the war. The weather was absolutely perfect for a beach afternoon and we had the best time! In small groups, the adults took us to dip our feet in the sea, while the rest of us played games along the beach. We played some football, built sandcastles, sand mermaids and even a sand jacuzzi! We had an absolute blast on the beach, even if it was tricky keeping the sand out of our lunch!!
Back at the château, we had lots of time to play on the grounds and gardens and we rounded off the day with a fantastic karaoke! The energy was high, and the smiles were even bigger!! We danced, sang, and had the best evening!
We’re excited for tomorrows last adventure!