Looking back over my blog it does seem we are creatures of habit and having given it a bit of thought I make no apology for that. We do have our favourite places and as a weekend break out of the UK Caen is hard to beat as its so accessible from where we live so not all weekend is spent travelling giving us time to enjoy the cruise across the water and loads of time in France.

So we left Portsmouth on a grey Friday morning half an hour early as their weren't too many people and vehicles to load. Great views of the Victory, Warrior and the Spinnaker tower on the way out. We settled in a cosy corner of the bar and read for much of the way over taking time out for a drink and some lunch. On arrival in Caen we headed off to the supermarket to stock up on wine and goodies for the summer and within in an hour the car was garaged for the weekend and we were sitting outside le Grillon in the sun with a beer - perfect.

Friday evening we strolled up the Vageaux quarter and L'embroche for a truly excellent meal followed by the sheer novelty of sitting outside a bar late at night with a coffee and not shivering!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early and set off to do a little shopping and sightseeing in Caen city centre. It was a gorgeous hot day so we were more than happy to sit in the sun enjoying lunch with a glass of wine. Unfortunately I underestimated just how hot it was and ended up with a pink nose and a t-shirt tan. In the evening we returned to L'embroche and another great evening.

Sunday morning came round all too soon and after a walk round the market buying our fruit and veg for the coming week it was time to get back in the car and head out of town. We stopped at Sword Beach, had coffee and then took a long walk making the most of the sunshine. It is here that we feel close to my Mum who loved this area so much, we spent a few minutes having a 'little chat' with her and remembering the great times we had all spent together. We miss her every day but our little trips to this part of france are our way of remembering her enjoying life to the full and giving us all a laugh a long the way.

We opted for lunch in France rather than dinner on the ferry so walked up into Riva Bella and found a great restuarant and sat outside on the terrace people watching and enjoying our meal washed down, of course, with a glass of wine.

All too soon it was time to board the ferry back to Portsmouth, no sun set as it was cloudy but a smooth crossing arriving back bang on schedule at 22:30 tired but happy and of course with a few photos

By bye Portsmouth

Hello Caen

Our taxi!

Sword beach, what a lovely way to spend an hour just walking along the shore