This blog will cover both "TRAVELING" and "POLITICS" Adventuring, exploring and traveling the world. I love them all and love taking risks. All the cultures are intriguing and fun to discover. Over the years I've been traveling a lot actually and I do not plan on stopping. Traveling is a never ending school which you learn a lot about our planet, life and philosophy. You even get to know the corrupted puppet politicians more than the mainstream media does.
Mont-Saint-Michel is located on an island in the region of
lower Normandy. And its intriguing architectural ensemble classified this
location as UNESCO World Heritage site. Long ago most called the place “the
wonder of the Western World”. It’s situated by a bay that it has the greatest
tidal ranges in Europe. Actually the difference between low and high tide can
reach up to 15 meters. And when the high tide is above 14 meters then the Saint
Michel would be completely surrounded by the water for a long time. Otherwise,
it’s connected to the mainland by a small passageway. And this year in 2014
they plan on building a bridge. At low tide this place would be all sand around
it for kilometers away, however, just a few hours later entire area would be
submerged and water everywhere. This tide what really makes this area very
unique.
Getting here is very easy actually. Of course it all depends
on what type of transportation you’re using. But you can come here by driving,
by bus or even train from any and every direction. I was riding my bicycle down
here all the way from north. I was very
thankful that I bicycled here. On the way down here passing through some of the
most amazing small villages and beautiful French country side. It’s about 358
kilometers from Paris and there are always high-speed trains available to the
city of Rennes then from there you can take another train to Avranches or
Pontorson. I found Pontorson is much closer to Saint Michel which was about 10
kilometers.
Mont-Saint-Michel from a distance. This was during my bicycle trip of Europe. Photo: F.Aksoy
I finally made it all the way down here during my European bicycle tour. September-2013
Mont-Saint Michel, France. Again from a distance Photo: F.Aksoy, September-2013
I really didn’t do that much around Mont-Saint-Michel, but
just enjoyed the view, took lots of photos and shot a few videos made some new
friends and had an afternoon lunch. It was quite interesting watching and
staring at this place for a long time. After all it attracts more than 3
million visitors a year. I bicycled all the way down here for day and half up
from historical Omaha Beach, Normandy landing area just to see this amazing
spot. It was worth my time and bicycling here.
This is the video I captured while visiting Mont-Saint-Michel, France and added on my youtube account. Video: F.Aksoy-Youtube-Google-September-2013
MOnt-Saint-Michel, France close up. Photo:F.Aksoy-Sep-2013
And now I was on my way down to Southern France and Northern
Spain, Basque area a city called Donostia, San Sebastian then back into France
once again to do the French Riviera and Italian Riviera. Of course this was
going to cover the beautiful Mediterranean coastline. I was staring at a great
distance perhaps covering almost 2000 kilometers. But just thinking of seeing
these places ahead, actually exited me more.
Those who already read my earlier blogs in reference to
North-west France and Normandy region would easily see my bicycle route. And
now I was in lower Normandy region getting much closer towards a section where
its history was one of the major turning points of World War II. Ever since I
entered into France from Belgian border then coming down to Calais taking the
route D940 French nationale I fell in love with the north-west region of
France. Of course, north-west section of France divided into several regions
(States). I came down all the way from the regions of Nord Pas de Calais,
Picardy, Upper Normandy and now I was in lower Normandy bicycling towards four
different towns: Vierville-sur-Mer,
Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Colleville-sur-Mer and Bayeux. And all of these
towns were part of a history where the main and biggest part of amphibious
Normandy landing took place.
This is lower Normandy, France. Omaha Beach where the American troops landed in June,6, 1944
I was still riding my bicycle to get there in a daylight, but I was late. Cold and dark evening. You can see my bicycle underneath the road sign.
After I left
Honfleur, Deauville and the flowery coast, I was blazing towards the historical
amphibious landing area. I was actually excited to see this area with details
and with my own eyes. I studied political science at the university and during
those years while taking those courses I’ve become attached to history so much
that, even now, every day I have to read something related to history along
with other subjects. History can be an obsession which you may never able to
let go and I’m one of those people I’ve got a have it.
British War Cemetery in Bayeux, Normandy, France. As you can see from this photo, my bicycles carries so much weight. But because it's a trekking bicycle, it's sturdy and fast. Photo: F.Aksoy
This is also the British War Cemetery in Bayeux. It's really sad to see youngsters lying dead.
Photo: F.Aksoy
He was only 18 years old. Photo: F.Aksoy
British War Cemetery in Bayeux, Normandy, France
Unfortunately,
lately when we read about the current events or follow it very closely, we
notice how fake, how sad, how corrupted world leaders, politicians and the main
stream media has become. And they’ve also became a puppet for corporations who
now runs the entire show around the world. Take a good look at most developed
countries, Western European nations, and super powers, it’s not the Presidents,
Prime Ministers or Chancellors who runs or controls their countries, but all of
these rich nations even run and controlled by greedy corporations. And these
greedy corporations even control their military, the intelligence organizations,
United Nations organization and even world criminal courts in Belgium and in
Holland. Therefore these filthy crooks may even use the entire military and its
intelligence units to steal other poor nations’ national wealth (Oil, Natural
Gas, Etc.). By using its corrupted main stream media, they can easily lie by
bringing in disinformation campaign to dupe and brainwash their own citizens to
make them believe promote and support their cause and policies of using force,
invading and occupying. Current events aren’t fun for me anymore. Current
events are all based on lies, disinformation, and deception. This is where
history becomes so handy. If you have a decent background in history and if you
already followed the current events since long time, then they can never fool
you or dupe you. If you are aware of the past, you can easily tell these
corrupted politicians and the puppet media is taking you to the different
directions and away from the main course. Propaganda has always been in the
media. It’s because they do not want you to know the truth. The truth would
hurt the entire nation and it would expose many criminals and crooks in our own
governments.
Omaha Beach, Saint-Lauren-sur-Mer, Normandy, France
This is where the American troops were landed in 6, June, 1944. Photo: F.Aksoy
Even all these nations’ intelligence organizations have become the
new mobsters. They’re the main tools for the crooks on top. They would make it
look as if they’re the real patriots, but in reality they’re the main traitors
who sell their nations to greedy corporations and to corporations’ interests.
And just like in a military organizations, “No questions asked “ Prior to
September 11 2001, in a span of 2 months FBI changes 3 different directors and
last one comes in 4 days before 9/11. And a former FBI counter terrorism
supervisor John O’Neill happens to become the Security Chief of the Twin Towers
and takes over his job the day before 9/11. What a coincidence huh? No, it’s
not a conspiracy theories, it is the truth. And how shocking it was to witness after a
major disaster and an attack by outsiders supposedly, no one in U.S. Intelligence
organization resigns. Wow! So were they the ones who were committing these
crimes? Were they the ones who orchestrated 9/11 so they knew in advance and
this was the reason why they wouldn’t resign? These are bunch of sick puppies
that are still around. There are many other stronger clues about 9/11, however,
I’m not going to touch them here. These filthy governments by changing the
education system in many developed countries in Western Europe, U.K U.S.
Canada, Australia, in super power nations and others, today’s generation became
very poor in history, geography, world and international affairs to understand
the current events. And this is exactly what they want. They want you to stay
dumb and ignorant. This would help to their cause which in return people would
be easy to be duped or lied to. Anyways, before moving onto our main subject which
has a lot to do with these historical places, I just wanted to point out how
history is so important which it played and plays a major role in our lives.
After a good night sleep and a good breakfast, I was at the Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.
Omaha Beach right behind my bicycle and American flag. Photo: F. Aksoy
Omaha Beach-Center- Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Photo: F. aksoy
After riding my bicycle, I finally arrived to Bayeux. I
wanted to stop at Bayeux to visit British war cemetery before I went on to see
the Omaha beach and the American cemetery and the memorial center. Bayeux is a
small town with a population under 15,000 is the first town which was liberated
from Nazi forces during the 1944 Normandy amphibious landing. And another
invasion of Bayeux took place in the history during 1066 the conquest of
England by William the Conqueror. This town hosts the biggest British war cemetery
in Normandy. I went to visit this British cemetery in Bayeux and to be honest
with everyone, despite the fact that I didn’t know anyone in this cemetery who
were killed during an action of battle or combat, still, just looking some of
these graves reading their names and their age completely brought tears down to
my face. I couldn’t help it seeing these graves and very young boys not even
man yet, not even seeing what life is all about, and not experienced….here they
were lying dead. It really didn’t matter where they were from, their
nationality didn’t matter and cause of the war didn’t matter, but what mattered
to me at most was: they were really young and they were dead. Some of them were
only 18 years old. There were some British families who were also here visiting
the cemetery and some were crying and I was with them. I’m a veteran and a
human I can totally understand their sorrow. And who knows perhaps they were a
family member, but I didn’t want to ask and I just gave them a hug.
I left the cemetery sad and as I was pedaling out of Bayeux
thinking how wars were/are terrible. And from the history I knew almost %78
percent of the wars were unnecessary. Human race is very greedy and most of
these wars were based upon greed and interests. You would think all these
terrible wars stayed in history, but no, still these years in our current times
we have so many greedy corporations and crook politicians who still want blood
in their hands and steal the resources from the poor and the defenseless. And because
they’re powerful, they’re able to lie and blame the other side for the wars
they start.
It was late in the afternoon and early in the evening which
was getting dark slowly as I was pedaling fast towards the Saint
Laurent-sur-Mer where the American forces landed at Omaha beach. I really
wanted to make it there before the dark, but it was going to be impossible.
Since I wanted to camp out at Omaha beach, time really didn’t matter, but I
just wanted to see it during daylight. It was getting colder and I was still
pedaling fast and hard also getting goose bumps all over. I just didn’t know
whether from visiting British Cemetery or from the cold air. But still, those
dead young men in their graves were in my mind and I was thinking deep at the
time of 1944 about their parents and their brothers or sisters. Who knows what
was going through their mind. How sad this was not being able to see your loved
ones again. I was pedaling, but not even realizing how thirsty I was since I
left Bayeux. I was getting closer to Omaha beach and I finally saw a little
hotel and café.
American Cemetery and memorial center in Normandy. I filmed this while visiting Normandy, France. It's also on you Tube
I stopped to get a bottle of water from this café and the
minute I put my bicycle against the wall, from the window I can see this old
lady working by herself. I just couldn’t believe my eyes, she looked as if she
was in her 80s, and yet, there were a few table occupied by French and American
families whom she was serving. I thought how cute this was and at the same time
seeing an 80 year old lady taking care of the entire café and no one was helping
her. I walked inside the café and greeted her. She smiled and spoke to me in
French. I smiled back and told her that I’m deeply sorry I can’t speak French.
And amazingly she began speaking English which I couldn’t believe. She made me
sit down and told me that she would be right back. And then she began passing
out the checks of her customers. In a matter of 10 minutes, place got empty in
a hurry. I was still waiting for her and I didn’t want to rush her. She finally
came to my table and asked me if I want the special which was a pasta dish with
garlic. I told her that I would love to have a plate. As I was having a dinner
at this place by myself, she brought two glasses of lemonade and sat down next
to me. I started to ask her question about Saint Lauren-sur-Mer, Omaha beach
and its history. She began thinking very deep and gave me this look as if why
did you have to ask this question. I loved listening her explain everything
about the area and about her life. She was indeed 80 years old, but still very
healthy for her age to serve to all these tables by herself. And this was
actually her hotel, her house and her café which was left to her by her parents
many years ago. She said she was born in 1934 right here in this location and
by 1944 when the invasion and landing began by allied troops, during the night
bombing raid, she lost her grandparents. She said all these were happening when
she was 10 years old and she said it was too much to handle to see losing her
grandparents and some of her friends. I listened her almost an hour and loved
every minute of it. She was very experienced about life, war and people. And
she was an incredible cook which she said she prepares the entire menu items by
herself. I was amazed by this French lady who was 80 years old, yet, she was
very active, healthy and still very intelligent. I finally decided to pay and
leave, but she just wouldn’t accept my money. She hugged me and gave me a kiss
on my cheeks and told me “It’s good to see people who still care” I was
speechless and told her that “I will be back to visit you again in the future” I
left her place sad and happy thinking about her age and what she does for a
living. In reality, working and keeping herself busy was keeping her healthy
and alive. And she loved talking to people which was also keeping her active.
After pedaling about 30 more minutes, I finally arrived to
Saint Laurent-sur Mer. I followed the road sign and made it to Omaha beach. Now
it was very dark and colder and I had to find a spot to camp out at Omaha beach.
I looked at the Omaha beach and stared at the waves. I was tired and I knew I
had a busy day ahead of me. There was a huge restaurant about 200 meters back
from the beach and as I passed by I can hear American, British, French and
other nationalities speak. I found a nice hidden camping spot on the beach and
I finally unpacked my bags from the bicycle and set up my tent. Next thing I know it was already morning and
I was hearing several kids who were running at the beach with their dogs. I had
a long breakfast staring at the sea and then planning my day. I was very
excited that I was getting ready to see all these amphibious landing spots with
my own eyes.
Photo: F.Aksoy
American War Cemetery and Memorial Center, Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. Photo: F.Aksoy.
It's hard to believe that there are 9,700 American soldiers who is lying dead in this cemetery alone.
Photo: F.Aksoy
I’m not going to get into a detailed war planning or to an
actual landing, but I would like to cover this historical landing from another perspective. Most Western historians who brings their own national, patriotic, or personal feelings into history or politics, fails to see the reality. My entire life I looked at things from neutral point of view and mostly analyzing chronological of events which actually brought me right into reality. And of course to cover this important historical event from a different perspective, little bit a history helps.
There is so much information
available from different sources in reference to Normandy amphibious landing.
Again, there are a few major mistakes were made by allies during the strategic
planning which would had saved many soldiers’ lives, but I do not believe they
really cared about loss of lives.
By the time June, 6, 1944 came (during the Normandy
landing), German forces were all scattered around Europe and Russia. Up to 157
German divisions were in Russia fighting, 12 division in Norway, 6 divisions in
Finland, 6 divisions in Denmark, 21 divisions in Balkans, 26 divisions in
Italy, 20 divisions in Germany and 50+ divisions in France. So we clearly see
most German divisions and bulk of their military power in Russia busy fighting
against Russians. Therefore it really didn’t matter where the allies were
coming from to land the forces on French coastlines: result would have been a
victory. Germans hardly had any military power to defend the French coastline
from allies. England and the U.S. knew it well that Germans were running weak
in France and they took advantage of it. Had this landing been before the
German invasion of Russia, it would have been a disaster. And in fact this is
the reason England and U.S. never took a chance and never even thought about
it. If Germans had never gone to Russia to invade and commit their most
military forces to that region, then Germany would have invading England easily
without any obstacle. But when you look at most Western historians, they would
like to put their own feeling into the events and write the way they wanted to
write to brainwash their own citizens. However, reality shows us the truth.
American War Cemetery and the Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer
Normandy, France. Photo: F.Aksoy
Let’s go back 2 years before 1944 Normandy landing. And this
was the time before Germany pulled many of their military divisions from France
to Eastern front. In August, 1942, Western allies decided to take the pressure
of Russian Red Army who were fighting against German invasion. They came up
with a disaster plan to test the German defense lines and test the feasibility
of a cross-channel invasion. British and Canadian forces together decided an
abortive landing at the French port town of Dieppe. The attack was poorly
planned which ended up with catastrophe, disaster and humiliation for the
British and Canadians who lost almost 5,000 soldiers for ill-guided
strategists.
But two years later in 1944, it was different. Most German
divisions left France to go to Eastern front to fight against Russians. And
this was a huge advantage for Western Allies to invade French coastline easily.
I still believe there were much safer ways and strategies to get into France
without losing that many lives. It’s also important to mention that because the
city of Calais and the region of Nord-Pas-de- Calais located at the narrowest
point of the British Channel on French side, Germans thought invasion by Allies
would take place in Calais area, therefore they brought their mostly strong forces
to this area. And there were also a few deception games by allies to make
Germans think Calais area would be the landing area.
On Tuesday, June, 6th, 1944 Allied forces began
invading Normandy beaches. These landings were in two different phases an
airborne assault and an amphibious landing. Allied forces consist of almost
7,000 ships and almost 200,000 troops +24,000 airborne troops. This was
actually a heavy handed landing compare to Germans which didn’t even have half
of the size allied had. And it should be noted that more than half of the
German troops who were defending these beaches were actually teenagers.
There were 5 different beaches allies landed. British landed
at Sword and Gold beach. Canadians landed at Juno Beach, and Americans landed
at Utah and Omaha beach. Of course I bicycled to all these beaches, but now I
was at the Omaha beach. And they had also divided Omaha beach into many other
codes. I was staring at the entire Omaha beach from this hill and completely
picturing the entire amphibious landing in my head. It’s amazing to imagine
troops coming out of Amphibious boats directly right on an enemy fire. Some
dropping dead or wounded as they were advancing some taking cover behind dead
bodies. What was really going through their mind as they were assaulting the
beach? Most of these troops probably thought that was the day they were going
to die. And some were probably more optimistic as they really knew this was a
thin line which they were going to crush. Airborne assault began right after
midnight 6, June, 1944. Sword Beach where the British landed first began an
aerial bombing at 3:00 in the morning followed by 0730 naval bombing of coast
defense line. After the landing Sword Beach, British troops advanced 8
kilometers deep inside, but still failed to capture the town of Caen. Actually
Caen wasn’t captured until the middle of July where there was a fierce
resistance by the German troops. Gold Beach was different as British landed
25,000 troops. Casualties were very high here due to the weather and strong
German resistance. Canadians landed in Juno Beach faced against heavily armed
German forces. In first wave of landing Canadians suffered %50 casualties.
Nevertheless, two hours later they were able to advance inland. Omaha Beach was
situated very different than other beaches especially for defenders. Omaha had
high bluffs which gave so much advantage to the defenders. There were so many
bunkers which were full of machine gun nests, mortars and artillery hidden very
well and almost none of them were damaged from aerial or even naval bombing. So
by the time when American troops landed, in first 2 hours Germans killed 5,000
American soldiers, but only losing 1200. And most of the German troops who were
defending Omaha beach were %75 percent teenagers who were inexperienced in
combat. It took about 3 full days for American troops to clear out of Omaha
beach with the help of naval artillery and tanks. Utah beach was the luckiest
as they gave only 197 casualties during landing.
I also went to Colleville-sur-Mer where American cemetery
and memorial center is located. I walked between these 9,700 thousand graves at
the cemetery and I was really speechless, sad and upset to see these many youngsters
lying dead. Again nationality really didn’t matter, however, did this really
have to happen?
In my earlier blogs I’ve mentioned about bicycling the
entire north-west France and its coastline. And now, still in Normandy passing
through Etretat then entering into the port city: La Havre, France. And then
connecting to lower Normandy town Honfleur by the bridge of Pont de Normandy.
La Havre was kind of a mind boggling for me at first as I
was entering into the city. Of course I was still on my bicycling tour of
Europe and riding my bike right into the city through the outskirts and
approaching from north-east direction. But at that very right moment, I was
puzzled actually! I asked myself “where is everybody?” There were neither
people nor any cars on the streets. It just looked as if I just entered into a
ghost town. I stopped on the side of the road and strapped my head cam on my
head (helmet video camera) just in case if there was something unusual or some
type of festival going in La Havre. It was weird and strange that I was just
arriving to La Havre which has a population of about or close to 300,000 and
yet, I hadn’t seen anyone. I began pedaling quicker and harder just to see any
road sign which would lead me into the city center. Finally, I start to see a few people, several
cars and a tram going by. As I got closer to the center of the city, I began
seeing more people and cars, but still, numbers weren’t enough to make me
believe this city’s population was around 300,000 at all. These streets and
roads had hardly any cars and hardly any population. And on the top of that, it
was Saturday. I was never able to understand the reason why this city looked so
empty. But actually, this was fine for me. I loved it! This place had no
crowds, no traffic and it was quite enough for anyone to relax at any time of
the day.
Honfleur, France. Magnificent scene to its marina and port. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Le Havre which is located in upper Normandy region (Haute
Normandie) a city which has the second largest port in France in traffic was
completely destroyed during the World War-II and rebuilt again after the war in
a span of 20 years which lasted until 1965. French Architecture Auguste Perrets
planning of rebuilding La Havre with modern structures have earned the city
UNESCO world heritage status. It was a fishing village until 1517, but then
deciding to build a new harbor to accommodate bigger vessels and ships what
made Le Havre expand rapidly. Even in the mid-1800s, this port was a major
departing point for thousands of German and French immigrants to the United
States of America and Canada. Most of the traffic to Le Havre port is import,
especially crude oil. Besides ferry services to and from England and Ireland to
this port, this port also includes an industrial zone for oil refining,
chemical, cement, and aeronautical-component industries. Apart from its huge
busy harbor, its big size university, yachting harbor, service and tourist
industry brought many opportunities for employment. However, it’s important to
mention that after the postwar boom, especially during and after the 1970s,
economic crisis began. This crisis led to a high unemployment and decline in
population. And today this area still struggles with high unemployment.
Le Havre, France. City Town Hall near the city center. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
I filmed this video from my head cam and put it on youtube. This was the exact moment while entering into Le Havre and right before the city center, going through a funky tunnel.
La Seine River which rises from northeastern city Dijon is
about 776 kilometers long flowing through Paris then into the English Channel
at Le Havre and Honfleur on the left bank northwestern, France. It’s France’s
second longest river and its history goes back as early as 250 B.C. In 885 A.D
Vikings used their long boats by rowing them on Seine River to get to the
heartland of France during their invasions. Of course again, Le Havre was the
beginning place for their long adventure. And people who loves river cruises,
La Seine River cruises is ideal which begins from Le Havre through the orchards
of Normandy, crossing the city of Paris, then part of the World War II country
sites following all the way to northeastern France.
Le Havre was quite, laid back and ideal for me to relax for
a couple of days before heading down to lower Normandy. After all, I was very
tired riding my bicycle through some stiff hills of north-west France. I
decided not to camp out in Le Havre and instead I checked into a hotel for two
days. Accommodation and food were both reasonable in north-west of France
compare to southern France which I will talk about it in a later blog. At least
it was for me. Food markets, sandwich shops and bistros can definitely keep a
budget traveler happy and satisfied. Service at this hotel was amazing!
Breakfast and dinner was included and on the top of that they even do your
laundry for you. Wow, how amazing was that!
City center and nearby streets were all fun and entertaining. There were
many specialty restaurants, cafes which had live bands including Jazz.
North-west France and this city Le Havre hardly had any crime. You can
basically walk at 3:00 AM in the morning and no one would bother you.
The Pont de Normandie is a cable stayed road bridge which spans the Seine River linking Le Havre with Honfleur. Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013
Almost my entire
life, I wondered why crime rate is always higher in America compare to Europe
or other countries and regions around the world including most of the third
world nations. This was always puzzling to me. Actions really do speak louder
than words. I think respect, manners and behaving were some of the basic
answers in my head. This has a lot to do with the way we are raised by our
parents then being taught by our teachers and others who we look up as role
models. In my opinion and perspective, teaching kindness, responsibility,
social skills, manners, respect and raising children polite has so much to do
with your kid’s future and his/hers adult years. I can’t say this for every
family in America, but this is where America’s problem with crime begins. I’ve
been to 5 different continents and 112 countries. I’ve spent many months and
sometime year at a time in different countries. What I’ve witnessed so far
comes down to respect, manners, discipline and behaving. I’ve seen these with
my own eyes with different cultures. Why is it that most travelers feel much
safer traveling in some of the third world nations than in the United States of
America? Why is it that I feel much more comfortable traveling in Europe, Asia,
Australia, New Zealand, even South America than traveling in the east coast of
America? Even though I love taking risks and love traveling remote and risky
areas around the world for an adventure, still something about America most
feel uncomfortable. I’ve talked to many Europeans and others which most of them
stated that they weren’t interested traveling to America. Yes, some do travel
here in America to the airport then to hotel then to touristic sight seen. That
is easy to do, however, I’m mostly speaking about long term adventure style
traveling or backpacking.
Honfleur, France. Again an amazing view to the marina and the port. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Honfleur, France. Different angle. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
The morning I left my hotel in Le Havre was cold and
windy(August), but still, as I was packing my bags onto my bicycle I was very
excited and looking forward to crossing the Le Seine River by crossing the
bridge of Pont de Normandie. But there are times things just don’t happen the
way you plan. And it was one of those days. It didn’t take that long to leave
the city of Le Havre, but the outskirt of the city and the back streets while
crossing the port was taking a while to get to the bridge. I began speeding and
I was really going pretty fast on my bicycle. I passed a group of bicyclists on
my right and they probably said “this guy is flying” I finally arrived to an
intersection where there was a sign which was directing me towards the Pont de
Normandie. But there was one problem: there was a huge red sign telling me that
bicycles are not allowed! When I saw this sign, I got pretty upset and mad. I
asked myself, but what’s next? I looked at the map and saw another bridge which
was far in distance from this bridge and that meant going there then once
crossing the bridge coming back to same direction to Honfleur. And I knew this
was going to take some time. I really
thought about doing something illegal and against to law by riding through this
bridge. But I couldn’t do it as I have so much respect for laws. Before I knew
it, the bicycle group I passed earlier came right behind me and they too
stopped and puzzled about the road sign. I finally told them hello. They were
from England and they were here for a weekend. They too thought about crossing
this bridge illegally to save time, but we all decided to take the second
bridge. So we rode our bicycles together to the other bridge. We were chatting
on the way and this turned out to be very nice actually. I’m usually a solo
traveler which I really like traveling alone, but there are times while
traveling other countries I meet travelers or others I become friends with and
I also enjoy this pretty much. Nevertheless, the excitement and enjoyment I get
from being a solo traveler is different and intense which I love it. By the
time we got to the Tancarville Bridge, my new British friends were tired and
they wanted to stop by at a pub and have a few beers. I told them that I must
continue and that I probably see them in Honfleur. After an hour, I was by
myself again. Over the years I got so used to traveling alone that I really
love traveling solo and traveling alone really taught me so much about life.
Tancarville Bridge was downhill so my bicycle speed reached
up to 65 kilometers an hour. It was an intense speed while your bicycle is
packed up. But this trekking bicycle able to carry lots of load. And it has 24
gears which is very fast. By the time I came down to the base of the bridge I
had to turn around again to the opposite direction towards the town of
Honfleur. I lost so much time by taking this second bridge, but had no other
choice. I was finally arriving to Honfleur and it was getting dark.
Clocktower of the Church of Saint Catherine, Honfleur. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
I didn’t know that much about this town Honfleur. In fact I
didn’t even get a chance to read about it at all. But I like surprises, so I
was ready. I arrived at Honfleur in an early evening hour which everyone was
outside walking around the marina. And most were wearing jackets, sweaters and
rain coats. Very first thing got my notice was the marina and the port. It was
situated right at the center of the town and it was romantically beautiful
picturesque. This marina and port completely takes you over and makes you want
to stare at this scene for hours. And I’m not kidding about it at all. Ask many
artists and painters who sits hours and hours drawing the picture of this
beautiful port and its background. I took many photos of it from different
angles and positions and still couldn’t take enough of it. Honfleur also
belongs to Cote Fleurie (Flower coast) which has 13 other towns along the
coast.
Out of these 14 coastal towns Deauville is known by its
famous and prestigious seaside resorts. French super rich and high society
mostly keeps and prefers their summer houses in this beautiful town. Deauville
is also famous with its international film festival usually in early September
every year. It’s actually called Deauville American film festival. I stayed 3
days and 3 nights in Honfleur, Deauville and the flower coast. All three nights
I camped out at the beach and again relaxing and sleeping with ocean sounds
waves. Neither any local police nor anyone else bothered me at the beach. In
fact police women who I talked to in front of a bakery, were very happy that I
was traveling their country (hahaha). In France mostly in the mornings or at
any time of the day you can go to a bakery and purchase fresh baking goods and
sit down in front of the store sitting area enjoy your breakfast with coffee,
tea or other beverages. You can smell those bakeries (Boulangerie) from miles
away. That fresh bread or chocolate croissant would smell all day and that was
the best part of my mornings.
I love this entire coastline. I was on my way to World War
II Normandy amphibious landing beaches, the American cemetery and memorial and
I was very happy to travel the north-west France with details. My next blog
will cover Normandy landing beaches
Honfleur, France. I was on my bicycle and riding towards the Light House. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Once a small fishing town, Etretat is now a famous town
because of its white cliffs, regions most famous rock formation needle, chalk
formation, natural arches, and the famous GR-21 long distance hiking path which
passes through here. It’s situated north-east of port city Le Havre. Again the
route D-940 passes through here on the way down to Le Havre. As I mentioned on
my earlier blog (Cap Blanc-Nez) about the spectacular route D-940 which brings
you all the way down here is full of intriguing towns, spots, places and the
never ending views. Traveling with bicycle also gave me an incredible advantage
of seeing this beautiful north-west part of France and its amazing spots even
close up.
Etretat and its white cliffs. This was the west side of Etretat. It was rather a warmer day and I couldn't help, but start swimming. Especially right after riding my bicycle hours and hours just to get here. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
This is the east side of Etretat. Of course you can hike up to the top and enjoy the view of the entire Etretat.
Photo: F.Aksoy- Aug-2013
Alabaster Coast which is an 80 mile stretch between Dieppe
and Etretat is situated in upper Normandy. And
of course there is the famous
town of Fecamp known with its high chalky cliffs between Dieppe and Etretat. And
some of these white chalk cliffs reach up to 120 meters at places. Well, this
whole stretch has so many white cliffs and in reality, I was hesitating how
long to stay and where, what and how long. Entire area was intense and
different which I became so infatuated with its physical beauty that I camped
out in the open every night for 4 nights sleeping with the waves sound right
next to me. I loved breathing that fresh air and the wind which was hitting me lightly.
No one bothered me at the spot where I was sleeping. I felt safe and
comfortable with my 0-Fahrenheit degree sleeping bag and air-therm-a-rest
sleeping pads extremely light in weight rests on the grass with my bicycle
locked up next to me while watching the waves coming down and hitting the shore
and its cliffs. Of course it wasn't the
same spot where I slept every night. I slept one night in Dieppe, two nights in
Fecamp and its surroundings then one night in Etretat before heading down to
the city of La Havre. Every morning I would walk to a local French bakery and
would fall in love with that smell inside the bakery. It would be very hard to
make a decision what to eat and what to buy. There were so many baking goods to
choose from. And at nights I would go to café order seafood, try a glass of various
French wines and then have a nice cup of coffee or a cup of tea watching the
waves with an intense pleasure.
This is the film I captured from my headcam. I put this video on my Youtube actually. I was still on the road and about to approach to Etretat I began filming it on my bicycle. You can clearly see the town of Etretat and the west side as well as east side of the beach and white cliffs. Video: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
I can see so many people in their camper vans and cars coming from England, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and some Scandinavian
countries. I ended up meeting with so
many people from different parts of the world here in Alabaster coast and
before I knew I made several friends. Over the decades or I should say that I've been friendly and
warm with others. This led me to meet with so many people from different countries
and helped me to learn their cultures. Since my teen years the more I learned
about the world, people and their cultures, the more I wanted to learn. And it
was always this intense desire that I had/have to see the entire world with
details. I’d have to explain the details of this subject later in a different
blog. But now back to Etretat area.
My loyal bicycle waits for me to make a decision to choose my destination. Of course it was Dieppe as I continued to adventure north-west France. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Etretat used to
be a simple fishing village with its famous oysters, but later becoming one of
the most visited sites for its natural beauty of cliffs. It was always a major
curiosity for me to find out how these cliffs turned out to be white. Alabaster
coast refers to chalky white cliffs, but when examined and analyzed later, it
was salty rust. And the bruises of erosion brought by the heavy waves and relentless
assault of sea, rain and gale-force winds battering these cliffs. Because of
these strong physical forces which have been hitting on the cliffs of Etretat
for so long, these cliffs has become fragile. And this is the reason Etretat’s
needle rock and gateway arches are surviving ruins of perished cliff. Erosion
is still a reality here and yet, we may see more perishing cliffs.
When you arrive at
Etretat’s village and its shores, you will notice pebble beach right away and
either end of the beach, you will see the white cliffs. These two cliffs are
called Falaise d’Aval and Falaise d’Amont. You’ll see them much better from
these photos that I took and the video I filmed from my headcam.
I’m not trying to exaggerate, overestimate or brag about one
of France’s most interesting corners in its map: north-west section. However,
this beautiful part of France and the route D-940 is one of the must see spots
of the world. This destination offer many coastal and inland spots with many
attractions. North-west part of France is less crowded with hardly any population;
it’s quiet and peaceful which even makes it more attractive to its visitors.
Thought Bretagne(Brittany) and Pays de la Loire, both are
also regions which are located north-west France, and which I’ve been to,
however on this blog I’m mostly concentrating regions of Nord pas-de-Calais,
Haute Normandie(Upper Normandy) Basse Normandie(Lower Normandy). All the way up
north from Belgium border, Dunkirk, Calais then following the beautiful route
D940 to Cap Blanc-Nez, Boulonge-Sur-Mer, Reserve Naturale La baie de la Canche,
Etaples, Le Crotoy, Criel-Sur-Mer, Dieppe, Fecamp, Etretat to the city of Le
Havre. Then following the coast-line from Honfleur to World War II Normandy
landing beaches: Sword Beach, Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Omaha Beach and Utah
Beach. Of course I had to pay my respect to all these warriors who died very
young during the amphibious landing. And now their graves are located at various
locations in Normandy: American military
cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer, British military cemetery in Bayeux and German
military cemetery in La Cambe. Then who can forget Le Mont Saint-Michel which
is part of the UNESCO list of “world heritage site” and France’s most visited monument
site after Paris. I will discuss this area with its beautiful photos on my
other blogs which will cover Normandy amphibious landings and also the Mont
Saint-Michel castle in separate blogs.
Again, this is the video I captured from my headcam while on the road with my bicycle. This is north-west of France. Actually when going downhill with this German trekking bicycle Kalkhoff you can reach up to 65 km an hour. North-west was full of hills, up and down up and down. This video is also on my youtube. Video: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
I just couldn’t get enough of north-west France. There were
so much to do, so many points of interest and places to discover that I thought
I should stay and spend a year in this region. But I just didn’t have that much
time to spare. Although there were many hills on this fabulous route D-940, and
in this region, still it was an ideal voyage for bicycle and I loved every
minute of it. Many people are not aware of the stiff hills D940 route has and
some think this area is a flat region. But in reality, it’s the opposite; this
area consists of many hills.
Normandy region also has ferryboat accesses from and to
England up to 4 locations: ports of Cherbourg, Caen, La Havre and Dieppe. The mix
of spectacular coast-line later becomes sandy beaches and even several resorts.
Then inland there are so many thousands of charming farms which includes Apple
orchards and dairy farms. Produce goods: Cheese, apples, pork, seafood and
duck. Not to mention its physical beauty with forest, wooded hills, white
cliffs. This region also produces calvados: a distilled cider or apple brandy.
Despite the fact agriculture, tourism and industry has been
the most important part of this region’s economy; nevertheless, because of this
region’s long coastline and its many rivers, fishing is one of the many major
income sources. And this area specializes in many seafood dishes. Region of
north-west is also known by its other meat products: Lamb, chicken, duck and
ham. But I can’t forget the recommendations of the French north-west government
which lets us know some of their unique delicious regional specialty dishes: Shellfish,
crustaceans, lobsters, mussels, crab and others such as oysters, scallops and
crayfish. According to their recommendations, Seafood is basically laid on a
bed of ice and seaweed then served with a light white wine called Muscadet,
fresh rye bread and butter. Shellfish also can be served in a beurre blanc
sauce made from butter, wine, and shallots. Because I was bicycling Europe
during this trip, usually I would buy food from super markets, local bakeries
or farms then camp out to prepare my food. However, at least three times a week
I would eat out and I was able to stop at various towns and locations to taste
some of these specialties and, yes, I was really impressed by their style of
cooking, serving and not to mention the view from these outdoor cafes were
intense.
West side of Etretat again I came closer by swimming on a warm day. Photo:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
The route D940 from Calais to La Havre and other routes from
upper Normandy all the way down to Mont-Saint-Michel lower Normandy have so
many scenic views that take my attention from riding my bicycle. I do take my
eyes off very often to watch this beautiful point of interests which are very distractive.
My bicycle trip to 7 countries in Europe took me about 10 weeks to complete it.
And I spent two weeks of these 10 weeks right here in north-west France. When I
return back from my trip, many told me that was too much time to spend in
north-west France. I simply told them “You do not know what you are missing”
This is a city much older and more Dutch than Amsterdam. And If you're going to visit or travel
Netherlands, then you make sure you stop by Utrecht. Utrecht is unique, it stands out from other Dutch cities and it's a must see destination no matter what. There are several middle-sized cities in Europe I really love and for me, Utrecht is definitely one of them which I've gone back 11 times. There is a reason for everything and there must be a reason why I keep going back to Utrecht and others I adore.
It's not as much populated as Amsterdam. Not that I don't like Amsterdam, it's just a different city. It's the 4th largest city of Holland.
The reason I said this city is one of the oldest has a lot to do with its historical background. Its history witnessed to many events that shaped the entire Netherlands.
Utrecht has been the religious centre of Netherlands since many centuries and this is one reason you would see many historical buildings and monuments from Early Middle ages and the Middle ages.
There is the Dom Tower which is the tallest church tower in Netherlands. It was built in 14th Century around 1328, but of course it took many years to complete the entire project. And you can see this tower where ever you are in Utrecht. This is the main reason why you would never get lost in Utrecht. It's 112,5 meters tall, I do not believe anyone would miss it from a far distance.
Utrecht Dom Tower Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Another shot to Utrecht Dom Tower Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
This city also a university town and its university is one of the biggest in Europe and also the oldest in Netherlands.
This university is one of the leading research centers in Europe which is why the city of Utrecht is known as a student city. There is no doubt in my eyes, Utrecht is cultural, very lively, young population and it has so much to offer for anyone at any age.
Before I begin talking about those beautiful Utrecht canals which is everywhere in the city, I will have to explain about part of the Rhein river south of Utrecht in Netherlands.
During the 11th Century, Rhein river flowed right in the center and around the city of Utrecht. And banks of the Rhein river became so important and vital to the trade that Utrecht became very important player. But later because of Utrecht's defense and security from enemies, they have decided to build fortresses. And to build this fortresses meant: change the Rhein river's flow direction more towards south.
Of course after the old bed main flow of the Rhein river moving to south which used to pass through the city, main bed in the city created many canals.
Beautiful lively canals which Utrecht populations takes advantage of them
Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Actually these canals gave so much character to the city that without them Utrecht would be naked.
And there are so many shops and cafes around the canal lines that you would never stop going from one to another.
Give yourself at least a few days in Utrecht if you really want to enjoy this city. Because I was bicycling during this European trip 7 countries and almost 3000 kilometers, I felt like this was the best way to see some of the cities close up. I do not believe there were any places left that I didn't touch before I left Utrecht. That is having an advantage traveling with bicycle. And in Holland and in Utrecht, just about everyone cycles to everywhere. So, I wasn't a strangers to these bike crazy country.
Just about everyone rides their bicycles in Utrecht. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Since I've been in Utrecht many times, in one of those occasions I was riding my bicycle from another Dutch city Eindhoven, coming from south towards north to Utrecht.
I just have to tell anyone that if you ever like taking a tour of Dutch country side, then try coming to Utrecht from south by taking the road from a town called s-Hertogenbosch. I just love that country road crossing some of the most beautiful Dutch villages on the way to Utrecht.
You also cross some of the most private part of the Rhein river where locals swim and it's middle of no where. Passing through some of the apple orchards and town of Zaltbommel was amazing where I felt like I was in a different world.
Utrecht and surrounding places a must see destination. You just get so much out of it that you want to go back again.
An amazing sculpture front of a funky street entrance. I tried very hard to think
and guess what this subject (sculpture) really doing. I knew he wasn't staring at anywhere.
But rather, he was thinking deep...a strategy perhaps. Photo: F.Aksoy
This building was directly situated right behind the Dom Tower. Photo: F.Aksoy
Bicycles are the best transportation in Netherlands. They're all over the place
Here is a city mostly underrated and unknown to many around the world. But actually this itself is enough to visit Gent over and over. Yes, correct! Europeans may know the city, however, the numbers are not that high. I've been there several times, still, I can never get enough of Gent. There is something about it which captures the best of me. Belgium do have a few beautiful cities, towns and villages. Antwerpen may be a fashion capital of Belgium, Brugge may be the most visited city by tourists in Belgium. Brussel may be a cosmopolitan city home to EU and Nato, with its certain attractive suburbs, but still in my opinion, none of them would take Gent's place. Gent is different! Gent is Belgium's best kept secret and Gent is a hidden city which not many are aware of it.
This is the photo of Belfry of Gent.
This tower is all the way from medieval times and
It served as a bell tower and a watch tower. it's
construction started in 1313 by master mason
Jan van Haelst Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Saint Nicholas Church, Gent, Belgium. Photo by:F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Historical Post Plaza, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
What really sets the city of Gent apart from other Belgian cities? Of course I can only answer this question from my own perspective. And not only from a single visit, but I was in Gent four separate occasions.
I'm mostly a positive and an outgoing person with a great mood almost at all times. However, I must admit and acknowledge that every time I was in Gent my energy levels were raised up by naturally. The city itself has so much energy and it's written all over it from the moment you enter into Gent. I can never describe enough of Gent's positive sides. It's not only what the city offers, but most importantly Gent's people and its population are some of the warmest bunch you can find in Western Europe. Yes, Gent's historical center is mostly from medieval times and generally centered around Gravensteen Castle and mostly free from cars or car traffic which really makes it even easier to walk around. But still it's not the medieval buildings that sets Gent apart from other cities, it's also its people what makes this city outstanding.
I was on my way to the city of Gent, Belgium. Having a lunch break
in one of the Belgium villages. Aug-2013
The Gravensteen Castle, Gent, Belgium. This castle was built in 1180
by Phillip Alsace. Photo: F.Aksoy-Aug-2013
Gent is located around north-west, Flemish (Dutch speaking) region in Belgium. It's actually a hidden city between France and Holland. It has the third largest port of Belgium. Of course it's port is accessible by canals and it's situated by Western Scheldt.
You really don't need a car in Gent. Gent has one of the best transportation system in the region. It has everything you ask for (Bus, Tram, Train, etc). And if you rather see things close up you can basically walk everywhere. Especially people who enjoys long distance walking, you'd love taking a walk along the Leie river or the medieval historical center.
Gent has one of the biggest university in Dutch speaking region with a population of 60,000 students and this is also what makes this city's population's average age so younger than other Belgium cities.
A place for coffee and chocolate lovers. Great for cacao shots. I loved it. Photo:F.Aksoy
Aug-2013
Near the historical center, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy
On this particular trip to Gent I was bicycling and on the way to south to France, Spain and Italy. But then again, every time I comeback to Europe bicycling the continent, I always stop by the city of Gent. I can't help it. It has so much affect on me. Because of the traveling style is bicycling, I usually camp out most of the nights except two or three of the nights out of the week, I check in to either to hotel or backpacker's hostel.
In Gent, I camped out a few nights, but other nights I was invited to stay with my newly made friends who were warm and hospitable enough to invite me to their places. And the important point here with Gent's locals has a lot to do with not only a few people wants to host you, but rather there were so many locals who invited me. And it's amazing how friendly they are. No matter which cafe or a place you're sitting or relaxing, there are always stranger friendly locals who wants to chat to you. Perhaps they like visitors from other countries, perhaps they do enjoy talking and getting into conversations with others. Whatever it is, I love the energy and the positiveness Gent people carries with them.
Locals relaxing at the cafe, Gent, Belgium. Photo: F.Aksoy
This street is deep inside away from the center of the city, but it got my notice right a way. in Dutch, straat means street, so, I was laughing so hard when I saw this sign. However, I'd have to admit that great, delicious and international food served on this street.
