Lisieux, Camembert and Falaise France

Travelled: 119km
Visited:Lisieux, Camembert and Falaise
Stay: Grainville Langannerie-aire, free parking,€ services. N49.014351 W0.268040

Another rainy start to the day. We drove to Lisieux to visit the Basilca built in honour of Sainte Therese of Lisieux. It is the second largest place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes. It is very impressively situated on a high point of the town and inside is beautifully covered in mosaics. 

We then made our way to the very small village of Camembert where, you guessed it, Camembert was invented by Marie Harel in 1791. We managed to take a photo of her statue on the way in Vimoutiers. We, of course, bought a Camembert here and learnt about the different cheeses in the area at the Information Office.

 Unfortunately, the Ferme President museum was closed for lunch ... so on the road we continued to the town of Falaise. This is where William the Conqueror was born in 1028. We went to visit the castle that had been used as a major residence by the dukes of Normandy. We learnt of his life as the King of England and Duke of Normandy and also those of his descendants. After exploring the castle we made our way towards Caen stopping at an aire on the way. I must also add that Falaise was a key point in the last stage of the 1944 Battle of Normandy in which 10,000 Germans were killed and 50,000 where imprisoned.