A love story in Normandy... reunited 75 years later!

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D-Day: Jeannine and her love reunited 75 years later

Jeannine’s touching story went around the world: this 92 years old French woman and her youth love, an American GI now 98 years old, were reunited. During the Second World War in 1944, 18-year-old Jeannine met a young American soldier, K.T Robbins, and they fell in love. However, one day, the GI was recalled to the front, and they did not see each other again or even speak on the phone.

During the commemoration of the D-Day on June 8 2019, they met in the retirement home where Jeannine now lives. A strong moment, rich in emotion, when they embraced as in the first day while revealing that they had never forgotten. Despite marriages and births, they had always thought about each other.

Another good reason to visit Normandy! See Raoul Dufy Special exhibition...

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Raoul Dufy is taking pride of place in Le Havre MuMa which currently presents nearly 90 of his works in a special exhibition. Those include artworks from MuMa’s collection as well as from major public collections such as those of the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, many fine art museums in France and Belgium, the Gemeentemuseum and Singer Laren in the Netherlands andincluding Milwaukee Art Museum in the USA, in addition to numerous private collections from countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the USA.

Raoul Dufy was born in Le Havre in 1877.  It was there that he trained and took his first steps as an artist. Its maritime setting provided subjects for many of his works and this city embodied his successive explorations of the field of light and color, from his early Impressionist works to his final Black Cargo Ships series via his early attraction to Realism, Fauvism, the influence of Cézanne and what could be called his “blue period” between the two world wars. Dufy remained moored to Le Havre throughout his life. It was his ideal city - a landscape of the mind that supplied his favorite subjects.

Eiffel Tower “Jules Verne” restaurant reopening July 20, 2019

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The Jules Verne restaurant, which was closed on September 3, 2018 due to the great renovation project of the Iron Lady to regain its beauty, at a colossal cost of 300 million euros, will be reopening July 20.

The gourmet Parisian 1-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide, located on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower offers an impressive view of the city of Paris from the metal beams of the Iron Lady.

The restaurant perched at 125 meters above sea level will welcome a new chef at the helm: Frédéric Anton, whose restaurant Au Pré Catelan has been awarded three Michelin stars since 2007.

Touraine wines are popular in the United States

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In Touraine, nearly a quarter of all exported bottles are sent to the United States, which represents nearly 11 million bottles each year. This concerns more particularly white wine because in 10 years, Touraine winemakers have doubled the number of bottles exported to the North American continent, according to a study by Interloire, the interprofessional committee of Loire wines. This increase does not seem to stop as according to an international survey, Loire wines will experience the largest increase in demand over the next two years (+ 30%). Among the wines of Loire Valley, unsurprisingly, it is the white wine that appeals to the American clientele and more specifically on the East Coast: Washington, Boston or New York. And in New York, according to the wine federation of Indre et Loire, one could find at least one bottle of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Vouvray in each specialized store of the city.

Ever tried sparkling red beads with strawberries?

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This week, head to the Loire Valley to discover one of the few sparkling red wines of quality produced in France (we know mainly the Italian Lambrusco, probably the most consumed in the world in that category). It is precisely on the 25 ha of his estate in Thoré-La-Rochette (Loir-et-Cher), in the Vendômois hillsides along the Loir, that Patrice Colin, an independent winemaker, produces in an ancestral and organic way this “sparkling red beads” 2018, 100% Gamay, tender and tasty.

With strawberries! Thomas describes it as a "stimulus wine", the one we drink at the end of the meal because we want the evening to continue on a festive note but "light as a feather". A sparkling red beads 2018 that can nevertheless be drunk as an aperitif or on dishes but that will accompany the fresh red berries of spring and especially strawberries in salad, which taste and fragrance it will sublimate.

Let’s take a walk in the Loire Valley vineyard

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Accompanied by winemakers, come to share their passion and know-how, enjoy beautiful vineyard landscapes and the heritage richness of the region classed World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. And discover colorful wines elaboration secrets. In a convivial and warmly atmosphere, new knowledge, relaxation and greediness are waiting for you for a unique human and sensory experience! After last year's successful fifteenth edition, winemakers are waiting for you with new flavorsome and unprecedented walks in the heart of the Loire Valley vineyards. Vineyard of sweetness of life and delights' lands, the Loire Valley is an ideal setting for young and old to extend holydays and relaxation before going back to school!

US paratroopers dash over Mont Saint-Michel for D-Day 75th anniversary

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Some 135 US Armed Forces soldiers parachuted over the Merveille on Saturday, May 18, 2019, watched by 1,500 spectators. A “remembrance” performance which has been repeated on June 6 for the commemorations of the Battle of Normandy.  Among these soldiers, Sergeant Major Matt Kitchin, from US Special Forces, has just parachuted. This American soldier, smiling, confides on this experience: "This is the best place in France to jump.” His grandfather was a paratrooper at Sainte-Mère-Église in 1944.

The production of old-fashioned vinegar and mustard seed still alive in the Loire Valley!

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In the cellars of Martin Pouret, in Fleury-les-Aubrais (Loiret), the vinegar still has the taste of the soil. This company of ten employees, founded in 1797, is the last one to perpetuate the tradition of vinegar of Orleans which goes back to the Middle Ages, when the wine followed the Loire before being unloaded and transported to Paris. Its bestseller remains the classic old-fashioned wine vinegar, but new vinegars are also developed using specific vines like chardonnay or merlot, or flavoured with Espelette pepper. The company also plays the diversification card by resuscitating missing agricultural sectors, like a 100% local mustard now produced by Val de Loire farmers that have been convinced to revive the growing of the mustard seed instead of importing it.

A recipe from Normandy, the land of apples, cider and Calvados

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Recipe! Cooked apples with quinoa and black pudding (boudin noir)

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients for 4:

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  • 4 big apples suited for cooking (Golden Delicious, Braeburn…)

  • 3 oz (90 g) of white quinoa, uncooked

  • 6 oz (180 g) of black pudding

  • 1 tbsp (15 g) of half-salted butter, softened

  • Salt and Pepper

    Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° F (180 ° C).

  • Rinse the quinoa. In a saucepan, pour twice its volume of water and bring to a boil. Add salt and quinoa and cook for 10 minutes. Out of the heat, cover and let swell up for 5 minutes. Drain.

  • Wash the apples, cut a hat. Empty them with a Parisian spoon in order to make small balls which you will keep in a salad bowl.

  • Remove the black pudding skin.

  • In the salad bowl, combine the apple balls with the pudding, softened butter and quinoa. Add salt and pepper.

On a baking sheet, arrange the cored apples. Garnish them with stuffing. Cover with hat.

Cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Tips

The Parisian spoon (often called melon baller) is essential to present your vegetables or fruits such as melon, watermelon, apples ... in the form of marbles.

Serve this recipe with a green salad.

Nutritional facts : For 1 portion = 6 oz = 573 Kcal

You know what? I dropped 577 boxes of Camembert in the mailbox of the French Deputies (House of Parliament) !

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577 Camembert made from raw milk were deposited last Wednesday in the mailboxes of French MPs as part of an operation to protect the recipe of this emblematic product of the French terroir. "No to the pasteurized camembert, yes to the one made with raw milk for everyone". "The taste of the land before profit!" is written in the center of the round box containing a fragrant Camembert made from Normandy raw milk and molded with the ladle, as required by the Protected designation of origin (PDO). "By opening the door to large volumes, nine camembert out of ten will be uninteresting, boring and will not be different from a camembert made in Japan".

At the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne rivers

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Montsoreau, adjoining town of Candes-Saint-Martin, one of the "most beautiful villages of France", welcomes every second Sunday of the month a beautiful antique market on the banks of the Loire (part of our Ronsard tour). But the Castle of Montsoreau, located on the border between Saumur and Touraine, is also the only fortress of the Loire Valley to take root in the bed of the Loire river. Since 2016, its contemporary art museum has been home to a unique "conceptual art movement" collection called Art & Language. Dating back to 1969 and founded by American artists Dan Graham, Lawrence Weiner and Sol LeWitt, the movement continues thanks to the passion of Philippe Méaille who owns the world's largest collection of works. A successful innovation, where contemporary art and a built heritage of more than 500 years are combined wonderfully.

60 days before the 75th Anniversary, still no information about hypothetical international ceremony

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The day of the commemoration of June 6, 1944, in Normandy, is always a special moment. Municipalities must organize their ceremony as well as accommodation for veterans. But this year, the municipalities of Normandy do not know where they stand. Will there be, yes or no, an international ceremony for the commemoration of the landing on June 6? And where? There is uncertainty at three months of D-Day's tribute ceremonies. Municipalities cannot therefore precisely organize their own ceremony. Time is also pressing for accommodation as they will have to find how to accommodate the veterans who have come for the 75th anniversary of the landing. Hotels are already often full or overpriced. 

Buff of...Dufy and impressionism? What you may miss is there!

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The exhibition scheduled to take place from 18 May to 3 November 2019 at MuMa, in Le Havre, will feature nearly 90 artworks from MuMa’s collection and from major public collections including the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, C.N.A.P, the fine art museums of cities such as Lyon, Nancy and Nice in France, and the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège in Belgium, the Gemeentemuseum and Singer Laren in the Netherlands, and Milwaukee Art Museum in the USA, in addition to numerous private collections in countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the USA.

What does France’s new president think about wine?

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Emmanuel Macron is a fervent supporter of wine – especially French wine. He believes that wine is at the very soul of France. There is a saying in France that a meal without wine is a very sad meal indeed.

France’s new president is quite the connoisseur and even participates in blind tastings with the world’s wine critics. Have a look at this video for one such tasting! Even if you don’t speak French, you will get the idea of how much Mr Macron enjoys wine.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

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If you come to Chinon and enjoy our Ronsard tour you will have the privilege to discover some aspects of the life of a more than amazing Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of Richard the lionhearted, with our pre eminent guide with whom you will visit the fortress of Chinon, home of the Queen Eleanor, and the Sainte Radegonde Chapel, an exclusive place, with an extraordinary fresco of the end of the XIIth century.

"Eleanor of Aquitaine is often remembered as one of two things: the sassy consort of King Henry II of England or Richard the Lionheart’s valiant mother.  While neither of these descriptions is wrong – they fall short in illustrating the magnanimity of this 12th century Queen. Eleanor of Aquitaine was a warrior at heart, and even though imprisoned for more than a decade, she continued to burn bright amidst all malevolent machinations against her person".

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Visit Chinon... in less than 3 minutes with 30,000 pictures

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"A day in Chinon » is a timelapse project filmed between April 2014 and July 2015. The film was created in Chinon in France (Loire Valley). We took around 30 000 photos to achieve this movie. This video illustrates our hometown. We hope you will enjoy our work. Created by Pierre de Izarra and Baptiste de Izarra"

website : redgreenblue.fr & baptistedeizarra.com

English : - Please watch in HD with the video fully loaded - 
 « A day in Chinon » is a timelapse project filmed between April 2014 and July 2015. The film was created in Chinon in France (Loire Valley). We took around 30 000 photos to achieve this movie. This video illustrates our hometown. We hope you will enjoy our work. 
 Created by Pierre de Izarra and Baptiste de Izarra. website : www.redgreenblue.fr & www.baptistedeizarra.com 
 Stuff : - Canon 6D - Motion control with dynamic perception stage zero. - AE, LRTimelapse, Premiere and some plugins.
 Most scenes available in 4K, please contact at fimbiz@gmail.com Music : Sigur Rós - Olsen Olsen https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/olsen-olsen/id658897870?i=658898363 
 Feel free to share if you like the movie! Thanks for watching! Français : - Regardez cette vidéo en haute définition (HD), une fois qu’elle sera complètement chargée - 
 « Une journée à Chinon » est un projet timelapse filmé de la période du mois d’avril 2014 jusqu’au mois de Juillet 2015. Filmé principalement dans la ville de Chinon en France au sein de la vallée de la Loire, le projet a rassemblé plus de 30 000 photos qu’il a fallu éditer et assembler. Cette vidéo illustre la ville dans laquelle nous vivons. Nous espérons que la découverte de ce film vous amènera à apprécier la beauté de ce lieu. 
 Création : - Pierre de Izarra (www.redgreenblue.fr) et Baptiste de Izarra (www.baptistedeizarra.com) 
 Vous pouvez nous suivre sur facebook et twitter : facebook.com/photographizarra twitter.com/pdeizarra 
 Équipement : - Canon 6D, - Travelling effectué à l’aide d’un rail dynamic perception stage zero, - After Effect, LRTimelapse, et quelques plugins. 
 Musique : Sigur Rós - Olsen Olsen itunes.apple.com/fr/album/olsen-olsen/id658897870?i=658898363 Une grande partie des plans sont disponibles en 4K. Pour tout contact : fimbiz@gmail.com N'hésitez pas à partager notre vidéo si vous l'avez aimé! Merci d’avoir regardé!

Back to Normandy

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June is the month to remember ; here is the address of an Organization which is totally dedicated to the history of WWII

Some words from the founder of Back to Normandy:

The beaches of Normandy and the countryside nearby are beautiful, peaceful and picturesque. But they were not always so – in June 1944 they saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War and some of the most heroic acts of bravery and courage ever seen on a battlefield. The sheer valour of the men who landed on the beaches of Normandy on that wet and windy morning of the 6th of June 1944 changed the course of history and ensured that the evil forces of Nazism were defeated and that freedom returned to Europe.

Those beaches and the adjoining countryside are visited by many thousands of people of all nationalities each year, all interested, for one reason or another, to see where the action took place or perhaps to trace the footsteps of a member of their family who fought in the Normandy campaign or to see where a particular regiment or military unit fought and won on D-Day.

I hope you will be able to help, sharing your stories, photos, historical locations. By doing so you will be assisting all those who wish to learn more about World War II and helping to preserve the spirit of those courageous men who fought and died on the beaches of Normandy – the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe. And lets not forget all the airmen and sailors who made this invasion possible in the years beyond. All these men and women, commemorated on this website, earn your attention.

Fred Vogels -
Founder and webmaster of Back to Normandy, writing the History of World War 2 in Europe

Link to the website of this organization