A Very French Birthday: Day 1

For my 27th birthday we planned a week long trip to France. We ended up coming home early because of car trouble, but we still had a marvelous time. We drove to Dover very early on Sunday morning and took the ferry to Dunkerque. Aside from the fact that it makes me queasy, I adore traveling by ferry. It is so romantic to watch the shore slip quietly away and you really feel as if you are embarking on a grand, glamourous adventure.

Here are Iain and I in the (very) small children's play area on board.


Iain and Papa on deck with the famous white cliffs receding into the distance.


After arriving in France we drove to Azincourt (Agincourt) which was the site of the great English victory of Henry V in 1415. Badly outnumbered, the English handily defeated the French and Charles VI of France named Henry his sucessor, as well as betrothing his daughter to him. William Shakespeare's play Henry V further increased the importance of this battle in English heritage, using it as the compelling backdrop for an epic tale that showcases the glory of an idealized king.

We strolled around the museum, which was mediocre and like many lesser museums had some slightly unnerving exhibits. We were trapped in a darkened room with this thing for about 5 minutes. It's supposed to be Henry V. In reality it is a dummy with a film of an actor's face talking projected onto the head. It had 3-D features and they didn't quite match up with where the actor's actual nose, mouth, and eyes were, so that added to the sense of disquiet. Let's get kids interested in history by scaring the pants off them!

The rest of it was better and didn't leave you feeling as if you'd ingested some kind of illegal substance.

Iain thought this one was cool!

Brian the angry medieval midget!


And here is the actual battlefield. It is so peaceful now that it is hard to believe that so much carnage and death took place on this spot.

We drove to Paris that night through some amazingly snarled traffic and gratefully dropped off to sleep to prepare for the next day's adventures!