By Nick
Our week at the farm in Normandy is almost up, and we had a few days off this weekend to explore the nearby area. We are lucky enough to be staying right next to Cerza Zoo, which for being located in a rural area, is surprisingly impressive. The two main routes around the zoo take one and a half hour each to walk, with plenty of exotic, beautiful and intimidating animals to see. The lions, of course, were incredible. A small tunnel leads you into a viewing room in the centre of their enclosure, meaning you can get an almost 360˚ view of the animals environment. We got a brilliant view of the pack playing among the remains of a large fallen tree, metres away from the windows. The youngsters wrestled and played, while the alpha male stood proudly atop a branch against the wind with his eyes closed. A bit of a poser really, but we snapped and ogled away nonetheless. Big cats weren’t the be all and end all though; as we walked we saw lots of animals, from hyenas, leopards and rhinos to otters, pygmy hippos and red pandas. OH GOOD LORD THE RED PANDAS. Ridiculously cute. The scale of the zoo kept surprising us, twice we went to leave because we thought we had seen everything, and twice we discovered a new path or area we had no idea was there. We almost missed out on feeding the giraffes, which was very fun! A lot of the more exotic animals, like the zoo’s flagship white lion, and black bears, were not out and about braving the cold, and so I would really love to go back and do it again. You could spend a lot more time wandering than we did, it’s that big a place. It was nice to see information boards around the park, telling of Cerza’s involvement in schemes all over the world such as conservation, education and energy solutions. You got a real sense that this zoo was not simply a ‘give us your money and look at our caged animals’ type place, but a place of real love and concern for animal welfare and the environment. And that gets a big thumbs up from us.
But was that the end of our weekend adventures? Unfortunately for you, weary reader, it was not! For Sunday was the day we took off for Courseulles – sur – mer, home of Juno beach. About 50 miles away from the farm, the weather was beautiful and perfect for a long car ride through the countryside. There is parking right on the seafront, so we parked up and walked straight onto the sand. The beach itself is lovely, perfect for a summer trip. But as this is not summer, but a very cold winter, we appreciated the sun even more. We walked up along the beach to the marina, crossed over, and headed to the Juno Beach centre. The Juno beach centre museum is dedicated to the Canadian troops that landed here on the day of the Normandy landings, 6th of June 1944. Entrance to the museum is 7 euro for an adult, but as me and Laura are only 17 (hmmmm) we saved a couple of euro each and got in for 5. The nice Canadian man on the museum floor informed us that the museum would be closing in an hour, and it is recommended you spare at least an hour and a half to see everything. We were shown into a small room with projectors lining the ceiling, and the introductory video began. All four walls around us are projected, turning the room into a landing craft on the sea, headed towards the beach. Some readings of soldiers’ diaries and thoughts are played over the sound of the waves and sirens, and as we approach the beach, the doors ahead of us open. It is now we can see why it is recommended that we spend longer in the museum than we had time for. Articles and exhibits literally line every wall, telling of Canada’s history and political situation leading up to the war, and the Canadian militaries involvement in it. The rooms of the museum are filled with history, I would have loved to stay longer and read it all wall to wall. But before you could say ‘Quebec’ we were ushered into the final room, where we caught up to the last of the museums’ customers for the day. The final film lasts around twelve minutes and is entitled ‘They walk with you’. I don’t want to give too much away as it is a very touching experience, but again it is based around the writings of the soldiers in the build up to the attack. Overall, the museum, beach and weather all came through for us. Another awesome day.
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