It had long been our ambition to make our own ‘pilgrimage’ to the Normandy D-Day Beaches, and a combination of retirement and a chance meeting with fellow veterans in a restaurant in our home town of Seattle in Washington State gave us the enthusiasm and information to make the trip possible. We are ardent enthusiasts of Trip Advisor, and a search of their listings for Normandy presented us with many possible places to stay, but it quickly became clear that one cottage (or gite as they are known in France) stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
Les Gites Champetres comprises three cottages, appropriately names Oak, Chestnut and Walnut. Oak Cottage was our chosen home from home; the booking process was simple and efficient, the welcoming from hosts Terry and Liliane was warm and friendly, and the cottage itself was immaculately clean, comfortably furnished, equipped with all the modern appliances we needed for our seven day stay, and the patio with its garden furniture and bbq gave us great service. The cottages are located in the little village of Sainteny, the scene of fierce fighting between American soldiers of the 83rd Infantry, and Germans of the 4th and 6th Parachute Regiments and the SS, which cost the lives of 1,400 GIs just on the first day of the assault in July 1944. We were privileged to be invited to visit the town hall (mairie) where flags of all the American states which had contributed soldiers to the defence of the village had originated, and where evidence of the close bonds of friendship which still exist between the residents of the village and the 83rd are there to be seen. Modern day Sainteny boasts an out-of-this-world boulangerie, a value for money Routier restaurant, and a butchery and general store meeting our every day needs, all within a ten minute walk of our holiday cottage, while the towns of Carentan and Periers, each a fifteen minute drive away, meet even the most ardent shoppers needs, as well as intriguing street markets.
Terry and Liliane turned out to be the perfect hosts; warmly welcoming, always available for even the most trivial requests, and full of useful suggestions and recommendations whether that was for places to visit or local restaurants. We honestly felt we arrived as guests and left as friends.
John and Judy Maguire,
Bellevue, Washington State
October 2015.