Every three years, the Boy Scouts of America holds a "Camporee" in Normandy, visiting the beaches and cemeteries, learning about D-Day and the stories of the soldiers who fought and died there. We transferred from our Houston Cub Pack to Brussels Pack 457 as soon as we got here, and since then we've been continuing to enjoy everything Cub Scouts has to offer.
Well, almost everything. After many many nights under canvas as a youth, I decided that our trip should include a French B&B instead of a campsite. I felt very guilty about this, up until the moment my head hit that soft pillow and I woke up in the morning to a hot breakfast. The real campers enjoyed a windy sub-zero stay on a French clifftop, but we were with them in spirit (and not the only ones who opted for solid accommodation, I should add).
Due to tide times, the main campfire happened on Omaha Beach in the morning, attended by over 2,000 Scouts and their families. The "Transatlantic Council" covers 50 countries, and most were represented. There were several local French Troops invited, whose song "Des Couleurs sur mon Chemin" was significantly more stylish than the "Ging Gang Goolie" that the British contingent belted out. There was also a Ukrainian refugee troop who gave a moving account of the ongoing horrors that even WW2 didn't stop us continuing.
Our day was filled visiting Arromanches, where the artificial harbour saw 20,000 tons of equipment a day come ashore in July 1944, and the British cemetery in Bayeux. We even managed a quick trip to the tapestry, something I've wanted to do ever since I saw it on Newsround in the '80s.
We stayed on a couple of nights after the Camporee finished and explored the beaches and towns a little further. Brittany and Normandy were regular family holiday destinations for both Hannah and me, so it was lovely to revisit it all, this time with copious added local cider. It's not Somerset, but it's pretty good.
We took the train back, including 50 minutes in Paris, so check that European capital off the list! The next camp is here in Brussels in May. I might not be able to get out of that one as easily.
