Hotel de la Marine
Arromanches
Le 18 August 1909
My dear little Juliet,
You will be expecting to hear from me & I will start a letter this morning.
We had intended to have a good long day in Bayeux, had breakfast early & started to catch the 8.45 train, when we got there we found there was no train, it only goes on Sundays & Thursdays, so we had to alter our plans, the others have walked on there, about a six mile walk & I am going to have an early lunch & join them by the 12.21 tram.
Yesterday afternoon we took the train out to a little place called Ryes & had a good look round the village which is a pretty little place with a fine old church & one very curious old farm house, we walked back, & as it was showery had to shelter several times. The weather is much cooler & rather broken, Sunday was really a fearfully hot day; we had a beautiful smooth passage & were none of us ill & managed to get some sleep, but it was rather aggravating to see the Caen boat start out just as we got in. We decided to take the boat to Trouville starting about two hours later & meanwhile got some breakfast. The boat was frightfully crowded, it being the races at Trouville, there was only standing room, but the crossing only took about 40 minutes. We had to wait a good while for a train on to Caen & had lunch; the train was crammed, very hot & very slow, stopping at every station about five or ten minutes, the one on from Caen to Bayeux rather better, but when we got to that place – we were all very tired & disinclined to wait another three hours for a train, so bargained with a man to drive us & our luggage all the way here, & were thankful to get here about five o’clock.
You would like the sea & the sands here, there are a great many children about and next Sunday there is to be a competition in building sand castles, if it is fine it will be amusing to watch the children. Yesterday we were watching two nice little girls about five or six being taken into the sea for a bathe, they did not quite like it, perhaps it was their first trial & at last two ladies carried them in & ducked them for a minute or two.
I wonder how you enjoyed your river trip, I hope you & Enid got on all right on Sunday & that George was not quite roasted on his journey home. I am beginning to want to hear about you all, we have had no letters yet, but may perhaps get some today. I expect you have Kathleen & Cyril back now, I must write a few lines to the former, but this long letter must do for all of you, as I don’t feel much inclined to do a lot of writing during our little holiday. I hope you will have a good journey to Addlestone on Monday & enjoy your visit to Aunt Fanny.
With much love to you all,
I am
Your loving mother
Eugénie N Sladden
