Imperial Valley press., 1944-07-20

in NOhMANDN - 10y Wut4cSSy
Everything seems Odd in Norman
cy
The hedgerOws are thick and an
cient. The stone walls are some
times so mounded over with earth
that you don't know there's wall
beneath. The trees in the apple
orchards are mellow with moss 50
thick that it seems like coat OF
green velvet.
The towns and cities are just as
old and worm looking. l have yet
10 see a building in Normandy that
appeared to have been built within
the last three generations.
! COMMENTED AGE
Tie tcne is not one OF decadence,
but Just OF great and contented age.
Even Cherbourg was a surprise. All
CT its Buildings were old and worn.
II was 4 contrast 10 other war
cities We have passed through-Al-
giers and Palermo, and even Naples
where much building and remod-
cling have been done in this GEN.
tury. and the new homes are shiny
and moderniStic. and the street
fronts look almost American.
A street scene in Cherbourg looks
SO much like the Hollywood sets of
olG European cities that You get
your perspective reversed and feel
tina; Cherbourg has just been copied
from a movie set.
tho ca,o,a NAV tho Nor
man architecture. The houses aren't
SO smooth and regular and nice as
California homes of Norman design
/ When you look at them you feel
before catching yourself. that they
/ have COPIED our California Nor
man hcmeS and not done too good
job.
Everything is of stone. Even the
barns and coWShedS are stone-and
in exactly the same design and US
ually the same size as the houses.
They are grouped closely together
around square, so that a farmers
home makes a compact little set
Element OF buildings that resembles
| a country estate at a distance.
Normandy is dairy country. Right
new the people have mere butter
CT. their hands than they know
what to do with. 1t is a stupid
soldier indeed who can't &c. him.
self all the butter he wants. But
even though it is a glut on the
market, the French still ask 60
cents a pound for it.
SENT BUTTER HOME
When the Germans were here
| they bought all the Norman butter,
! and at fancy prices too. German
soldiers would ship it home to their
families.
And although their new order is
stric, and full Of promises of an
i ordered world, the Germans them
selves creates and fostered the Paris
1lack market. according to the local
4 people. Much of the butter bought
in Normandy by German officers
Went 10 ans for resale at unheard-
Of prices.
To be homes. abol. it. we can't
sense that Normandy suffered too
much under the German occupa-
ton. That is no doubt less because
CT German beneficence than be-
cause of the nature OF the country.
Fer in any throttled country the
farm people always come out best.
Normandy is rich agriculturaly.
The people can sustain themselves.
1t is in the cities that occupation
hurts worst. l suspect that when
we get to Paris We will hear an en-
tirely different story from the peg
/ pie.
LAND OF CHILDREN
Normandy is certainly a land of
/ children. 1t seems to me there are
more children here even than in
Italy. And I'll have to break down
and a@mit che thing-they are the
most beautiful children I have ever
/ seen.
1t is an exception when you see a
chilc' who isn't exceptionally good
looking. Apparently they grow out
c. this, however, for on the whole
he Norman adults look like people
anyWhere--botil good and bad.
One thing about the Normans is
III contrast with the temperament
We have known SO long in the Medi-
terranean. The people here are
hard workers. Some Of the American
! CAMS and city offices hire teen
age French boys fer kitchen and
Office work, and I've noticed hat
they 60 at their work eagerly ano
like me wind.
The story Of The French under
ground when the day comes for il
20 be written, will be one of the
most fascinating things in all his
tory.
On The Chelbourg peninsula the
underground was made up of cells
++oI&.'+ Him.