I generally like to travel with virtually no plan and no idea where I am or am going, and my trip to France was true to form. I waltz into the Amsterdam train station, wait in the long line, and ask the attendent "I'd like a ticket to Normandy, France, please." "Where in Normandy?" "Uhh... I dunno, I guess the center." "Err.. which *city* in Normandy." "Oh, I thought Normandy *was* a city. Um... I have no idea. What do you recommend?" "Well... I don't know.
How about Dieppe? I think that sounds familiar. Is that good?" "Sounds good, sign me up."
I step off the train in Dieppe in a mild drizzle and find it to be the perfect antidote to all the big-city traveling I've been doing. It's a small and rather unremarkable fishing town, the major point of historical effort being the disastrous (and unsuccessful) landing attempt by the Canadians during World War II.