Little Europe – Albuquerque, New Mexico
Few natural wonders are as awe-inspiring and spectacular as the chalky White Cliffs of Dover on the English coast. Only for a short while are those bright white, natural geological formations visible at night as you’re sailing away toward France on a cross-channel ferry. Instead, as you depart from Dover’s busy port, you’re treated to an increasingly receding facade as the 350-foot chalk faces dim, their bright white geological features vividly reflecting moonlight. That’s the view I remember most from my first English crossing some 21 miles away from France. Along with a busful of eager passengers, we were bound for Calais, the closest point in France to Great Britain. For the Germans, that made it the most logical and heavily fortified location for an Allied invasion. Our “invasion” wasn’t to visit wartime sights most of which are some 230 miles east at Normandy D-Day landing beaches (such as Omaha and Juno). Our excursion was much more peaceful (although not necessarily quiet). We were bound for Auchan, a well-stocked hypermarket (a massive retail establishment that combines a supermarket and a department store under one roof) in Bolulogne-Sur-Mer. Auchon was reputed to be the ideal place to purchase French wines, cheese…
