On Thursday of our trip, after 2-1/2 days in Paris, Bryan flew in and we all met up at the airport and got rental cars. We drove about 3 hours through the French countryside to the Normandy region. It was beautiful. I had never seen vast fields of a yellow flowering crop like they had there. We didn't find out what it was until we got home ... Canola. It was all along the highways and in perfect full bloom.
On this 3 hour drive, we passed a McDonalds. The kids were hungry so we decided to stop. I told Bryan to use the drive through and he looked at me like I was crazy. So we pulled up and I ordered everything in French. Mind you, some of it is easy -- they still use the words "happy meal", "hamburger", and "ketchup" just like we do. But let me tell you how impressed my family was with me! It was more French than I got to use in Paris so it was really funny!
Our hotel was in Port-en-Bessin. It was a cute little seaside town...
Our hotel was part of a golf course resort so it was lush, green, and beautiful. We loved our little two-story with kitchenette townhouses. And the kiddos loved that they had an indoor pool.
The adults spent the afternoon enjoying a little vino, baguette, salami, cheese and strawberries. The kids ran and played and laughed in the fresh air and sunshine. It was heaven!
The next day was wonderful, but also very emotional. It was our day to visit the WWII D-Day beaches of Normandy. First, we went to the American Cemetery, which is on a bluff that overlooks Omaha beach. The cemetery holds the graves of 9,387 American military dead. We had a very good tour guide who told us the history and some of the men's stories. The graves of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and Quentin Roosevelt are also there. Teddy Jr. lost his life in the D-Day invasion and earned the Medal of Honor for his contribution there, and Quentin died in WWI. I couldn't stop the tears the whole time we were there.
This is the grave of one of the "Saving Private Ryan" movie brothers. Their last name was really Niland. A second brother is buried right next to this one.
We walked down the path to Omaha beach. The tide was high, but kept going out as we were there. The guide told us that the morning of June 6, 1944 the tide was all the way out when our boys were coming in. They had to try to cross the length of 4 football fields of beach sand, riddled with German traps and blockades. They were late and they did not get the air support they were supposed to. Subsequently, thousands died -- many before they could even get out of their boats.
This photo of Bryan and Andrew continues to bring tears to my eyes -- this is where it all happened 67 years ago...
Looking towards Utah beach...
While this was a solemn and educational experience for us all, we also had to have some fun. We took some family photos and the kids played in the sand a bit.
Next, we went to the Pointe du Hoc. These are cliffs on a point of land between Omaha and Utah beach that gave the Germans an advantage in protecting both beaches. The Germans placed 6 casemates with captured French 155mm guns on the clifftop. American Army Rangers were given the task of taking the Pointe to protect the Allied landings. They were late and when they scaled to the top under enemy fire, they found that the Germans had already moved the guns. Many died though in the search for the guns and the battle that ensued. The French left all the bomb craters and destroyed casemates untouched, as a remembrance of the devastation. The views were beautiful, the grass was green, the kids enjoyed playing in the craters, and beautiful flowers now bloom in many of them. We appreciated the poignant irony -- the sadness and destruction along with the sheer beauty.
In the late afternoon and evening, our friends went one way and we went another. We went to the town of Bayeux, inland about 20 minutes. We went to see the famous Bayeux tapestry. It is a 224 foot long tapestry depicting the story of the Norman conquest of England. It was made around the year 1077, ten years after the battle. It was in a glass case that was in the shape of a large "U" and we walked around it with little headsets that explained each numbered scene of the tapestry. Here's a photo of one scene...
The town was very lovely and had a gorgeous cathedral the size of Notre Dame...
We happened upon a perfect dinner spot -- a creperie right on the river. It was beautiful and the food was delicious. We even tried the hard cider that Normandy is known for making.
We are so glad we took this journey. I hope that sharing my photos of this historic place gives everyone pause to reflect on the supreme sacrifice made on June 6 and 7, 1944. Our short time in Normandy will last in my memory forever.
