Normandy, day 1

First let me say this . . . I did not know that Normandy was a region of France. I don't know why I thought it was an actual town? Not sure why I felt the need to write this but I did. I guess that we learn something new each and every day.

Today we g0t an early start for Mont St Michel . . . I wanted to beat all the tour buses that would be there in large numbers! The abbey opened at 9 so the plan was to arrive around 8:45 and hike to the top and arrive just as it opened. When we arrived at 8:45 there were two tour buses already in the parking lot.

I just can't help myself . . . so many cool details all around . . .

Oh and when we left there were 24 buses! So glad we got an early start. Our adventure takes a turn to visit some historic places in American history! It makes me sad just thinking about visiting all the D-Day beaches . . . walking in the sand where so many lives were lost. I get emotional and it just makes me so very sad.

Our first stop was Utah Beach.

I was really surprised at all the people lounging on the beach and in the water . . . guess to me it is so much more than just sand and water. I don't know how to explain my thoughts. Of course Colin wanted to swim and play but I had a hard time with that . . . I did put sandals on him so he could get his feet wet but could not even think about a swimsuit.

We then drove on to the "Iron Mike" memorial to the airborne which was in a beautiful field in the middle of no where . . .


Moving right along to St Mere Eglise which was where paratrooper Mike Steele was stuck for 2 hours on the church spire. They have a mock parachute with dummy there. The stained glass widow was just beautiful (maybe you can click on it to see the details)!

We took a quick super late lunch break before stopping by the 101st and 82nd Airborne Museum . . . I thought these flowers were so beautiful!
One thing that put things in perspective would catch my eye as we drove throughout the region . . . I would see a red poppy along roadside (not the best photo but trust me they really stand out). It was as if it was a constant reminder to the lives lost.
I also learned that each section of road is named after an American killed in the war. There is usually a marker and it is kept nicely groomed. I have 'enjoyed' the time in the region and look forward to more exploring over the next few days. It is sad but a part of our history. It has been a long, busy day and time to move on to our new hotel for the next two nights . . . was a little worried as it is the cheapest hotel for this leg of the trip but it was really good for the price!