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!

Normandy, day 2

It was another busy day . . . so much to see and so little time! The morning started at Pointe-du-Hoc which is about the mid-point between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. I am not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I expected. Don't get me wrong it was a great place to visit but just different . . . I wasn't expecting to see the craters where bombs were dropped . . . but it sure was a big cliff for those men to scale . . .



. . . I knew there have/had been issues with parts of Pointe-du-Hoc sinking or washing away and sadly they had removed the 'pointe'. It is being reinforced to prevent future damage . . . I read about it in a recent Texas Aggie magazine. None the less, you still get the point . . . Colin really enjoyed running around and going inside the old bunkers. I swear I don't know where that kid gets all his energy! So I can not at least mention the leader of troops at Pointe-du-Hoc . . . I mean I am a very proud Aggie you know. Of course that would be James E. Rudder who was an Aggie too and later became president of Texas A&M University . . . hmmmm, I don't know the Aggie Campo but I am sure someone reading this does, LOL.

Next stop was Omaha Beach . . . it was much different that Utah Beach. Utah was rocky, and Omaha is flat. It is lined with beach houses and looks like a summer vacation town. It doesn't look flat here as I am standing on higher ground but trust me it is flat . . .
Just down the road was a Big Red 1 Museum . . . very small but worth the visit. It was break time so we stopped at the only place we saw open for a quick lunch. You could tell it was a Mom and Pop place which are usually pretty good . . . when I opened the menu the first thing I saw was the Obama Burger . . . oh gee seriously? I don't even know. I ordered a salad and Colin got pizza . . . go figure right? I should have been keeping tally on just how many he has eaten on vacation.

We tried to time it so we arrived at the American Cemetery around 2:00pm for the tour but it just wasn't working. I tried to explain to Colin that we could not run wild like we do when we visit the College Station cemetery . . . we don't act like animals but he does sit on Sean's headstone . . . I mean what more can you say . . .
. . . it is at the most beautiful location . . . overlooking the beaches . . . the most perfectly kept lawns . . . beautiful flowers . . . just overwhelming as always. They do a very nice visitor's center which has not been open very long . . . great video presentations that tell about specific soldiers and interview their living relatives. Of course I cried as I can relate. I have worried about exposing Colin to this but he has done remarkably well . . . he really does stay focused while at the museums.

We are staying in Bayeux which is a nice town but their claim to fame is the Bayeux Tapestry. It was really the only thing I wanted to do in the town. It was pretty impressive I might say and the free audio guide explained every inch. The thing is long . . . 230 feet long . . . yes, just one piece of cloth! I would not call it a tapestry but embroidered cloth . . . just my two cents!

The final stop of the day was at the Arromanches . . . they were big chucks of concrete being used for the artificial port /harbors used during the war . . . if you look behind us you see these long black things . . . that is them . . .

. . . we also stopped to see a movie that was on a 360 degree screen with no words . . . interesting. It mixes war footage with present day footage . . . it was okay. Of course Colin noticed the beach again . . . tons of people lounging around . . . I changed his shoes and let him splash while I walked and thought about all that had walked there before us . . .

Colin's Photo of the Day
It's back . . . taken at the American Cemetery . . .

Day Trip: Camp Hearne

Today is a significant day in US History . . . US troops landed on the beaches of Normandy . . . the Big Red 1 holds a special place in our hearts since Sean served with the 1st Infantry Division while in Germany.  Colin loves World War II history.  So when I saw that Camp Hearne was going to have a special tribute today, I knew we had to go.  We loaded up and made the short drive to Hearne, Texas.  Camp Hearne was a former WWII Prisoner of War Camp that housed Germans.

I had no idea this place even existed until a few years ago.  It really is a very interesting place to visit even if you are only a little bit interested in history.  Today, they had several groups that were dressed in costume with displays for the time period.  Colin was loving it even if it was hot out today!  As we drove to Camp Hearne, I had Colin read the letter that Eisenhower sent to the troops . . .

. . . and then we saw this . . .

Talk about good planning . . . see learning on the first days of summer break!

Colin was in his element!  Those dressed in uniform were realistic and very serious too  . . .

It was worth the trip even if it was hot and steamy outside!

. . . and a great way to remember the greatest generation on this historical day that made the amazing D-Day landing on June 6, 1944.