Monday, May 25, 2015

Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2015


This Memorial Day,
I remember my trip to Normandy, France - 
a place of unspeakable beauty...
and unfathomable sadness.


My husband and I traveled there in
the Summer of 2012.
We stayed in the quaint town of Bayeux, France
for several days.


One day, we took an 8-hour guided tour
to many of the important D-Day sites,
as well as special sites mentioned in
the book and mini-series, "Band of Brothers".
We hopped into our tour van,
and passed fields of white cows,
beautiful countryside churches,
and lovely, old chateaus with pretty white shutters.


One of our first stops was Utah Beach.
That morning, horse-drawn carriages
were racing down the sand.
It was so difficult to think of those lovely, blue waters
filled with blood.
It was inspirational, yet so sad.


We visited sites saved from the Nazis by the Allied troops
(such as this amazing old chapel).


We also went to Normandy museums and memorials
(like this statue of Dick Winters from Easy Company).




I'll be honest.
It was emotionally difficult to see these amazing
ocean views, but know that terrible things happened here.
On D-Day, boys were commanded to scale these cliffs
while the Nazis were shooting at them from their bunkers.




Finally, we ended our day at the
American Cemetery.
It was so moving.
I will never forget the experience.


Today, I remember these boys (and men & women)
who fought to save the world
from the brutality of the Nazis.

A trip to Normandy is extremely educational & insightful.
The region is delightful
and STUNNING.
If you ever have a chance,
I highly recommend a visit.


Have you ever been to the Normandy region of France?
What were your thoughts?

Au Revoir,
Michelle

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8 comments:

  1. I have never been there, but my husband has watched many documentaries on that war. He loves history. That would be a great place to visit, but I'm sure I would feel haunted by those thoughts too.

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    1. We did the tour because my husband has been a WWII buff since childhood. It was helpful for me to watch the miniseries and read the book, "Band of Brothers" before we went. The French people of the Normandy region have done a remarkable job of creating beautiful memorials throughout the region. It was a nice visit (and very moving).

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  3. what great photos. we have been to normandy, we went april 2014 and spent a week in paris and a week wandering around normandy. such a difference. the cemetery was very harrowing, in terms of those graves just going on and on. we went to etretat which was breathtaking in another way. thanks for sharing these pics.
    b

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