Sainte-Mere-Eglise where John Steele's parachute got stuck on the church roof
Utah Beach
Pointe du Hoc
Omaha Beach
American Cemetery
Walk to Bayeux's small town 14th of July celebration on the 13th of July
Ice cream for dinner...AGAIN!
Ste-Mere Eglise
Our Day with the Group
I knew today's itinerary was going to be a full day, but what I didn't expect was how emotional the day would be as well. As a child I didn't love history much. I had a father who dragged us to every battle field in North America when I really just wanted to visit Disney World like a normal kid. However, now as an adult I have developed an appreciation for history and the more we travel the more I see how everything is related. So while I would never have claimed that I was interested in D Day or WWII, today it became fascinating partly because of seeing the stories from all sides.
We heard of what D Day was like for the little town of Angoville-au-Plain including two paratroopers who cared for 80 injured people in the tiny church. We were still wiping our tears as we moved to the next sight of where the paratrooper got stuck on the side of the church and heard the amazing sequence of events that happened that night. We moved onto Utah Beach, Pont du Hoc, and Omaha Beach. It was a bit surreal standing on Omaha beach as our guide described the horrors (and in my head I could picture it all from just watching the movie Saving Private Ryan) while at the same time locals sunbathed and played on the beach. Our final stop of the day was the American Cemetery. While I have visited other military cemeteries, nothing compares to this one. It is huge and the contrast between the blue water, green grass, and the white crosses seemed as significant as all the history we had just learned.
Our Free Evening
The bus was very quiet on the way back to Bayeux. We were all trying to digest the stories and emotions that we had experienced. Virginie had shared with us that in France their national holiday of the 14th of July is NEVER referred to as Bastille day. My high school French teacher had totally led me astray. They refer to it as the national holiday or the 14th of July. The funny thing is, the small towns celebrate it on the 13th of July. They let the big cities like Paris have all the glory on the 14th. So Bayeux was having their national celebration this evening. Mom and I walked to the edge of town to check out the small town celebration. The locals were all gathered with food and music. At dusk there would be fireworks. We wanted to be adventurous and try to be a part of the celebration, but honestly we felt a bit out of place and decided to walk back to the hotel. We got ice cream for dinner and had our own celebration in the hotel room!
A double rainbow in Bayeux
Dear Friends:
"Today was a history lesson on D Day. Having an incredible guide makes all the difference. Our guide today made sure we understood not only the horrific stories of what happened on the beaches, but also what the local towns people experienced. We first went to a little church where we learned how two medics tried to save over 80 soldiers and families during two days of intense fighting. Blood stains still remain on the pews and the town has rallied behind saving the church and its cherished stories. There wasn't a dry eye to be found. I can't say I knew much about DDay before this. Now, however, I know why Utah beach was a success and why Omaha was a horrific mess. (Think of the beginning of the movie Saving Private Ryan). Our final stop was the American Cemetery. My head can't even begin to understand the number of casualties, but there are white crosses as far as the eye can see."