Ok Bayeux and Normandy with Mom and Dad for real

I'm back!

I am on a huge internet kick this morning so I figure while the computer is burning my thighs, I can get away from the numerous blogs I read and I can post for you all. Y'all. So here I go.

Friday of last week was June 6th, 2008. June 6th, 2008 happens to be the 64th anniversary of D-Day (aka "Jour J" if you're francais) and guess what. I was on the Normandy beaches. This was an incredible experience for me - not just to be on the beaches themselves (Pointe-du-Hoc, Omaha) but on the 64th anniversary. The history geek in me was, for lack of better words, flipping out all afternoon, as our tour guide gave us an in-depth look at the day and I saw, first-hand, the destruction and reconstruction of the area. It was wonderful.

But first! Before we did our wonderful Normandy tour, we went to Bayeux, a town a few kilometers away from the beaches. Bayeux is famous for its tapestry which was made a gajillion years ago and explains the Norman invasion of England and the conquest of William the... Conquerer. It is extremely well-preserved and really interesting. I'm still surprised it wasn't destroyed in WWII but it made it out alive thanks to being hid in the basement of the Louvre (awesome).

Bayeux is a beautiful little town and, while we were walking around it, we encountered not just tourists, but WWII veterans of the English and French variety. Men and women in uniform, some with children and grandchildren, sitting in cafes, checking out postcards, sporting their medals. I felt so lucky to be around them and just be in their efforts and their history. (this picture is meant to show you all the flags that were flown all along the streets. sorry that it's bad picture)

After a stroll around the Bayeux cathedral and a lunch on the canal, we headed to Normandy with our tour group.

We did an afternoon tour: Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Omaha Beach Memorial Museum, American Cemetery, German Cemetery. I will now describe the tour for you through pictures...

The German Cemetery was our first stop. There are over 20,000 German soldiers buried here.
I don't know why it was designed like this - to have 5 crosses grouped here and there among the headstones of the graves. Apparently German schoolchildren tend to the graves during the summer months, as work on the cemetery is voluntary.




Our next stop was a visit to Pointe-du-Hoc. This was the first point of attack by US Rangers whose attack did not go as originally planned - the soldiers initially landed on a different part of the Normandy beaches and were thus delayed 40 minutes for their attack. Interesting, eh? Anyway, Pointe-du-Hoc was really the beginning of D-Day.

This picture on the left shows craters where bombs fell. On the right we have the Pointe-du-Hoc.

I interrupt this blogpost to go to the gym. MORE LATER!!