In planning for this day Brent decided that we were going to watch the movie, The Longest Day, which is about D-Day. Well, I have to admit that our girls are not used to: #1 watching movies at all, and #2 violence of any kind. They both had their eyes closed through most of the movie and it took us two weeks to actually get through it.
So, when it came time to get off the ship on the Nov the 25th, the girls were worn out from our day before in Paris and I think all they could think about was actually being in the same place that war they had witnessed in the movie. They begged Brent to allow them to stay on the ship while we went off to see all the historical sites, which he allowed after laying down ground rules.
Being the organized person that I am...okay, no snickering... I didn't bring the rental car confirmation number, nor could I even remember what company that I'd arranged a car with! I was a little nervous getting off the ship and not knowing what to expect, but I have to say that I loved the French in Normandy; they are night and day from those that we had had experience with the day before in Paris. Not only were the people so helpful and pleasant, it was also the nicest port I've ever been to, which isn't saying much because I've not been to that many, but it truly is a beautiful port.
Here's the what we saw as soon as we entered the port. The lighting was horrible and this isn't the best picture, but It looked like a huge umbrella with all these hats hanging from the inside of it.
There were a couple of ladies with lots of brochures about the area greeting people as they came through the port. We told one of them our dilemma and she assured us that she'd find out where our car was. She pointed to her listed of rental companies and said she would start at the top and work her way down calling each one until she found ours. Instant relief! I believe the second place she called had our reservation and a French woman picked us up within minutes to take us to our car.
This was standing by our car looking back at National where we rented our car, and you can also see the cruise ship in between the building.
Here's our car for the day and what a car it was. Brent was so happy because he didn't have a clue how fast he was going. I'm not sure if Brent didn't see the speed-limit signs, or if he could read the numbers in French, but I'm pretty sure part of the day he didn't observe them. I could get real used to this car and I sure wished they were sold here in the states.
I'll have to admit that even though I completely trust my husband's driving ability, I was a little concerned that we would get lost because of our lack of ability to speak French. I couldn't have been more wrong. And no, not about our ability to speak French, but about Brent's ability to navigate no matter what country he is in. The roads were so well marked and very nice. I also loved all the round-a-bouts that they have. It does seem so much smarter than traffic lights!
As we were cruising down the highway we spotted Private John M. Steele, or actually the representation of him. On his decent into Normandy his parachute got hung up on a church in Sainte-Mère-Église, the first village in Normandy liberated by the Americans on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
And the inside of the church:
This is just a quaint little place directly across from the church:
We then took off to find the Normandy beaches. The first beach area that we came to was Utah, it was amazing that it appeared that everything is just as it was left, with the addition of a museum of course.
Want to play jacks, anyone?
Don't I forever look like the tourist with my camera?
I smiled to make it appear warm...Brent makes it look like it's actually cold!
Our next stop was the most breathtaking and also the most emotional one for me. It made me realize why the French in that region love the Americans so; our men were very brave and fought very hard for them. And, it made me thankful for all those men who have bravely fought for our country. When we returned to the ship we found that most people who took tours didn't get to see this area because it is quite a long way from the road, and a pretty good hike in. It was so worth it, even though it never got above 13 C and the wind was blowing so hard! Pointe Du Hoc:
As I'm standing on a lookout, this is what I see to my right and left. Don't forget the steep cliffs or how rugged they are when you read the words of President Reagan below.
"And the American Rangers began to climb, they shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, the ranger would grab another, and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land on the tops of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe." President Ronald Regan June 6, 1984
I was amazed at the craters that were still there!
I sure wouldn't want to be in the path of this!
When you look at the construction of these bunkers and think about how far away this area is from a main road, I just stood in awe thinking if the amount of labor the Germans went through for their cause. And the amount of effort the American Soldiers went through to defeat their cause.
Could you imagine being inside this?
This is inside one of the bunkers looking out:
Brent inside of the bunker taking a photo of the gun hole, which is the next picture:
We then moved on down the coast to Omaha beach, which appeared to be a bit more commercialized and we found out that this is the area that most tours visit this location.
Bunkers built in the side of a hill.
There really wasn't much to see and being a soldier than I think this is the beach that I would have liked to have landed on.
We knew that there was a famous tapestry in the town of Bayeux, known as the Bayeux Tapestry. How clever of them, huh? We knew that we still had a couple more hours before we needed to head back so we decided to check out Bayeux and what we discovered was a very neat little town! Funny thing is, we were so memorized by such a quaint little town(and the food) that we actually never saw the tapestry. Looks like we'll have to go back some day.
The streets of Bayeux:
This little canal was right in town:
A close up of the picture on the wall in the canal:
Busted! I'm having a hankering for a crepe and had just ordered mine with caramel. It was so good. Yet another reason that we really need to go back.
I just had to take a photo of this little rolls. They were just sitting on the top of the counter and Brent told the lady he wanted 2. We had to communicate by gesturing and pointing, and after he communicated 2 by using his fingers, he commenced to grab two. This is what was funny: As soon as he grabbed the second one, she started saying, "No!" and he dropped it. She was trying to show him that she had tongs and that he was NOT supposed to be using his fingers. After she scolded him, she gave us two fresh rolls. The sad part: they weren't even that good.
But, the sandwich you see in the upper right hand corner was delicious. I'd love for someone to be able to tell me how the French make these. It's a ham and cheese sandwich with cheese melted on the top layer, but it has the most unique flavor and I would really like to figure that one out!
When we got back to the terminal at the port they had this:
I knew that I had to take picture because Blair would never believe what she missed if I didn't have proof.
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