Normandy

Early in the morning of the 6^th of June 1944 Combined Allied forces embarked upon the great crusade for which they had prepared for many months. In their way, Hitler’s Atlantic wall stretching from Norway to the south of France and bristling with defensive positions along the entire coast of Western Europe. It was an invasion that had been debated and planned for more than two years as Stalin was desperate for the British and American’s to launch a second front in Northern Europe. Yet, the German war machine simply too much for the combined allied forces to take on at that stage of the war so invasion was continually postponed until finally in winter of 1943 Churchill and Roosevelt together with their chosen military leaders decided that an invasion could finally be mounted in the late spring to early summer of 1944.

Once the Allied forces made landfall at Normandy and established a beach head, the push to Berlin was on. Despite a fierce resistance by the Germany army over the next year and a half the rest of the war was, as they say, history!

For the millions of people who travel to Normandy every year this trip is a chance to see where one of the most pivotal battles of the second world war took place while paying tribute to the thousands who fought and died in order to end Hitler’s reign of terror across northern Europe.  Before we left on this trip I expected to be overwhelmed as we toured the beaches, monuments, bunkers and cemeteries that dot the French coastal region of Bayeux, yet I was also rather surprised by the consideration I felt towards the German defenders who played a critical role in one of the bloodiest of dramas to unfold in human history. It’s odd really, when one considers what each side was fighting to protect, to stand atop the hills of Normandy which overlook miles of beaches and not marvel at what must have been the scene the defending German’s awoke to that morning. The D-Day invasion, even after nearly 70 years, represents the single largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare and as dawn broke on June 6^th 1944 a German soldier stationed atop those very hills would have laid eyes upon the nearly 7,000 vessels and some 160,000 troops floating their way.

One of those vessels contained the leader of a handful of Army Rangers bound for Pointe du Hoc. As a longtime admirer of Texas A&M University, Pointe du Hoc represents something of a pilgrimage within a pilgrimage for me as it is the location of a monument to the Army Rangers commanded by James E Rudder who went on to become Vice President in 1957 and then President in 1958 of Texas A&M University where he is credited with leading efforts to end compulsory enrollment into the Corps of Cadets, allowing women to attend the university and pushing the campus towards overall integration. The inscription on the monument reads:

Of course a trip to Normandy cannot possibly be considered complete without spending some time strolling along the beaches and imagining the immense task the invading forces faced as they traversed more than half a mile of sandy exposed beachhead while a fierce and determined enemy poured artillery, machine gun and small arms fire onto the beaches from more than 100 feet above. It truly is an awe-inspiring site that I can’t possibly due justice with my feeble command of the English language.  Not even the photos below can provide the kind of impact one feels standing at the edge of the beach as the Atlantic Ocean laps at your feet and you realize there is absolutely no cover between where you’re standing and where the German Army was positioned among the fortifications so very far away.

Is it any wonder that so many of the brave soldiers who took part in the liberation of Europe now rest among their compatriots at the Allied Cemeteries? We of course toured the American Cemetery and Memorial and despite the cold and blustery weather it was an incredibly touching and beautiful monument to America’s fallen sons and daughters.  

Our trip to Normandy was one of my most anticipated journeys of our time in the UK and I have to say that thanks to my amazing wife who endured two unbelievably cold and rainy days while I meandered through battlefields and across beaches, it truly surpassed all of my highest expectations.    

Hat tip to Mr. Rick Steve's and his excellent guidebooks!

Mont St Michel

Before we hit the battlefields, Adam indulged me in one more thing by letting us visit Mont St Michel.  The sight has been an excursion for Christian pilgrims (and now so, so many tourists) for a thousand years.  There is just one tiny little road leading from the massive parking lots (think about 10 Super Walmarts put together) across the muddy walkway (don’t mistime the tide!) and up the island to the Abbey.

In 1878 in an attempt to keep traffic flowing regardless of the tide, a causeway was built across the bay.  It was successful in allowing more people onto the island, however it also stopped the flow of water around the island and silted up the bay.  In 2010 environmentalist decided that the island needed to be returned to an island state, so the causeway was taken out leaving the muddy walkway.  In 2012, the proprietors on the island noticed a drop in their revenues and started a campaign for a bridge.  This was approved late last year and construction has just begun.  At the moment, there is a lot of scaffolding and many tractors, backhoes, and earthmovers.  If you can hold off visiting until July 2014, they claim it’ll be done and you won’t have to consult your sea tables before planning your day.

Being a typical European tourist attraction, or at least something that Adam & I would think is fun to visit, it starts with roughly 8,000 stairs.

Most of the west end of the Abby was destroyed by a fire in 1776, but it has allowed you to see the original floor.  The numbers you see were from the stone masons.  As they were paid by the stone, they carved their number into each they supplied so they could be paid at the end of the job.

The Abby is beautiful on the inside, though much smaller than originally built due to the above mentioned fire and the collapse of the south east crypt in 1421.  As the Abby was built on the top of a pointy rock, the architects first built four sturdy crypts to support each of the four corners of the main building to support such a huge structure.  Apparently this strategy only worked for the first 700 years of the Abby’s life.

One part remaining of the Abby is the original kitchens.  I think you could probably entertain a few people with a fireplace that big!

Looking down from the top of the Abby you can see back to the mainland and, at low tide, a lot of mud.  We watched a group of a dozen or so people try to trek somewhere in the mud.  We have no idea where they were going – there was nothing that we could see in the direction they were walking and the tide was coming in.

Finally, a £10 Starbucks gift card for anyone who knows what this is for (other than poking unsuspecting tourists as they come out of the previous room).

Chateau d'Audrieu

We had a three day weekend for a bank holiday, so Adam & I decided we wanted to take a trip.  He wanted to go drive around WWII battlefields and look at invasion tactics.  I wanted to sit on a beach.  In a crazy way to attempt to both get what we wanted; we decided to go to Normandy for the weekend.  (This wasn’t exactly the kind of beach I was thinking of…)

In his attempt to make up for the fact that I’d be wondering around bombing sites and cemeteries, Adam found the most amazing place for us to stay. 

The chateau was built in the early 18^th century then converted to a hotel in 1976.  We stayed in an attic room which had beautiful beams and a huge wooden wardrobe.

Everything about it was luxurious.  The bath soaps were Laura Ashley and the chocolates left for us as welcome gifts and on our pillow each night when they turned down our bed were La Maison du Chocolat.  Mmmm!

The dining rooms, sitting areas, and even the hallways were richly decorated – the photos that follow are mostly to make my mother-in-law a little bit jealous.  I have the feeling after seeing this, they might need to plan another trip to the Bayeux region!

We also had breakfast at the hotel every morning.  It was a true continental breakfast.  A variety of pastries, several options of cheese a few cured meats and tea and fresh pressed apple juice.  I kinda didn’t want to leave the table each morning.

The hotel is set on 30 acres of flower and fruit gardens as well as an extensive deer park.  We took a bit of time to walk through the gardens before dinner one evening.

Grandmother - Extra bonus points if you can tell us what this flower is.  It was beautiful, but none of the hotel staff knew anything about it.

This hotel was absolutely lovely and a quiet serene break from our busy sightseeing in Normandy!

The Visitor (version Meg.0)

The last few months we have been blessed to have a few new visitors stay with us at our place in London. One of them is a cousin of mine that I haven’t gotten to see in many years. Thanks to a unique opportunity brought about by her photography school, Meghan has spent this summer just across the English Channel in Paris.

Meghan is one of the most free-spirited people I know so when we learned she would be completing her course work in Paris I wasn’t the least bit surprised. We just hoped she would have enough time one weekend to make her way to sunny London (did I mention it’s been one of the best summers in England in half a century?).

Thankfully on the first of August she made the short train ride from Paris to London where I caught up with her at St Pancreas Station. From there we made our way to the tube and a whirlwind whistle-stop tour of a half a dozen station and four different tube lines all to go three stations west of where we started. There’s absolutely no way I can re-map the route we took to get to Trafalgar Square that day (primarily because we were so busy catching up we might have missed transfers) but the important thing is we eventually made it. In between touring the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery we indulged in the most British of all activities. Afternoon Tea complete with scone, clotted cream and raspberry jam. The National Gallery has one of the best afternoon teas we’ve found in London so if you plan on making a visit to London I would definitely recommend you take some time to treat yourself to this quintessentially British tradition at the National Café.

The next day we made our way back into London for tours of the HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge.  When we arrived at Tower Bridge for Meghan’s Tower Bridge Experience tour we also got to see the bridge raise for an old time ocean cutter. Locals seem to believe that the bridge raise is a pretty rare occurrence yet somehow I’ve managed to see my fair share of them over the last few weeks. Anyway, it is fascinating to watch the ships as they pass through Tower Bridge only to turn right back around and had back the other way as the next bridge down the river (London Bridge) doesn’t raise.

Of course I thought the Belfast was really cool but then I do enjoy a WWII museum. Plus there might have been a few wax models throughout the ship that were rather humorous. And we might have got to play captain as well.

Amanda vetoed this picture...twice.  Don't tell her it's in here.

When visiting London if you’re planning on seeing historical sights such as the Tower of London it is probably wise to acquire a London Pass so you can avoid some of the lines and earn a bit of a discount along the way, depending on how many attractions you manage to squeeze in during your visit. Of course make sure you know which sights you are interested in beforehand as many of the Museum’s are free entry year-round such as the National Gallery’s, the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum and the Tate Museum’s are all free while the Tower, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms and St. Paul’s Cathedral are all paid entry and included in the London Pass along with nearly 50 other tours and attractions. Of course if you are coming to see us we can certainly help you decide what option is best for your visit.

Later that night we met up with a high school friend of Meghan’s, David, who also lives in London and knew of unique dining experience taking place in Canary Wharf known as Truck Stop London. Truck Stop London 2013 took place over three weekends this summer and included a selection of street food trucks and cocktail bars in one of the trendiest areas of London. From there we made our way to the London Eye where we got some great photos of London at night.

Our next stop of the weekend took us all to Camden Town which is a completely different scene in London than anywhere else I’ve been. Thankfully, David knew his way around the maze of stalls tight alleyways chalk full of boutique shops and eateries otherwise I’m pretty sure I would still be stuck in trying to find my way out. It is a fascinating area and a great place to spend an afternoon watching people, eating and according to Meghan and Amanda doing a bit of shopping.

From there we made our way to Abbey Road for the Beatles portion of the tour. Meghan is a huge fan of the boys from Liverpool so an opportunity to mimic the famous Abbey Road album cover was an absolute must. 

On the last day of Meghan’s visit we did some last minute shopping for a few London specific gifts, fish and chips in Covent Garden and the Tower of London. Having already seen the Tower and not having a London Pass of my own I left Meghan to explore the ancient Norman stronghold complete with the royal jewels while I enjoyed a chance to relax on a park bench across the street and catch up on some reading under the shade of a giant English Oak tree. I think we both managed to have really good afternoon.

She had to leave way too soon to head back to Paris, but we’re so glad she made the time to come see us!