We finally find the site, which is packed with cars. The �Feast of the Assumption� holiday strikes, again. The place is beautiful, though, and the building impressive. We stand in line for 30 minutes to enter the exhibit area. The exhibits are magnificent covering the complete history of WW II including the pre-war events leading to the conflict and the winter 1939-40 phony war, the occupation, the holocaust and the liberation of Normandy and France. The design creates a bottleneck, though, because the first exhibits are set up linearly which backs everyone up like a traffic jam on a freeway with no exits. One person�s interest becomes everyone else�s delay. Once through the initial exhibits, though, things open up. Overall, I would say that the exhibits are impressive, well planned and artistic but the museum as a whole is not as user friendly as it could be.
The cafeteria and restaurant have excellent food. There is, of course, a long queue that we gladly endure. After lunch, we visit additional exhibits covering the worldwide aspect of the war, the Cold War, and the �Hope Exhibit,� which was a bit confusing. The �Hope� multi-media presentation was wonderful, though. We finally run out of steam but do find the energy to visit the outdoor gardens. I would compare this museum favorably with the Peace Museum in Hiroshima.
We drive back to our hotel without incident where I drop Tom before turning the car in to Hertz. They even give me a refund for the difference between a full tank and one � full. I grab a tram back to the hotel, catch a bit of the Olympics and a short nap.
We decide to dine in the Vagueux area again. We find an appealing outdoor venue for drinks and dinner. While enjoying a meal ending cappuccino, we see J.C. and Caroline Thomas walking by after their meal. Caroline�s mother is with them. She�s helping with their move. We repair to a nearby bistro for an after dinner drink, delightful conversation and laughter. .
We stroll back to Le Dauphine. I take a quick look at the Olympics and I�m out to the world. Later, I wake up long enough to turn the TV off. On to Strasbourg tomorrow.
We finish lunch and next visit Pointe du Hoc, where 250 U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs only to find that the guns they intended to put out of action had been moved. 135 out of 250 Rangers died in the attempt. The cliff face is crumbling into the ocean so we can�t get close to the monument honoring the Rangers. The area is covered with bomb craters and busted up bunkers which gives a clue as to why the Germans moved the guns. Thousands of tons of bombs were dropped here prior to D-Day. We can look down on Omaha Beach from here. Pieces of the supposedly temporary Mulberry Harbor are still there. The beach is now used mostly for the cultivation of clams and mussels. What a benign end for such a bloody site.
We next visit the American cemetery at Colleville/Saint Laurent sur Mer. It is the cemetery featured in the movie �Saving Private Ryan.� President Bush attended a Memorial Service there on the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day. The first time I visited this place, I couldn�t stop weeping. This time I teared up only part of the time. I can only imagine what the men buried here went through and I am deeply moved this time as I was last time. John is a member of a group of nearby residents who place flowers on the graves on a regular basis. He�s adopted three graves including that of a major who shares his family name, Flaherty. .
We leave the cemetery and drive to Utah Beach. We walk around for a bit before visiting the town of Ste Mere Eglise. Many 101st Airborne troops were killed here. You may recall the scene from the movie, �The Longest Day,� where Red Buttons hangs from the steeple as his buddies are mowed down in the courtyard. They have a full size model of an American Paratrooper hanging from the steeple.
John leaves us here and we manage to get back to Caen, with me driving but without getting lost. The only explanation is that Tom is a great navigator.
We decide to eat in the center of town and choose a German restaurant. We are more interested in the beer than the food. The restaurant has been here for over 100 years and is more Alsatian than German but the food is excellent and the beer meets our expectations. Life is good, thanks in part to the thousands who died on the beaches only minutes from here.
We move quickly in the morning to check out and take the tram to the train station. We have an early train to Paris� Gare St. Lazaire with a connection to Strasbourg at Gare L�Est. Arriving in Paris, we finally score a friendly Parisian taxi driver. We grab a bite to eat at Gare L�Est. It occurs to me, while I'm eating, that the food in French train stations is sometimes better than what I get in some so-called fine dining restaurants in the U.S. This brings airport restaurants in the U.S. to mind, most of which are bad enough or bland enough to make me nostalgic for the old-fashioned greasy spoons of my youth
(Continued)
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Tom and I oversleep, sort of on purpose. I�m dragging a little. Must be the result of being on the road for six weeks. Not so much just being on the road as always being in new places, which makes it difficult to relax. I think traveling is sometimes more enjoyable in the abstract than it is in reality. I�m sure the life of a travel writer is less exciting than I imagined a couple months ago.
I do get the opportunity to learn something new today. I am totally steamed when I discover that my Hertz rental was given to me with less than a full tank of gas. Tom and I agree to have our morning coffee and roll near the train station so I can give the Hertz people a piece of what little mind I have left.