May 2004
Normandy is beautiful rolling countryside with windy, beaches flanked by cliffs. On the first day, we visited the Memorial Museum in Caen which traces the history of Europe and Normandy from about 1900 thru the Second World War. It provides a great introduction to the politics at the time for the European countries. It focuses mainly on the events in France and I kept having to remind myself that what I was seeing was only one part of WWII. It was very emotional and I found it difficult to keep back tears. The museum also highlights efforts towards peace and justice around the world since WWII.
We started the second day by first touring the Bayeux Tapestry . This is a 70 meter tapestry chronically the Norman invasion in 1066. Since we were staying in Bayeux for the weekend, and I had read about this famous tapestry, I forced the family to go. I think all of us were really impressed. It was fascinating to see how the simple tapestry was used so well to capture the history of the time. There is one image taken from the web of the tapestry at the bottom. For more images and info go to www.hastings1066.com.
We then spent the rest of the day touring the D-Day beaches, remnants of bunkers, the American Cemetery, and Pointe du Hoc where the battalion of US Rangers climbed the cliffs with rope ladders to take this strategic point of land. We had recently watched "Saving Private Ryan" again to help prepare us for viewing Omaha Beach. Between the museum from the previous day and a movie in the round at the Aramanches, we all were better able to appreciate the history of the area. The girls and I found the American Cemetery particularly touching as they continuously play patriotic songs at the memorial. This might be hard to appreciate from home, especially in light of the recent news events in Iraq, but having not heard any American songs for two years, I found it really moving.
Saturday, we drove further southwest in France to Mont St. Michel, an abbey dating from around 1000 AD. Mont St. Michel stands on an island surrounded by vast tidal lands. Originally, pilgrims came during low tide across the sands to reach the abbey. Today, there is a causeway connecting it to the mainland, but you still have to be careful where you park so that your car doesn't get swept away with incoming tides!
Leading up to the abbey is a series of very narrow windy streets containing tourist shops, hotels, and restaurants. We felt like we had found our own Diagon Alley. We had beautiful clear weather for our wander around Mont St. Michel and we all thought it was beautiful -- a magical kind of place.
Overall, a great roadtrip.
