Dum de dum...
Okey dokey, so here is the promised update on the Normandy excursion- this took place on June 7:
We met at the Franco-American Institute at 9:20 to wait for the minibus that was to take us on our 2.5 hr drive. We really should've started earlier in the day with such a long drive ahead of us, but oh well. I was still fairly sick at this point; and the car ride didn't help much to improve the situation. I survived though. Our first stop was the Memorial Museum where we spent two hours, most of which were taken up by two films; one was particularly good- it showed original footage of scenes from soldier life leading up to the day of the invasion and up through till after, with a split screen to show what was happening on both sides of the battle. There were some annoying French school kids behind us whispering the whole time, and even kissing, unless my ears deceived me. Cate and I were furious. The second depicted wars after WW II and hope for peace. I really would have liked to have had more time in the exhibits- some were really interesting I thought. Side note- don't enter the exhibits with the plan of making a quick exit- we got lost a few times in that maze trying to make it out in time for the first film.
After lunch in the stuffy confines of the bus, we were off to the beaches, where I got quite a few good shots of the landscape, if I do say so meself. Normandy is a very beautiful place. Our next stop was a random pier where fishermen were selling their catches. I'm not really sure why we stopped there (this is not an isolated incident of this on this trip, btw); but it gave the more enterprising among us a chance to gather some gorgeously shaped St. Jacques sea shells. Our last stop was the American Cemetery, which was nice to see again because it's just that beautiful. It certainly reminds us that we have something to be proud of as Americans. I really would have liked to have been able to go down to the beaches to walk around some, but we had to leave at five since the driver had started his day at 7:30 and they're only allowed to drive for 12 hours per day. I was glad we went, but the excursion was a bit rushed. In hindsight, we prolly should have stayed over a night or two. There's certainly enough to keep you occupied there for at least a week. Well, that's all for now- the next update will be on Bayeux. Take care all,
We met at the Franco-American Institute at 9:20 to wait for the minibus that was to take us on our 2.5 hr drive. We really should've started earlier in the day with such a long drive ahead of us, but oh well. I was still fairly sick at this point; and the car ride didn't help much to improve the situation. I survived though. Our first stop was the Memorial Museum where we spent two hours, most of which were taken up by two films; one was particularly good- it showed original footage of scenes from soldier life leading up to the day of the invasion and up through till after, with a split screen to show what was happening on both sides of the battle. There were some annoying French school kids behind us whispering the whole time, and even kissing, unless my ears deceived me. Cate and I were furious. The second depicted wars after WW II and hope for peace. I really would have liked to have had more time in the exhibits- some were really interesting I thought. Side note- don't enter the exhibits with the plan of making a quick exit- we got lost a few times in that maze trying to make it out in time for the first film.
After lunch in the stuffy confines of the bus, we were off to the beaches, where I got quite a few good shots of the landscape, if I do say so meself. Normandy is a very beautiful place. Our next stop was a random pier where fishermen were selling their catches. I'm not really sure why we stopped there (this is not an isolated incident of this on this trip, btw); but it gave the more enterprising among us a chance to gather some gorgeously shaped St. Jacques sea shells. Our last stop was the American Cemetery, which was nice to see again because it's just that beautiful. It certainly reminds us that we have something to be proud of as Americans. I really would have liked to have been able to go down to the beaches to walk around some, but we had to leave at five since the driver had started his day at 7:30 and they're only allowed to drive for 12 hours per day. I was glad we went, but the excursion was a bit rushed. In hindsight, we prolly should have stayed over a night or two. There's certainly enough to keep you occupied there for at least a week. Well, that's all for now- the next update will be on Bayeux. Take care all,