Saturday morning, we met at IES at 7:45 to take a 3 hour bus ride to Caen, in Normandy. Arriving at lunch time, we explored the local castle (yup, every big city seems to have one) and picniced on the ramparts. Julie and I also found a small "History of Normandy" museum which had free admission and starting in the middle ages, gave to an overview of what this territory had gone through. After a long tumultuous history of viking invasions, the normands invading england in 1066, etc, D-Day in 1944, this country side is now just a quiet peaceful region known for cider, apples, camenbert....and what we experienced for the rest of the weekend....rain.
Thankfully, our afternoon was planned INSIDE, at the Memorial of Caen, a museum that takes you through world history leading up to WWII and then focuses on the D-Day attack of the Norman beaches. It was probably one of the most effectively put together museums I have ever visited and I am glad we had 4 hours to experience it. We started inside this circular dome, on a spiral path moving down a few floors, giving you a brief overview of major world events in the 20th century. When you reached the bottom floor, World War II had broken out. It was immpressive how they used more visuals (photos, artifacts, etc), radio recordings, etc than words to tell the story, although historical descriptions were availiable for reference in both english and french. I guess I had never realized how much France had suffered in the World Wars. I knew it had been damaged..but it was seriously torn apart, given over to Germany by its own government, and was left defenseless against invasions and battles which raged all over France.
My favorite, although the most heart-wrenching, part of the museum for me was when they started going through the typical life of a soldier. They ended this section with a display of letters soldiers had sent their families right before the debarquement. It was amazing the contrast of content. Some soldiers had just been informed that they would be involved in a sizeable attack and were writing their families to let them know that they were finally going to see combat. I couldnt tell if they were actually oblivious to the danger (and death) they would be facing, or if they were just writing in a very casual way so that their famillies would not worry. Written on the top of one such casual letter was written , "This is the last letter my uncle sent." Still others were writing with a more serious tone, the "death notice" only to be sent to their families in the case of their death on the battlefield. It was very difficult to read as one soldier apologized for all the trouble he had caused his family, knowing they had not parted on the best terms, but still wishing them the best, and telling them that they were strong and would be able to deal with his death. As I sat their and read that letter, I was imagining the family opening it...full of regret and sorrow, and I admittedly got choked up and had to stop reading so that I wouldnt be spending the next 15 minutes crying like a blubbering fool. Still, I think that the museum, along with history, gave me an appreciation for soldiers in general, and the families of soldiers. It must be incredibly difficult to go through every day not knowing whether you, or your son, will ever come home again, but, hopefully, knowing they are fighting for a good cause.
However, my whole day did not consist of such depressing thoughts! That evening we checked into our hotel. This was not just any hotel. This hotel rocked! Usually we get the cheapest thing around, so I dont know what happened but we had beautiful spacious rooms with televisions 20 channels (that is incredible for France, which normally has 6). But the best part was the food! Dinner that night was a buffet for every course, soupe, appetizer/salad, entree, dessert. Then the next day, breakfast was even better. I don't think any of us realized just how much we missed American breakfasts, and since they get lots of American tourists in Normandy, they knew just what to make for us: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cold milk, cereal! and then all the best parts of french breakfasts, pain au chocolat (chocolate chip croissant), 6 types of jam, dried apricots....mmmh. Delicious. wow, I miss America!
So on sunday morning, in the pouring rain, we headed over to Omaha beach and the American cemetary. Simply unbeleiveable. I walked through the huge cemetary, stopping to read some of the names. It was freezing cold, and as I had left my umbrella in the car, I was soaking wet and shivering. But at the same time, it seemed very appropriate that the weather not be all sunshine. Still, despite the cold, I decided to walk the whole length of it just so I would have an idea of how long it was. However, when I reached the memorial in the back, I realized, disturbingly, that I was only halfway through, and that another huge field of white crosses lay before me. It was just an incredibly sad feeling to think about, especially after the museum the day before.
After finishing with the cemetary, I made my way down to the beach. In any other circumstances (and perhaps with a bit better weather), these beaches would be a prime spot for hotels,etc. They are huge wide sandy beaches, which slope up into some hills that look down on them. It was unsettling to picture the nazis, with such an advantage high above the beaches, while americans, canadiens, and british did their best to get undercover, on an open air beach with no protection. However, the US was given this land, so the land has not been developped much. There are a few houses and it was weird to learn that the french do swim on those beaches, when to most americans, the thought is simply horrifying.
We all loaded back on the bus and headed down the beach a little ways to Point du Hoc. This was the general quater for the germans, and therefore, strategically, received the most bombing. We walked down a path that led between the huge holes in the ground, left from the bombs, explored some collapesed german bunkers, and really got a feel for how much damage the war caused! I wish we could have stayed longer, since, as with all of these trips, I am never sure if I will have the opportunity to return ever again, but the cold was getting to be too much and my coat, soaked completely through wasn't helping, so the visit was a bit short.
For lunch we stopped in Bayeux, grabbing a pannini and trying to explore without freezing. The main reason for our stop here though was to see the Bayeux Tapestry. This tapestry is 60 meters long and is like a cloth painting of the Battle of Hastings between the Normands and the British in 1066. It was kind of crazy to see it, as it is one of the oldest artifacts of France, and I learned about it freshman year in French Civ I. Thats the best thing about studying abroad, i think. It gives me the opportunity to really SEE all these little things I have always read about, and as a visual learner, I think it sticks better this way.
All in all, it was a very interesting trip, more like a school field trip than a vacation like the other ones have been, but I am so happy I had the opportunity to go and I'll never forget it!
Thankfully, our afternoon was planned INSIDE, at the Memorial of Caen, a museum that takes you through world history leading up to WWII and then focuses on the D-Day attack of the Norman beaches. It was probably one of the most effectively put together museums I have ever visited and I am glad we had 4 hours to experience it. We started inside this circular dome, on a spiral path moving down a few floors, giving you a brief overview of major world events in the 20th century. When you reached the bottom floor, World War II had broken out. It was immpressive how they used more visuals (photos, artifacts, etc), radio recordings, etc than words to tell the story, although historical descriptions were availiable for reference in both english and french. I guess I had never realized how much France had suffered in the World Wars. I knew it had been damaged..but it was seriously torn apart, given over to Germany by its own government, and was left defenseless against invasions and battles which raged all over France.
My favorite, although the most heart-wrenching, part of the museum for me was when they started going through the typical life of a soldier. They ended this section with a display of letters soldiers had sent their families right before the debarquement. It was amazing the contrast of content. Some soldiers had just been informed that they would be involved in a sizeable attack and were writing their families to let them know that they were finally going to see combat. I couldnt tell if they were actually oblivious to the danger (and death) they would be facing, or if they were just writing in a very casual way so that their famillies would not worry. Written on the top of one such casual letter was written , "This is the last letter my uncle sent." Still others were writing with a more serious tone, the "death notice" only to be sent to their families in the case of their death on the battlefield. It was very difficult to read as one soldier apologized for all the trouble he had caused his family, knowing they had not parted on the best terms, but still wishing them the best, and telling them that they were strong and would be able to deal with his death. As I sat their and read that letter, I was imagining the family opening it...full of regret and sorrow, and I admittedly got choked up and had to stop reading so that I wouldnt be spending the next 15 minutes crying like a blubbering fool. Still, I think that the museum, along with history, gave me an appreciation for soldiers in general, and the families of soldiers. It must be incredibly difficult to go through every day not knowing whether you, or your son, will ever come home again, but, hopefully, knowing they are fighting for a good cause.
However, my whole day did not consist of such depressing thoughts! That evening we checked into our hotel. This was not just any hotel. This hotel rocked! Usually we get the cheapest thing around, so I dont know what happened but we had beautiful spacious rooms with televisions 20 channels (that is incredible for France, which normally has 6). But the best part was the food! Dinner that night was a buffet for every course, soupe, appetizer/salad, entree, dessert. Then the next day, breakfast was even better. I don't think any of us realized just how much we missed American breakfasts, and since they get lots of American tourists in Normandy, they knew just what to make for us: Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cold milk, cereal! and then all the best parts of french breakfasts, pain au chocolat (chocolate chip croissant), 6 types of jam, dried apricots....mmmh. Delicious. wow, I miss America!
So on sunday morning, in the pouring rain, we headed over to Omaha beach and the American cemetary. Simply unbeleiveable. I walked through the huge cemetary, stopping to read some of the names. It was freezing cold, and as I had left my umbrella in the car, I was soaking wet and shivering. But at the same time, it seemed very appropriate that the weather not be all sunshine. Still, despite the cold, I decided to walk the whole length of it just so I would have an idea of how long it was. However, when I reached the memorial in the back, I realized, disturbingly, that I was only halfway through, and that another huge field of white crosses lay before me. It was just an incredibly sad feeling to think about, especially after the museum the day before.
After finishing with the cemetary, I made my way down to the beach. In any other circumstances (and perhaps with a bit better weather), these beaches would be a prime spot for hotels,etc. They are huge wide sandy beaches, which slope up into some hills that look down on them. It was unsettling to picture the nazis, with such an advantage high above the beaches, while americans, canadiens, and british did their best to get undercover, on an open air beach with no protection. However, the US was given this land, so the land has not been developped much. There are a few houses and it was weird to learn that the french do swim on those beaches, when to most americans, the thought is simply horrifying.
We all loaded back on the bus and headed down the beach a little ways to Point du Hoc. This was the general quater for the germans, and therefore, strategically, received the most bombing. We walked down a path that led between the huge holes in the ground, left from the bombs, explored some collapesed german bunkers, and really got a feel for how much damage the war caused! I wish we could have stayed longer, since, as with all of these trips, I am never sure if I will have the opportunity to return ever again, but the cold was getting to be too much and my coat, soaked completely through wasn't helping, so the visit was a bit short.
For lunch we stopped in Bayeux, grabbing a pannini and trying to explore without freezing. The main reason for our stop here though was to see the Bayeux Tapestry. This tapestry is 60 meters long and is like a cloth painting of the Battle of Hastings between the Normands and the British in 1066. It was kind of crazy to see it, as it is one of the oldest artifacts of France, and I learned about it freshman year in French Civ I. Thats the best thing about studying abroad, i think. It gives me the opportunity to really SEE all these little things I have always read about, and as a visual learner, I think it sticks better this way.
All in all, it was a very interesting trip, more like a school field trip than a vacation like the other ones have been, but I am so happy I had the opportunity to go and I'll never forget it!
2 comments:
Hey Joye, we are at an Apple Store in Briarwood Mall buying Dad a a crazy big computer and checking your blog while we wait for the wrap up. Dad's responce to "I miss America" is "You're Miss America?"
Mom
Oh Dad...I should've seen that one coming..lol.
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