More Monuments: France, Part 4

July 28, 2012

I'm back online with my photos and will continue to document our various adventures till everything is written down.

Tuesday, July 17 found us still in Normandy and trying to decide between a hurried trip to Paris or a more languid day spent exploring the other sites related to D-day. The slower pace of Normandy won out, in spite of the serious subject matter and the obvious draw of the most famous city in Europe.

And so we went to Pointe du Hoc and Utah Beach. The former is the site of a German gun emplacement that had to be taken out by a small band of Rangers who scaled sheer cliffs and then were left on their own for two days to defend their position. The latter is the other location of the Allied endeavor to make a stand and finish the war in Europe.

Our day was gray and misty, which to me was a fitting way to experience these places. Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery were all brightness and hope and shining patriotism. We visited them under perfect blue skies that lifted my heart. Pointe du Hoc and Utah Beach, in contrast, were raw and scarred and primal in their reminder of the ugliness of these battles. I thought of all the stories that boil a lot of the grandeur and bigness of Operation Overlord down to just trying to get out alive and maybe take a couple of your buddies with you. The courage is the same, and I think, the larger motivation, but in the end, it was brutality and blood and danger and the cold ocean and hot, burning war. That was the price paid by both sides. These sites hammered that fact home to my heart and mind with no doubts. I liked the fact that Pointe du Hoc has been left as it remained in those days, with massive bomb craters and gun turrets blasted to bits. Bunkers with bullet holes in the walls bear testimony to the horror of standing watch over the sea in a tiny concrete room and not knowing what the next moments might bring.

In my sentimentality, I was touched by the skin of grass and flowers, now grown over the Pointe, that have slightly softened this place but have left the scars of battle fully visible. Again was made manifest the cycle of moving forward yet letting the past whisper its stories. It was an eerie yet beautiful place.

By the time we got to Utah Beach, it was just cold and blustery, but we ventured out anyway. This hallowed ground has a collection of memorials and plaques from various organizations and towns, most being simple expressions of gratitude for bravery and practicality that got the job done. It seemed to me to be a people's monument rather than a government's; personal and immediate, with none of the manicured polish of the American Cemetery. I liked that a lot.

We ended the day with a perfect Country French meal in Ste. Marie du Mont, which has given itself over to be a memorial to the days of liberation. There are placards all over town that provide a walking tour of the gritty and horrific history of this first city to be captured by the Allies and the months of equipment transport that followed.

Here are the photos:

A bomb crater at Pointe du Hoc, grown over by grass
and criss-crossed by the paths worn by visitors
As I've said so many times, there were
flowers everywhere. 
Tiny, brilliantly orange blossoms were like lights in the grass. 
The children were so curious about this place and could
experience it with all their senses. 
A view of the softening grasses and the sharp cliffs that now
guard the Pointe. 
Natural bouquets everywhere. 
A 6-year old for scale. This was serious destruction. 
This gun mount was large enough for a child to stand on. I
hated to consider the gun that was large enough for it. 
Life and color contrasted against gray rubble. 

A closer view of the cliffs 
My SIL considers the scene.  
A fortification in ruins, now a playground. 


For the soldiers. All of them. 
One of the monuments at Utah Beach

Utah beach as seen through the grass. 



Cathedral at Ste. Marie du Mont. It was a pivotal location
in the battle between the Germans and the Allies. 

The city hall itself is a memorial. 

The whole town is a memorial, really. They
live and breathe June 6. 

Perhaps my favorite door in all of Europe. 

Notice the name of the Bar.

The sun broke through just as it was getting
ready to set. Gorgeous. 

Breathing Room

July 24, 2012

I am not yet caught up on all the happenings of our trip, but right now I'm at a friend's house and don't have access to my photos, so I'm taking a moment from the travelogue to write and reflect on the trip so far. I will catch up on all the fun things we did during the remainder of last week and put up a lot more photos, I promise.

The past few days have brought a respite from the solid two weeks of going, going, going, and it has been a good thing. I knew when I planned a three-week trip that it could not all be filled with events and sight-seeing. One of the primary purposes of the trip has been to spend time with special people and renew/strengthen relationships with both family and friends. I am happy to say that end has been achieved, even if we would not be deemed successful by a true historian or traveller who is intent on seeing "important" points of interest. Rick Steves would definitely be disappointed in us, but that's okay. I have experienced so many things that were part of the dream trip that I've been concocting in my head for so long. Sights, sounds, tastes, and moments that to me constitute the soul of Europe (my pal Amy gets credit for that phrase) have filled my mind and heart and I'm truly, perfectly satisfied. And it's not even over. Paris and the Alps and The Bayeux Tapestry will most likely be here the next time I come, and I'll be perhaps better prepared to experience them on my terms.

I am so happy to have had time to spend meaningful moments with my niece and nephews and feel close again to my sister-in-law who I love so much and see my wonderful brother be such a great dad. I love that I got to stay up late with Felicity and talk photography and life and mothering and see her beautiful home and play with her darling boys. And now I'm taking walks and eating good bread and cheese with Amy and my kids are with friends they love and it's frankly, perfect. We will do more exploring before the week is out, and I'm glad about that as well. I can't wait for the Mosel River Valley and another castle or two and more of that bread and cheese. Oh and of course the chocolate. It's everywhere and so good. But for today, being here in my room reading my book while Amy naps and the kids play catch on the lawn and watch a movie feels just right.

Just a quick and dirty shot from my phone, but definitely some of my favorite things to see in Europe.
 

France, Part 3: Normandy has A Magical City

July 21, 2012



On the coast of Normandy is a place called Le Mont Saint-Michel. I've seen photos of this many times and was never quite sure where it was exactly. While casting about for our next adventure, we found we were within a reasonable drive of this ancient marvel, and our day trip for Monday was decided.

This place is really impressive: it is an island in a bay connected now to the land by a narrow causeway, but once cut off from the land during high tides. At the top stands a beautiful abbey that is one of the most impressive structures I've ever walked through. You can see it for miles before you even come close. Spiraling around the island is built an actual city with houses, roads and walls connected with stairs, arches, bridges and paths that gave me the visceral feeling of being in Minas Tirith, the mythical city of Gondor in Lord of the Rings. I honestly expected Gandalf to gallop up behind me on Shadowfax for pete's sakes. We kept exclaiming about how dramatic and beautiful it was because around every corner was something else intriguing. Theme parks all over the world strive for the look and feel of this place, but it is REAL! I loved it even though this was another true tourist attraction and we were there with thousands of other people. It was huge and the parking and shuttles are run very efficiently, so it was a breeze to visit. The parking cost about 10 Euros, but other than any food or souvenirs you want to buy, walking in the city is has no other charge attached. The Abbey tour was 9 Euros each for Eric and I but free for the kids.

This is a LOT of photos, evidence of how much this place captured my imagination and made me think about all the beauty around us in the world and how it gets interpreted in art and literature. Thank goodness some of these originals are still around to leave us simply awestruck.

This is from the parking area, 4km away from the island.
We could see it 20 miles before we got to the parking.  
Walking up the causeway
Yep, that's a monk. It's still an abbey.  
All we wanted was a simple photo of the two of us. 






Looking over the rooftops to low tide. 

A graveyard at the same level as the rooftops of the level below
Our group
Just the Nusses

Gandalf, where are you?? 
Sheer walls of the abbey at the top
Looking out to the sea and the Norman peninsula at low tide

Looking toward land and the floodplain of the river delta
I now want to do all my photo shoots
exclusively in castles and other old European buildings. 
See what I mean?

It really did feel magical here. 
Some of the details of the abbey
Courtyards and niches were everywhere. 
Parts of the abbey felt rather Hogwartian as well. 
Looking up was always dramatic. 
We splurged on one of the restaurants on
the island and this was our view from the
table. 


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