A Day At The Beach

Jarred has been wanting to come to Normandy since he first arrived in France. I have heard all about it, watched 6 (yes, I said 6) History Channel Documentaries and Saving Private Ryan to get ready for this trip. So, on Thursday morning we loaded the kids up and told them we were going to "the beach". We weren't lying; and there were no Disney or Barbie movies to help us explain what we were coming to see. Oh by the way, when we told Emma we were moving to France she immediately knew all about it thanks to a Barbie movie. She knows more about the major tourist attractions of the city than Jarred and I. The girl LOVES movies!! So, back to the trip I must say that besides having to explain what a cemetery was the children were pretty much oblivious to the traumatic events that happened here so long ago. They just loved running and playing on "the beach".

This experience has been so different for both Jarred and I because we have been to national monuments and places of other battles, but this was on foreign soil and we were both able to understand the magnitude. It was so different how it felt that our soldiers were laid to rest on foreign soil. So far away from home. When you see the documentaries you have the knowledge of what happened here on June 6, 1944, but when you stand at the top of one of those cliffs and try to imagine getting up it with enemies shooting at you....it makes you speechless.

The weather did not make me speechless. It was not fun. Not Fun! I was not grouchy about it and only asked to sit in the car one time. (Go, Meg) Uh, and that is when the hail was coming so hard that it was hurting my face. But, the rest of the time the kids and I hung in there. The pictures do not show the true weather story. Today the temperature was about 45 degrees and rained with pretty high winds most of the day. And yes 2-3 times it hailed. Emma said "the sky is raining snow balls", I thought more like tiny stinging daggers, but let's go with her take on the situation. Jarred thinks I should qualify that there were a few breaks in the day with sunshine. (He is right, however, they were few and far between;)

We all had a great time, but Jarred loved it. He was so excited to see German bunkers, bomb holes, monuments, EVERYTHING. He and Scout were able to go all the way inside an enemy bunker that had tons and tons of machine gun holes. We were able to see most of the beaches were the American soldiers first landed and see the American cemetery. There was a ceremony actually taking place at the cemetery where they laid flowers on the graves with military men, the national anthem, and gun fire. It was very moving.

Tomorrow we have more to see, I really pray the weather will give us a break!

 

Pointe du Hoc

 

 

Utah Beach

 

 

Omaha Beach

 

 

 

 

Until Next Time,

Megan