Northern France Countryside
I didn’t expect northern France to be so pretty!
Despite the cold, the quaint, picturesque views from everywhere made traveling so enjoyable. I stayed in Bayeux and Calais. Bayeux is the cutest town ever, and Calais is… welll…. not. But, driving to Calais was really nice:)
bayeux
cheese! so good, so cheap!
landscape
cathedral
I randomly ran into someone I work with in Bayeux! I got off of the train from Paris, and I was walking a mile to my hotel. On this tiny street, ahead of me on the sidewalk, walking towards me was someone who looked a lot like a guy named Tommy, who I work with. So I yelled, “Tommy?!” And it was him. How in the world this happened, I will never know. I don’t work with that many people. And, of all of the places, in all of the world – there was Tommy, there with me😂 5,000 miles away from Houston!! He knew I was on sabbatical, but he didn’t know anything about where I was going or planned to be. He was in Normandy for a relative’s 50th(?) anniversary… not sure, either way, he was there with his family, and it was the most random concidental thing in the world that I saw him there😆
what the whaaaaa???
More Bayeux and France prettiness…
church
bayeux building
picturesque
canal bayeux
bayeux street
cathedral bayeux
french normandy architecture
just half of the tapestry…
old old old buildings
old old buildings
Leaving Bayeux, traveling east, I drove on part of the Cider Route – this is where they make a lot of the French hard cider (which I guess exists and is good..?) and also pommeau (apple brandy + apple juice).
Cider Route!
field
my farm:)
horsey
my farm
house
I stayed in Calais because I train from the station there to Belgium the next morning. It was kind of trashy:/ Hotel was fine, and most likely haunted…
creepy hotel
creeeeeeeper
calais
train to… belgium!
Next up: Seester Time in Belgium
Normandy
… or Normandie
I was privileged to be able to visit Normandy and the memorials from WWII dedicated to U.S. troops there. The trip from Paris was a two hour train ride into Bayeux, which is the small town I decided to stay in.
I went to Pointe du Hoc first, which is a place on the cliffs of the English Channel, where you can see both Utah and Omaha Beaches. The Pointe was where part of the 2nd Ranger Battalion attacked the German troops on D-Day. They scaled the huge cliffs here using grappling hooks and rope ladders, while taking on fire from above. These were the days when how many push-ups you could do actually mattered!
How these guys were not only physically but mentall strong enough to be able to this is amazing to me. The video in the welcome center interviews survivors from D-day, and it’s very moving. The whole day was moving, and I thought a lot about my grandpas who both fought in the war, and also my Army friends who have deployed. It’s also just a beautiful place. The times before the war, this was a place many artists would come to drop an easel and paint the landscape.
I also visited Omaha Beach, up the coast to the east.
The Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer is the most nicely manicured cemetery I have visited. It’s a beautiful setting, again overlooking the English Channel, and the landscaping is kept perfectly. There are over 9,000 American soldiers buried here.
I was surprised that more than anything, there were French people visiting. The people of the region have a true admiration for the amazing efforts of the Americans (and other armies) on D-day and appreciate how it was truly one day that changed their history. Throughout the region, French and American flags are displayed together. I loved this visit. I loved paying tribute to these courageous souls. I also loved seeing the area, for it’s physical beauty. As much as I didn’t want to leave Paris, this was well worth the trip. I recommend everyone visits here.
Next up: Bayeux and northern France + incredible coincidence story!
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