We had a fantastic trip to France from May 23rd through May 30th. The amount of pictures that I took was shocking, so I decided to split our trip in half for blogging...our time in Bayeux with visits to the D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel versus Disneyland Resort in Paris.
Enjoy Part 1...
Woke up bright and early on Saturday, May 23rd to catch our 7 a.m. train to Paris. The train ride seemed to pass pretty quickly and easily - even when the 4 hour trip turned into 5 hours due to technical problems after we left Brussels. You never like to hear about technical problems while traveling, but all was well, and Ben had plenty of Thomas the Train stickers to keep him busy. The only trouble now is that we have quite a collection of "used" stickers...he doesn't want to part with any of them.
We arrived in Paris around 12:30 p.m. and had to navigate our way through the metro system to finally arrive at Gare St. Lazare (photo below), which was the train station that we left from for Bayeux the next morning - and near our hotel. We were able to check in and relax for a few minutes before our bellies were begging for lunch. We found a cafe nearby to have a late lunch, and then ventured out to explore Paris.
Normally, I have to admit that Greg and I are quite skilled at reading city maps and finding our way around. I'm not sure what happened this time...travel fatigue perhaps? We got a bit turned around in our efforts to find Place de la Bastille, but happened upon some other great sights on the way. (Of course, we're in Paris after all!) Below is Trinity Church, which I thought was very beautiful. More map reading, and we decided to make our way to Place de Clichy metro stop. Once we found that, we realized that we were very close to the famous cabaret, Moulin Rouge. Turned out to be a little less big and flashy than I thought it would be. However, I'm sure the action picks up at night. :)
We finally hopped on the metro around 3:30 to find Place de la Bastille. This square is famous for its part in the French Revolution of 1789, when the people of Paris stormed the Bastille, releasing prisoners and killing leaders. The actual Bastille is long gone, but there is a monument on the square that symbolizes France's long struggle to establish democracy. Also on the square is the Opera Bastille (in the background of the photo).
From there, we walked along Rue St. Antoine to the Place des Vosges. Henry IV built this huge complex of homes in 1605, and it turned the Marais into Paris' most exclusive neighborhood. In the center is a lovely tree-lined garden area where lots of people were soaking up the sun that had finally peeked out. We spent some time relaxing and snacking here, and walked around the complex to look at all the shops and restaurants that are on the ground-level. Interesting note, Victor Hugo lived at #6 during the time that he wrote much of Les Miserables. You can walk through his home, but we decided to keep on moving since our time in Paris was so short.
It was 5 p.m. when we crossed the Seine River, heading towards Notre Dame for some dinner and play time behind her "flying buttresses". We found a yummy crepe stand where we got them to go and ate dinner under the trees with a view of Notre Dame. Ben loved getting to run around, and I ended the evening with quite a collection of French sticks. More photos of this amazing church, and then it was time to head back to the hotel for the night and get some rest...we still have 7 more days to go!
Got up, packed up, and ate up some delicious omelettes at a little cafe, and then headed for the train station. We took the 9 a.m. train to Bayeux, approximately a 2 hour train ride. Ben got a surprise on the way - a new train, Emily! I caught a photo of him lovingly welcoming her to the family. :) We walked to our hotel and were so pleased that they let us check in early, yeah! We were able to unpack a bit since we would be here for 3 nights. After getting settled, we left to go explore Bayeux and have lunch.
After lunch, we had the rest of the sunny, warm day to explore Bayeux. We had chosen Bayeux as our "home base" because it was only 6 miles from the D-Day beaches. Interestingly, it was the first city liberated after the landing of Allied forces. A really charming little town. Ben fell asleep, so we decided it was a good time to go see the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry is made of wool embroidered onto linen cloth and tells the story of William the Conqueror's rise from duke of Normandy to king of England. It is long (230 feet!) and skinny and was designed to hang in the nave of Bayeux's cathedral. (Today, it hangs in a museum.) I think there is some controversy, but it is believed to have been made in the late 11th century. No photos were allowed, the photo below just shows a "fake" section hanging in the gift shop. We listened to the 20 minute audioguide, which proved really helpful in understanding the scenes of the tapestry. An amazing piece of history!!
After the tapestry, Ben was still resting, so we did too. We found a bench to just sit, people-watch, and enjoy the sunshine. The weather was warmer than we expected (I will never trust weather.com again!), but no complaints here! Ben woke up as we were making our way to the other major sight of Bayeux, the Cathedral. Wow! Over the past year, we have seen some pretty fabulous churches, but I thought this one ranked right up there near the top. The Cathedral was finished in 1077 and was stunning both inside and out. Greg and I took turns with our visit while Ben ran off some steam in a little patch of grass behind the church. We had some downtime at our hotel before dinner around 6 p.m. Lots of creperies and pizzerias, so since we had crepes the night before, we had pizza. It was really, really tasty - and a great way to end our day in Bayeux.
On Monday morning, we awoke at 6 a.m. to thunder and lightning. Boo hoo. We got ready, had breakfast, and debated about changing our plans for the day. It didn't sound like much fun to be outside all day exploring beaches in the rain. But, we decided to just go for it, and we're glad we did. It turned out to be a warm, dry day.
The excitement of the day started with picking up our rental car, a Renault Clio (which we fell in love with). This is a first for the Zabikow family; we are normally so comfortable with public transportation. But, it would be much easier and we would be able to see so much more with a car. Ben was thrilled to be cruising, he was squealing "beaches!" from the backseat. Greg loved navigating the backroads of Normandy, and he did quite well, I might add. I had printed off some directions as best I could find them from mapquest, but we were so thankful that all of the locations were very well-marked with signs and arrows - and for Rick Steves's helpful hints. :)
We arrived in Arromanches a little before 10 a.m. Arromanches is home to the D-Day Landing Museum, as well as being the site where the world's first prefab harbor was created by the British. Since it was Churchill's idea, it was named Port Winston. Because of this port, within just six days of operation, 54,000 vehicles, 326,000 troops, and 110,000 tons of goods were able to be delivered. Staggering thought and what a success given that the war was going on all around this site! We hiked up to the cliffs above town to get views of the harbor. You can see pieces of it floating in the water. To the left of Arromanches is the American sector of beaches (Omaha and Utah); below and to the right lie the British, French, and Canadian sectors (Gold, Juno, and Sword). That explained the British and French flags lining the main street of the town (and the absense of American ones.) We weren't sure if these flags fly all the time, or if it was in preparation for the 65th anniversary of D-Day on June 6th. On the cliffs, the view was really amazing and gave us a first glimpse at how large the area was that the Allies had to cover. The weather was clearning up, and Ben enjoyed running around in the grass and playing in the puddles. (The last photo doesn't have much to do with D-Day, but it was one of my fave Ben shots from the trip, so proud mama included it anyways.)
We left Arromanches and traveled about 10 minutes to Longues-sur-Mer Gun Battery around 11 a.m. We sat on the grass and enjoyed a yogurt and strawberry break before exploring. These four German bunkers with guns intact are 300 yards inland and were arranged in a semi-circle to maximize firing range east and west. These are the only original guns remaining in place in the D-Day region. It's a sobering thought to realize that the guns could fire up to 13 miles at great accuracy, and therefore were a great obstacle to the landings at Omaha and Gold Beaches. The first bunker has obviously been bombed out, but the other 3 were solid and we walked around inside looking at the huge guns and climbed atop the bunkers. This thought kept coming back to us all day...especially as you look out over the sea: How sad that such destruction took place in such a beautiful setting. It's just so hard to imagine the horrors of war when we were looking across a lush green field to serene blue waters. Side note, we saw many groups of students all day long, end-of-year class trips perhaps? What a powerful hands-on history lesson for them - and for us.
We left LSM for the American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville a little after 12 p.m. We found a spot that said "quick lunch" and so we stopped for a bite. Well, it was quick, but it was also tres cher! (Very expensive!) Greg and I split a sandwich, and Ben feasted on 9 euro ($13) chicken nuggets, potato chips, and ice cream. Pretty ridiculous, but the joy on his face when he realized the ice cream was all his was priceless. We hoped with a full belly that he might fall asleep while we toured the cemetery, but no such luck - too much action, or maybe the sugar from all that ice cream?
We arrived at the Visitor Center of the Cemetery around 1:30 p.m. and waited in line to go through security. It was then that Greg realized it was Memorial Day back in the U.S. - duh! I am a master travel planner these days, but that connection never crossed my mind as I planned our trip to the D-Day beaches. How appropriate that we would be honoring and remembering at such a special location. The Visitor Center was very informational and moving - there were definitely tears shed. There was a short video playing softly, lots of signs to read about the planning and execution of the day, and examples of artifacts from that time. For example, I took a photo of this French dictionary that had been issued to the soldiers so they could communicate with the locals. The last room of the center before going back outside was a simple room with maybe 30 plaques of individual stories of fallen soldiers, survivors, and others who played a part in the war effort. Over a speaker, a recording of soldiers' names being read was heard. One of the plaques was for the Nyland family, the family that was used as the inspiration for the film "Saving Private Ryan". Very emotional experience to read such personal stories of courage and loss. Immediately upon walking out of the building, Ben started "reciting" names. Bob F Builder. Thomas P Train. I couldn't even tell you the real names he was saying, but he had clearly been listening and having his own experience. He definitely broke the moment, as only a toddler can...we laughed out loud.
We stopped at the Overlook to view Omaha Beach, simply beautiful. Again, it's so hard to imagine what took place down there 65 years ago. We looked, we remembered, we prayed - and we were grateful for the sacrifice.
Directly opposite the Memorial are the sea of white, marble headstones. Immediately after the war, all the dead were buried in temporary cemeteries. In the mid 1950's, the families of the soldiers decided whether their loved ones should remain with their comrades or be brought home. I found it interesting that 60% of the bodies were sent home, but that officers were disproportionately left there. Their families knew they'd want to be buried alongside the men with whom they fought and died. There are 9,387 crosses and Stars of David in memory of those men and women, and it was a very somber experience to walk among them. (If you're wondering, I'm not sure if the flags are always present at each headstone, or if it was a special tribute to Memorial Day and the upcoming 65th anniversary of D-Day. ??)
We considered walking down the steps near the Overlook to walk along Omaha Beach, but we could hear thunder in the distance (and we had unloaded all our rain gear in the car), so we thought it best to get back on the road. The rain never came (whew!), and so we stopped at Vierville-sur-Mer around 3 p.m., which gave us direct access to Omaha Beach. We saw "Les Braves" sculpture as we came upon the sand. It was very surreal to see Ben playing in the sand and collecting shells on such an important piece of historic landscape. We just walked along, taking it all in. I put my feet in the water - cold!
With Ben sleeping in the car, Greg and I took turns visiting the Cemetery. It was quite a different experience than the American Cemetery. Maybe only 4 or 5 other visitors were there, and it was very humble compared to the huge memorial, chapel, and more that we had seen earlier. There are over 21,000 German soldiers buried here - more than double the number in the American Cemetery - and yet it feels much smaller. It was quiet and sad, and it felt like an appropriate way to end our day, remembering that there is loss and grief on both sides of war.
Mont St. Michel is a fortified abbey that is among the top 4 pilgrimage sites in Christendom. It is connected by a 2 mile causeway to the mainland and surrounded by a vast mudflat. The building of the causeway in 1878 let the pilgrims come and go without worrying about the dangerous tide, but it also caused the water around the island to silt up - and so Mont St. Michel is no longer an island. As we walked through the gates, the road leading up to the abbey is very touristy with shops and restaurants. We took a peek inside the Restaurant la Mere Poulard, to see costumed cooks beat eggs for 30 euro omelettes! Yes, I just said 30 euros!
The Abbey was built in the 8th century. The story goes that a bishop heard the voice of Archangel Michael saying "build here and build high". So, a statue of St. Michael decorates the top of the spire. We began our long climb up the steps to the abbey. It gave us a great view of the mudflats below, and we still couldn't believe that those areas would be completely covered with water in about 8 hours.
We walked into the crowded Abbey Church, where I read that almost none of the original windows are still in place (fires, storms, lightning, Revolution). We ventured out onto the Terrace, where we were nearly blown away! If we thought it was windy down below, it was even worse at 240 feet above sea level! 
We moved along to the Cloisters (my fave part of the Abbey), where monks would meditate, read the Bible, and tend their gardens. We continued to the Refectory, the dining hall. This is where the monks gathered as a family and ate. Then to the Guests' Hall, where the king or other VIPs were wined and dined. Though the room is dark and gray now, it was once brilliantly painted (and said to be the model for the interior of La Sainte-Chapelle in Paris). The huge double fireplace was used as the kitchen, and I appreciated the view up - considering I have never stood in a fireplace before. ;) The next room was a chapel, small and peaceful, with lots of gorgeous light streaming in from the window. Then to the Hall of the Grand Pillars - and really, look at how huge they are around! They are used to prop up the church, a portion of which collapsed in 1421. These new pillars were built with a determination not to fall again.
We continued our way through the abbey to the Ossuary (room with big treadwheel). This part of the abbey housed the hospital, morgue, and ossuary. Because the abbey graveyard was small, it was often emptied, and the bones were stacked here. The treadwheel is from the time that the abbey was used as a prison (late 1700's thru mid 1800's). The prisoners used the wheel to power stone and supplies up Mont St. Michel. Ouch! We then saw the Scriptorium Hall, where monks decorated manuscripts. Ben enjoyed a little workout in here, running back and forth along the many 'lines' in the floor.
That ended our tour of the abbey, but we did get a few more photos of the abbey's exterior on our way down to the village. At this point, poor Ben had a complete meltdown in full view of all the other tourists...he wanted to go up the steps (leading back to the abbey entrance) and not down (leading to lunch and rest). We finally persuaded him to come with us (Dad picked him up kicking and screaming), and we made our way for coffee, sandwiches, and omelettes (no, not the 30 euro ones). Although we would have liked to walk on the ramparts (the fortification walls on the outskirts of the island), it was 2 p.m. and clearly our little man had seen enough for today. He napped for a whole 10 minutes, on the way to the car. Then, he was wide awake for the ride back to Bayeux. Silly kid, I would have happily laid down for a nap at this point!
We returned the rental car as we drove into Bayeux, then walked back to the hotel for a little rest and packing. Around 5:30, we walked around Bayeux for the last time, a really cute little town. I took a photo of the creperie/pizzeria - restaurants like this were all over town. I don't know why, but I found it a funny combination. I guess I shouldn't have, they are both basically dough that you pile up with yummy stuff. :) Took a couple more photos of the Cathedral, which again I think is just breathtaking (and Ben thinks has a great little "park"). Then it was off to bathtime and bedtime. A morning of travel awaits us on Wednesday, as we work our way back through Paris to EuroDisney!! Goodbye history lesson, hello Mickey Mouse!
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