Wednesday: June 4th

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Geo: 49.2764, -0.705529

Planned to get up at 5 am today but heard Dad's alarm at 4 and never did go back to sleep! We all made it out of the apt ~6 am to make our way to St. Lazare station. When we got there we followed the Grand Lignes signs for the trains to get out of town. After we found this section, next job was to find the right track or "voir" (I think) after asking 3 conductors (because I'm paranoid and didn't want to miss the right train) and checking the signs we were directed to the right place. Again lots of nice help! Changed trains in Caen, quick turn around here, no dilly-dallying allowed! still not hard to do, mostly just follow the crowd. Got off in Bayeaux and was a bit turned around with the sketchy map provided to find our tour guide. Of course, it all made sense once we did it once! We met our tour guide Roul with Victory Tours. He is the owner-operator and his wife and he also runs a B & B in a chateau. We had a full van for our 1/2 day tour (8) a couple from Olympia, Washington and another couple from the states with an American friend or relative that lives in Paris (she married a French man 35 years ago). We first went to Arromanches and saw the "mulberries", false harbor made by the Allies, what a job! Amazing logistics, every detail went over and planned out. Next on to Longes Sur Mer seeing the German batteries, much farther from the sea than I had envisioned. Then on to Omaha Beach, this was an emotional stop, our guide mentioned that you don't find sea shells or seagulls here and twice a year the beach "bleeds" no one knows the cause of the rocks "bleeding". (We didn't see any seagulls and they were elsewhere.) It was heartbreaking to hear of so many of our young men dying before they even had begun to live. Everything that could go wrong went wrong it sounded like on Omaha and the casualties were enormous and we still won! incredible!... Next, the American Cemetery where I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I really thought at the time that every American should visit this area, we have to remember what happened.... and not take our freedoms and give them away so lightly... On to Pont du Hoc where the Rangers scaled 200-foot cliffs! and the big guns they were to take out weren't in place! intelligence was wrong on this one and the Germans inflicted 40% casualties on us here! There are still big craters left here from the bombardment that happened before the landing.

Roul then took us back to Bayeux and our tour was over at about 2:30- 3. We ate at a cafe then I went to see the Bayeux Tapestry, much more impressive in person. To see how this piece of embroidery that is still here after 1000 years is impressive and a testimony to the talent of the women who invested their time in it.They did a wonderful job of portraying the horses and the action of battle in thread! the whole story of the Battle of Hastings with amazing details, a lot of the needlework looks undamaged still, the wool thread is still thick in most parts. Some, of course, is damaged and torn in parts. Met Mom and Dad at the Cathedral not far away, this is a huge, somber, elaborate on the outside, same or similar arched ceiling as in Notre Dame. Very large church for a fairly small town. We made our way back to the train station and had some time to wait so sat in a cafe across the way and had a hot chocolate that you put the sugar and a piece of dark chocolate in yourself, first time doing that... The owner of this cafe was very animatedly talking with a British WW2 vet and his children (?) about the vet's involvement in the war, where he stayed, etc... The owner was genuinely excited to talk about everything and kept asking the man questions. He has decorated this place in war memorabilia and the door had lettering on it that said: "Welcome to Our Liberators!" I don't think the Allies sacrifices have been forgotten here.

We got back into Paris about 9:30 and made our way back to the apt.probably by 10, we were ready for a more relaxing day, this was emotionally taxing and physically tiring.... Tomorrow the plan is to catch the free museums, do the Marais Walk and check in online for our flight back.

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