Normandy

After spending some time checking out England, it was time to see some more of Europe with Grammy and Pop Pop!  We packed everyone into the car like sardines and headed to Southampton, where we boarded the Adventure of the Seas for an eight night cruise around France and Spain!

We boarded just as a giant storm came into England,causing giant waves and threatening to ruin our trip! Luckily, the itinerary was adjusted and we headed to a safe place and spent our first day at sea. This worked out well since the girls were anxious to visit the Kids Club! Sailing was a little bit rocky, but we pulled into Cherbourg on Day 2 bright and early and ready for our Normandy Tour. We were very lucky that I had booked through Royal Caribbean so that tours automatically transferred to the new dates when the itinerary was revised at the last minute...if we had booked independent tours we would have missed them even if we had already paid! We started our tour in the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first village liberated by US troops on D-Day. Wayne took alot of pictures. We saw the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise where a US paratrooper, John Steele, from the 82nd Airborne got stuck on top of in the early hours before the invasion began. You can see a monument to him hanging from the church roof. It is actually on the wrong side of the church, but the monument was installed on the side of the parking lot where all the tourists go. This church is dedicated to the Paratroopers, whom are a constant theme within the church itself.

There was a D-Day Museum adjacent to the church. Riley and Lyla enjoyed posing with the tanks. 

Next it was off to Omaha Beach, which was beautiful and amazing and was definitely on Wayne and my dad's bucket lists. 

Omaha Beach

American Cemetary at Omaha Beach

"This embattled shore. Potal of freedom."

Attack Plans

The famous crosses, all identical and made of granite from Italy. It seems like they go on forever, and their perfect alignment adds to the overwhelming effect.

Riley exploring the cemetery.

What an absolutely beautiful day.

One of the few Jewish star markers in the cemetery.

Medal of Honor winner (1 of 3) and son of President T. Roosevelt. This guy was a hero on D-Day at Utah Beach, and died from a heart attack in July 1944 just before being approved to the rank of Major General.

Riley took a break from taking pictures to pose with Omaha Beach. She was just beginning to grasp the significance of where she was.

A short rain shower brought about a gorgeous rainbow.

They inscriptions list the date of death. This one indicates a D-Day casualty.

Walking through the cemetery, some of the dates were from before D-Day. It is not only D-Day casualties buried in the cemetery, they are all from various stages of WW II. — at Omaha Beach.

We've missed that flag!

After leaving the cemetery, our tour took us to Omaha Beach, where we explored the various monuments that have been placed there. This one was called The Braves.

Everyone, including the girls, had a wonderful day getting a taste for Normandy. While one day could never be enough (and Wayne is already planning our return trip), the tour made excellent use of our short time and left us all feeling a little bit closer to the history we've only read about in books. Unfortunately, this was our only French stop on the cruise after the storm and a dock worker strike sabotaged our stop in Le Havre and my parents first visit to Paris. Guess they'll have to come back next year! We did get to stop in three other Spanish cities so stay tuned for more updates!