Normandy

Our first weekend here, ISA took us on our first group trip to Normandy. We left from Port d'Orleans at 8:00 am and rode the bus about 3 hours to Caen. There we saw the WWII museum. The museum itself was neat, but I've seen better ones. The one we visited at St. Mere Eglise last year had a lot more to see. This museum was more fact-focused. At the beginning, though, they showed a really great short film. It was footage of D-day preparations and operations. On one side of the screen they showed allies, and on the other, Germans. It was very well done. Worth the trip. We ate there, then headed to the beaches. 

We saw Omaha first. They didn't take us through the exhibit. We just explored the American Cemetery and the beach. Last year we didn't get to walk down to the beach, because it's a good 15 minute walk. The cemetery had French and American flags on every grave in honor of Memorial Day and the D-Day anniversary. There were also chairs set up along the memorial. The day was rather overcast and windy, which I guess is fitting for commemorating D-Day. After walking around the cemetery, Rachael and I took the path down to the beach, thankfully as the majority of our group was coming up. Less crowded. 

We then went to Pont du Hoc and saw exactly the same stuff as last year. However, they have finished the restoration of the cliffside, so we were able to get closer to the area where the Rangers climbed. I tried to restrain my inner WWII history geek to spare my friends' ears. I'm not sure many share the same enthusiasm. The family Normandy trip was definitely much more informative than this one with ISA. With the big group, we were kind of pressed for time, but it was great to go back all the same.

After visiting the beaches, ISA took us to an apple orchard for a cider tasting. They gave offered apple juice and hard cider which were delicious. I didn't care very much for the liquors, though. We also got Normandy cookies to snack on. Then we drove to Brittany for the night.