Normandy

On Thursday our trip was off to a rocky start. Our short bus was late and one of the girls didn't make it, and we ended up having to go get her. We were over an hour late to start our excursion. We started out in Caen, at a World War II museum. It starts at the top of a hallway, and it spirals down into darkness as WWII begins and you are plunged into the obscurities of war. Next we went to the Tapestry of Bayeaux. It's long and old. As much as I wasn't looking forward to it, it was pretty neat. It tells the story of William the Conqueror. Which also ties into WWII, because the British like to point out they they liberated the same region that conquered them. Next we went to the Cathedral then to our hotel. As we left our hotel the next morning, the lady who ran the hotel came outside and walked up and down the street waving the American flag. It was pretty funny. We went to Arromanches (Gold Beach) on Friday and saw the remains of the portable port that they shipped over from England. It was pretty amazing, especially to imagine Churchill thinking that up. "I know! We'll build a port here, then ship it over there! During war!!" Then we went to the Normandy Cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach. It was amazing. It's American soil, and it is the most beautiful place I have seen in France so far. It was striking to see just how far the beaches were from the vantage point of the Germans, it makes you realize the miracle of how those troops took the beachhead. Truly amazing. This was also the most peaceful and tranquil place I have ever been. It was a beautiful sunny day, warm and not a lot of wind, all the trees and flowers are beginning to bloom and birds were singing everywhere. It was just amazing to sit there and admire the beauty and appreciate the sacrifices made for us. From there we went to Point du Hoc, which they have kept preserved with all the shell craters and rubble from the German bunkers. It was pretty exciting. Our last stop of the day was at Utah Beach. The tide was low, and we walked along the beach and saw tanks, the landing crafts, and artillery. That night we stayed in a lovely hotel, where there was a tub!! I was super excited and took a bubble bath! On the downside, we had to share beds.
The next morning, the hotel manager came onto our bus and passed around candy. haha. Then we made our way to Mont Saint Michel. It was cold at first, and it was super windy. My hair looked fabulous. It was high tide, so it looked like an island. It was really exciting. We toured the Abbey and town and it cleared up and became warm (though still windy outside the town). I even bought an ice cream cone! I also got 2 striped shirts, I am very excited about them. :)
We had a 4 hour bus ride home (the most uncomfortable bus!) then I had a slumber party with Brooke, Claire and Aly. It was so much fun! And we finally got to sleep in, we were all pretty exhausted.