Thanks for visiting! I'm so thrilled to be participating in a military wives blog circle this month- our theme for July was Summer. I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to finally sit down and write about our amazing trip to Normandy in June. After you've finished reading and gazing at the amazing French countryside, please click through to the next lovely lady, Kristi of Kristi James Photography. Her blog will link you to the next page, and so on until it completes a full circle of awesomeness and summer inspiration!
Jay has wanted to go to Normandy for a D-Day celebration since we moved to Europe in 2010. This year was the 70th Anniversary (and as we realized, one of the very last huge celebrations they'll hold!), so we booked it! After struggling to find a gite back in October- apparently they book up 5-10 years in advance!- everything started to fall into place. We pulled the kids out of school for the week (even their teachers agreed that was a good choice!), and booked our ferry crossing.
We spent the night on a houseboat just inside the Belgian border- and, um, stocked up the car boot with some kriek! The next day, we headed over to Etretat to check an item off my bucket list. It did not fail to disappoint, and was as stunningly beautiful as I've seen in my dreams. I can see why it was such an amazing inspiration to so many artists.
We continued down the coast to St. Malo and hit the beach for the rest of the day. The kids were thrilled to be OUT of the car, and Jay and got our fill of French food and some sunshine. For all the glories that are life in England, plentiful sunshine is not one of them. And there is nothing like fresh baguettes, fromage, and croissant to make a girl happy!
We also drove over to Mont St. Michel to check off another bucket list item. I've dreamed of seeing this stunning castle for years and years. Again, it did not disappoint. Even the kids were blown away as we drove down the coast and it seemingly rises up out of the sea. Absolutely incredible!
We checked into our gite the next morning. Will and Amanda at La Ferme de l'Eglise were so welcoming and fantastic (and British!). The kids were off to explore the farm and bikes and tractors and ponies and geese, and we sat down with some cidre and more fromage and enjoyed our happy little selves in more sunshine.
We spent the rest of the week exploring as many of the D-Day sites as we could cram in. Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, the cemetaries, the cave batteries of Cherbourg: all were incredible. And each time we thought we were amazed by something, it would sink in just where our very privileged feet were walking. So very many lives lost on that exact beach, in that very sand. There were lots of the veterans around as well. Both Jay and I were moved to tears on numerous occasions listening to their stories. Some reverant, some sorrowful, some hilarious. Those men were and are the most inspirational people that I've met to date.
It seemed like every day there were more fly-overs, memorial events, and parachute jumps. We had the privilege to be invited to an exclusive event in Picauville celebrating the liberation of their city. The memorial balloon release was absolutely breathtaking. It was also so incredible to see all of the nations celebrating together: France, England, and America, of course, but also Canada, Germany, and several others!
As a whole, it was the most incredible 'vacation' we've ever taken. The kids (and the adults!) learned a ton, and experienced more. The memories made and lessons learned will stay with all of us for a lifetime.
And the kids are already planning our trip back next Spring!
Again, thanks for visiting and don't forget to check out Kristi's post: Summer!