Normandy
Bonjour! Are you all ready to see some more of France?
This trip was especially meaningful to me because my grandfather was a medic in World War II and had shared a few stories of his memories from D-Day with us.
During our time there we chose to stay at a small bed and breakfast, 9 La Beauficerie, ran by a sweet couple from the United Kingdom.
The B&B was very charming and rustic and they had a few cute critters roaming about their property.
They even had ponies that were not only adorable but also really friendly!
I particularly loved their hairstyles.
The rooms inside were nice and spacious with beautiful hardwood floors throughout.
After dropping of our luggage, we headed toward the coast to see the D-Day memorials.
As we walked around and took pictures, we began to notice little black bugs all over us. I’m talking every inch of our bodies.
As soon as we noticed them, we all ran for shelter and were unable capture any pictures of them. We did have a video that Brandon was filming when he first noticed the bugs but there were a few choice words that made it inappropriate to share on here. ;)
According to the locals there, the English translation for the bugs is Midge.
Eventually, we made our way to Omaha Beach and it became incredibly surreal as I imagined how my Grandfather must have felt standing on a ship as it approached the coast of France on D-Day.
I imagined how terrified he must have felt knowing that there would be tons of injured soldiers lying among the sand, awaiting his arrival.
I found myself holding back tears as we walked along the memorial and saw the thousands of crosses that represented all of the precious lives lost during the war.
It is saddening that war can become the only solution for intelligent human beings to solve problems between one another.
Although I felt great sadness during my time there, I must say that I also felt pride in our country and those we united with in order to achieve a common goal.
After a long day of being tourists and navigating the French highways, we stopped off in a small town close to our B&B to have crêpes for dinner.
The restaurant was owned by a couple who lived above it which made it feel even more authentic and homey.
Unfortunately, I am certain I will never find crêpes as good as the ones I had while I was in Normandy.
It was an amazing dinner and a great way to end a long day of sight seeing.
Did any of your family members serve during World War II? Have you ever been to a war memorial?
Oh my goodness, how cute is that puppy dog?!? And I am loving the hairstyles of those ponies :).
I know, I loved them! I think they are the main reason I chose to stay there! :)
Those bugs would have FREAKED ME OUT! How gross! You got some amazing pictures while you were there; that cliff is breathtaking. War memorials are sad… I’ve been to some in Tennessee for the Civil War and several for Vietnam Veterans.
The bugs were SO gross. The video we have shows Brandon panning the coast with the camera and then all of sudden you hear, “WTF?!?”. It was hilarious, but gross.
I love the ponies and the dog, adorable! The trip sounds like it was amazing. I would have loved learning about all the history while being able to experience it first hand.
It was amazing and very humbling!
Eeep. bugs creep me out.
Your photos of the beach of Normandy are beautiful and the memorial with the crosses so sad and haunting.
War movies make me cry and war memorials are overwhelming in the sense of the emotion when viewing them. I saw the Vietnam memorial and the Korean War memorials in D.C. we have several memorials here for WWII and Vietnam.
My Hungarian grandfather was in one of the wars, or maybe even both. I forget though. I believe he served in the medical field. I know he didn’t like the Nazi’s but was forced to serve under them when Germany took over Hungary. My dad was born in 1936, so grew up as a child under Nazi control, then under Soviet control before he fled to Vienna then Canada after the Revolution in Budapest.
That’s an incredible story about your Grandfather and your Father. I can’t imagine having zero control over my own life. You have such an interesting background!
What an amazing trip… so meaningful with your grandfather’s history there. And that dog!! Too cute!
I love staying in charming places like that :) Roaming turtles, puppies, and ponies with rocking hairstyles? Definitely sounds like a cozy little atmosphere.
I actually went to see Pearl Harbour while I was in Hawaii about a month ago, and it was definitely an eye opening experience. Seeing all the memorials and the names of the soldiers who fought and died there was really moving.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU WERE INFORMED OF THIS BUT HERE GOES. THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT GAVE THE LAND ON WHICH THE SOLDIERS ARE BURIED BE GIVEN TO THE UNITED STATES SO THAT THEY ,THE SOLDIERS, COULD BURIED IN AMERICAN SOIL. HEART FELT THANKS FROM A GRATEFUL GOVERNMENT. I AM SARAH’S GRANDMOTHER WHOSE ENTIRE FAMILY ON MY SIDE ARE FRENCH. HER GRANDFATHER CAME FROM AN ITALIAN HERITAGE AND WAS QUITE A FRANCOPHILE. WE WENT TO NORMANDY ON A TRIP AND HE SIGNED THE VISITORS BOOK MEANT FOR THOSE WHO WERE THERE ON D-DAY. SUCH A NOW BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT SAW SO MUCH CARNAGE.
Thank you so much for sharing that Grandmere! :)