Normandy

Yesterday a group of us, seven in all, headed up to the region of Normandy, specifically to Bayeux and to see the American Military Cemetery and Omaha Beach. The train left at 7 AM from Paris, so I had to get up at 5 in order to catch it. I can't say I've missed that time of day. After arriving in Bayeux around 9:30, we found out the bus to the cemetery didn't come until 12:00. Luckily Bayeux provided some things to do. The town is pretty small and quite picturesque, especially the old part of the village. There is a cathedral there dating back to the 11th century as well as the Bayeux Tapestry dating from the same time. The tapestry was fascinating! I didn't really know much about it, but thankfully another girl in our group did gave us a little history lesson before going to see it.

After grabbing lunch we headed to the Cemetery. Immediately after stepping off the bus, you could feel something different there. Almost a sacredness. The visitor's center was great-- not too big, but still gave a lot of information. The cemetery was beautiful, and Omaha Beach was fantastic. Not in the way that Disneyland is fantastic, but in a way that makes you think and reflect. I thought a lot about my grandpa who served in WWII. Even though he didn't participate in the D-day invasion, to me he still represents the same values of courage, honor, and love of country that those men buried in the cemetery do. If you ever get the chance to go to this place, TAKE IT!