THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY

At (roughly) 7am this Saturday, the BC students of Paris met on the steps of the Opera Garnier for a trip to Normandy.  We hopped in our bus, and some drunken frenchman hopped in the luggage compartment.  Once he hopped back out, we were on our way.  Our first stop was the D-Day museum, where we were given an overview of the day, and its greater context of WWII; as well as a tuna salad, with fish and hash browns.  Luckily this was followed by a chocolate tart.  

The architecture of the building is meant to symbolize the way D-Day broke through the german wall of defense.  (the German flag is not the only one there, but somehow it's the only one that made the photo)

The beaches of Normandy!  Saturday afternoon we were planning to go sand-yachting, which as far as I can tell involves tiny go-kart-like-buggies that have sails attached, which you use to fly along the beaches.  It must be intense because it requires a full helmet and jumpsuit.  Unfortunately there was no wind, so our group divided into kayakers and boaters.  Needless to say I was a boater.  The boat tour, though, was not for those hoping to slowly cruise along the shore.  Our boat was one of those inflatable rescue rafts, and there were no interior seats.  Instead everyone sat along the edge as our driver tore over waves and zig-zagged along, stopping occasionally to throw in a historical tidbit and let us collect ourselves off the floor.  I expected someone (probably me) to fall in.  

When the British landed on D-Day, there were no harbors to dock their boats or to receive future supplies as they came in.  So they constructed these temporary harbors in the UK and brought them along.  The American ones further down were destroyed in a storm, but these have been standing since June 10, 1944, four days after D Day.  

Loving the boat cruise

Old men and the sea.  

The next morning the beaches were all misty, and you could hardly see the water.  While we missed the panoramic view of the temporary harbor, it set the mood for our day of touring the german bunkers, landing beaches, and two of the cemeteries.  

A german bunker, holding a gun that can shoot at a 15 mile range.  

The monument at the American cemetery.  

The allied movements into Europe, shown from the UK (the English Channel is at the bottom)

A monument to the National Guard, who took the beach below.  

When the Americans landed here, they had to scale these cliffs with grappling hooks and ladders before taking the german bunkers and guns.  

And there you have it, my weekend in Normandy.  The overwhelming feeling was the stark contrast between the horror of what happened here, only about 70 years ago, and the awe-inspiring, breath-stealing landscape.  I'm not sure whether it made it more real, or less, but I think I felt that contrast more than anything else.  

I didn't get any photographs of the apple tree and cow covered countryside, or the cidre factories, that littered tiny roads and ancient villages we passed through between monuments, but I wish I had.  It is the most beautiful place, and seems largely untouched by the past hundred years (though they did give in to McDonalds).  I would love to go back and see it slowly, with time to wander the little towns, and the cliffs.