Nothing like a little procrastination to post a new blog! A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the D-Day beaches in Normandy with my group. It's about a 4 hour drive from Paris, and we were lucky to have some sunshine...much better conditions than experienced by those who arrived and fought for their lives and the lives of others on June 6, 1944.
First stop: Pointe du Hoc
Here, was a point in the cliffs where there are remnants of German construction before the attack and huge ditches and craters where the landscape was scarred by the battle.
The Cliffs 
Next Stop: Omaha and Utah Beach
This memorial was built right on the sand. You can see in this photo how far the low tide is from the cliffs. It illustrates just how far the Allies had to fight to finally find cover in the grass and hills.
I love Trevor and Sarah!
The American Cemetery and Museum are right above the ocean coast. It is beautiful and sobering all at once. There are thousands of soldiers buried there from the battle on the coast of Normandy and other places in Europe during that time. There are sets of brothers buried next to one another and one pair of a father and his son. We saw many French families visiting as well as French school field trips. Our guide said that they have an average of two groups of visitors each day that have direct relatives buried there.
The view from the cemetery grounds:
Flags of the Allies
It was an amazing day. I feel absolutely honored and thankful to have visited and very much look forward to sharing it with my parents in a few short weeks.
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