Normandy

We're back! I sincerely apologize for not keeping up with our blog. In this digital age, facebook and email have completely taken over. However, I believe the value of this blog will continue for years to come. With that said, I must tell you that Normandy is just beautiful! The images that come to mind in Normandy are many, D-day, William the Conqueror, Mont St-Michel and more. Yet, the beauty of the rolling hills and cliffs into the ocean completely took our breath away. The Edmonds come to visit Europe in July of 2009, and we decided to take a tour of WWII history. It was one of our best decisions to date.



On June 6, 1944, Nazi occupied France was invaded by soldiers from America, Britain and Canada. Juno Beach was a landing point for Canadians, Sword and Gold Beaches were landings for the Brits, and Omaha was the American Beach landing. The picture above is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of Omaha Beach.

We were lucky to get a tour of the D-day memorial sites during our visit. Mom and dad are standing above Arromanches. Winston Churchill realized a successful invasion into France would mean we needed more ports to bring in heavy equipment. So, his ingenuity built the artificial Mulberry Harbour. It is made by many sunken ships bolted to floating harbours. Below is a harbour that is now ashore.

The most moving part of our trip to Normandy was the American Cemetery. It contained 9,386 graves. The soldiers are buried in American soil, as soil from the blue grass state was shipped in just for this purpose. It is considered American land.

We felt very lucky to have walked the shores of Normandy to remember the soldiers who died for our future.