Samuel's French Adventure

Samuel wanted a beret, he got one.  Today was a long day, but a busy day.  We left Bayeux on our way to Mont Saint Michel.  It took about   1 1/2  hours to get there.  We were almost there and I saw a sign that told about a German War Cemetery. So we stopped.  Mont d'Huisnes was the name of cemetery.  This is the final resting place for 11,956 people. Among them were not only German soldiers, but also forced laborers, concentration camp prisoners, and civilian casualties-women, children, and infants.  It is situated on the top of a small hill overlooking the English Channel.  It is the only German crypt construction in France.  The viewing platform offers a stunning view of Mont Saint Michel. After leaving the cemetery we stopped at the St Michel Biscuiterie for lunch and to buy some cookies. We did not just happen on this location.  It was on our list of places to visit.  We had bought cookies here on a previous trip...

 Yesterday was a pretty intense day.  We thought we would take it easy today.  We have not slowed down since we left Alabama. Everyone was still asleep when Linda and I got up.  There was a local market going on until noon, so Linda and I decided to check it out.  We bought several footlong sausage sandwiches, along with frenchfries and took back to the house.  Everyone was still getting dressed for the day. Linda and I drove back to the Caen train station and purchased our tickets for our return trip to Paris on Saturday. Our final stop would be the Saint Lazarre station.  We were told we could take the Metro to the airport.  When we traveled into Paris when we first arrived last week, we took a taxi to our apartment.  I made friends with our taxi driver.  His name is Victor.  I believe if Victor was in the US he would be at risk if ICE caught him.  However he is not.  I sent Victor a message to pick us up Saturday at the...

 War is not glamorous, it is about death and destruction. Those who think otherwise have not been there.  Today we were picked up at our house in Bayeux by Dale Booth.  Dale served 5 years in the British Army and served two tours as a combat infantryman.  He moved to Normany in 2003 and  has served as a battlefield guide since that time.  Linda and I were in Normandy 10 years ago with Jerry and Mary Ann Hankins.  We had the good fortune to obtain the services of Dale Booth and he spent two days with us on a personal battlefield tour.  We were very impressed then with his knowledge and passion about D-Day.  Not only is Dale a guide, he is a historian of WWII.   When we were planning this trip to France, Normandy was where we wanted to go.  Samuel is very interested in D-Day and we wanted to him to have the best guide possible.  Linda contacted Dale's wife and he was available to give us a private tour today.  Dale is t...

 We have had a great time in Paris, but now we will leave for Bayeux.  Everything we saw in Paris was historical in nature.  When you think about France, you think of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, and D Day.  We were in Paris a few days, but we were able to introduce our grandsons to iconic emblems of Paris and now they will be introduced to WWII, the war their great grandfathers fought in.  When you think about the war in Europe, D Day comes to mind. Our plans for today were to checkout of our apartment, go to the train station, purchase our tickets, travel to Caen, pick up our rental car, and drive to Bayeux. My time table was leave the apartment at 10:30, walk to Gare de Nord station, buy the tickets, and board the train at 12:00.  However, my plans were derailed when we got to the train station.  I did not plan this part of the trip correctly.   We got to the train station, everyone wanted lunch, so I told t...

 Today was a 22,000+ step day.  We met our tour guide this morning and she spent the next 4 hours walking us through the history of Montmartre.  We met her at the Moulin Rouge and finished at the Basilica of the Sacre-Couer.(built in the 11th century)  Montmartre is a large hill in tne northern part of Paris and is known for its artistic history and credit is given for the creation of the modern can-can dance. While on this tour we learned about the creation of the French chocolates and pastries.  This lesson was reinforced by visits to various bakery shops where we enjoyed samples of chocolates, eclaires, croissants, macarones, and French Madelines. We needed to walk 20,000 steps after this tour. When the tour ended we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Construction of the Cathedral bagan in 1163 and was completed in 1260.  It is widely recognized as the symbol of both Paris and the French nation.  Linda an I toured Notre Dame in 2018, along with...

 Today was a full day of touring icons in the city of Paris.  We used the metro (subway) for our transportation and still walked 16,000 steps.  We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, viewed the Diana Memorial, had dinner at Le Marceau, and walked Champs-Elysees. The Eiffel tower is a symbol of Paris and France.  It was constructed in 1889 as the centerpiece of the World's Fair. Although initially critized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has since become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It was built as an observation and broadcasting tower.  During WWI it played a crucial role in intercepting enemy communications from Berlin. It is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world. During our visit to the Eiffel tower Linda, Beth, Ethan, and Samuel took the elevator to the second level.  They took some great pictures of the greater Paris ar...