Normandy and Paris - Fall Break 2012, Part I

  One of the many things I do here (besides lots of laundry that takes an inordinate amount of time - although it is really clean) is plan our travel. (We are trying to take advantage of our time here!) I completely understand now why travel agents make their money.  It is a big job to plan and book a trip that will please everyone and fit the budget.  Particularly when you have 3 boys, one who hates to travel and one who is a bit too young to appreciate fully the history around him.  I have to say, however, that I was talked into Normandy as our choice for this trip (and PARIS!) by all the expats around here who had been.  Even a mom of 3 girls said it was one of their favorite trips, and I would not have expected 3 girls to enjoy WWII history, etc.  

So once we decided, I booked our places to stay, our tours, etc. and tried to figure out how to pack our car for a full week of driving and traveling.  (Normandy is about a 7 hour drive from us, Paris around 4-5 hours.)

After the 7 hours, and about 40 euros worth of tolls (no kidding!), we arrived in Normandy.  And after the initial recovery of all that driving, I have to say...we LOVED it.  The boys still say it is their favorite trip we have done yet.  And that includes choices between Rome, Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Germany and a Centre Parc! 

We began in Bayeux where we met our tour guide for our 1/2 day tour of Omaha Beach and the American cemetery as well as Pointe du Hoc.

The boys at the German gun battery on the Normandy coastline.

Our family on Omaha Beach - look how big the beach is at low tide.  This is when the Americans came ashore and this is why so many of them died...but also why it was so successful.  A paradox, to be sure.

  I can highly recommend the movie The Longest Day about the D-Day invasion  - the storming of the beaches, the paratroopers invasion, etc. It is very well done, rated G (the whole family watched it) and available on Netflix. There is of course violence, and people die. But it is done where our youngest was able to handle it and we were able to talk about it. It really connected with the boys (after the first 45 minutes - a lot of German and English speakers talking about the plans), and they understand a LOT about D-Day now and even WWII.

The American cemetery - it is very large, we did not have time to explore all of it. It is in a beautiful location on the cliffs of Normandy overlooking Omaha Beach.

This is a crater left by one of the Allied bombs at Pointe du Hoc - this is where the soldiers literally climbed the cliff with their bare hands and a knife.

Walking to the memorial at Pointe du Hoc and playing in the craters.  The memorial is a knife sticking in the ground - to remember how the soldiers climbed the cliff.

Pointe du Hoc memorial

Boys at Pointe du Hoc

Gold Beach  - the cliffs into the water are stunningly beautiful, but also filled with reminders from the war.

On Gold Beach with the cliffs of Normandy in the background.

 That first day was a great introduction to Normandy.  The next day we went into the town of Bayeux and explored a bit on our own, including the Bayeux Tapestry. The boys actually really enjoyed this bit of history that ended with the famous Battle of Hastings of 1066. The tapestry is actually quite gory and graphic (heads and arms cut off with blood in places) and had several nasty stories to tell. We listened to audio guides and because we had a big family, we got the family discount - 10 euros for all of us to see it and have audio guides for adults and children. Only took about 1 1/2 hours and was totally worth our time. We also went to the Arromanches 360 degree museum at Gold Beach. It had real news footage from WWII and some re-enactments in a 360 theater (like Canada at Epcot!) That actually brought me to tears in the 15 minute movie because it was violent and sad. But through all of this we had great discussions about the war, why it happened, why Americans were involved and right and wrong. 

The next day, we decided to go ahead and do the 2 hour drive to Mont Saint-Michel. We debated doing it truthfully right up to the last minute. We are SOOOOO glad we went. We all LOVED it. Stuart was overwhelmed by the size, the history, the architecture, the secrets (it is a commune and since the 8th century AD a monastery). I have read about it in several fiction books and was also really taken by the narrow windy roads and the beauty from afar. The boys just loved the quicksand! We also got to squeeze in even more WWII history going by St. Mere Eglise, the first town liberated by the Allies during D-Day when the 82nd Airborne division landed here.

Watch the movie - you will understand this picture better. Let's just say this fooled the enemies!

Memorial to John Steele, the soldier who got caught here on the church when parachuting in - it actually saved his life and is depicted in "The Longest Day." 

This was the public toilet in town , just off the sidewalk. I don't know what to say about this.

Mont Saint-Michel in the distance. Under construction right now to get rid of the road and build a bridge so it can be surrounded by water again like it used to be.

Okay, I want to publish this tonight.  So this will be part I!  I will conclude tomorrow, or at a later date with the rest of Mont Saint-Michel and then PARIS in the next post, Fall Break part deux!!  But I will at least end with a picture -

More of Mont St-Michel to come!

Our Germany trip with Nana and Papa

View from castle in Heidelberg

Okay, this is ridiculous, I know.  But this trip happened last April/May.  And I am just now posting on it.  But, my parents need the details and that has gotten me motivated.  This is the trip that helped me fall in love with Germany.  Beautiful countryside.  Medieval castles.  Drives through rolling hills.  River upon river that winds around bends and hills and more castles.  Really, an amazing trip.  And it looks like we may do it again with my parents and some of their dearest friends, The Buckheisters. (My dad's roommate and best friend from his Clemson days - GO TIGERS!)

**NOTE:  This is going to be one of those posts where I just shoot off from the mouth to get something out there.  My parents want to see pictures from this and Normandy, so do not expect my normal erudite ramblings and brilliant psychological observations. (And I hope you didn't laugh at that last line, because I am SERIOUS.)

We started the trip with a drive down to Koblenz to get on the slower regional train that follows the path of the Rhine.  We basically were using Rick Steve's Germany book to do this, and I was able to talk everyone through all the castles we were seeing.  Thanks, Rick!

Luke checking out the view from the train - the Rhine river is GORGEOUS!  (Spelled Rhein here in Deutschland)

How cute is this?  In the town of Bacharach, the oldest building.  The year is written on the buildings, and it says 1368.  Still in use, but yes, it is leaning! Altes haus means "Old House"

Waiting on the train to take us back to the car and Koblenz.

We really enjoyed the train trip from Koblenz to Bacharach.  We enjoyed the best döner sandwiches we have had in Bacharach and all the castles along the Rhine.  It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday!

Next stop was Burg Eltz, the most well-preserved medieval castle in all of Europe.  It is Rick Steve's favorite castle and is only a 1 hr 45 minute drive from our house!  From Koblenz, it is only about 45 minutes.  So we were off!

Doesn't it look like something out of a fairy tale?

There were no photos allowed inside, but it was amazing.  We saw the bedrooms, the kitchens, their room where they kept their armor, and it was all in fantastic shape.  Seriously impressive.

Next stop was the drive to our German B&B for the night.  We have come to love these privately owned B&B's.  Just have to make sure you arrive before 6pm because often there is no one available to check you in if you arrive after that!  YIKES!

The Mosel River valley - this photo does not do it justice.  Gorgeous!

One more shot of Zee walking to the castle - seriously amazing.

Silas admiring the view.

Our B&B in between Burg Eltz and Heidelberg, our next stop.

We stayed the night at Alter-Posthof and had a great room with a living room, large bathroom, and 2 bedrooms - one with a bunk bed for the younger boys.  Silas bunked with Nana and Papa.  We all enjoyed the much larger breakfast buffet offered the next morning and the service was excellent. (The buffets at these establishments are typical German breakfast - cold meats, breads, cheese, fruit, cereal, and yogurt.  But this one had BACON!!)

We headed to Heidelberg next which is a sweet little town on the Neckar river - our third river on the trip!  Heidelberg also has a great castle and a really interesting history.  This castle was the site of much fighting, so it is not nearly as well preserved.  However, it was fascinating to see how it was built, see the history in the destruction, and hear the stories.  We went on another English tour here (just as we did at Burg Eltz) and really enjoyed it!

Heidelberg castle

The castle from the opposite side of the Neckar River.

The ONLY group shot from our trip - and yes, Zee won't look.

We stayed the night at a not as memorable B&B, although the view from breakfast was nice.  Then we headed to a little surprise for the kiddos! A Rodelbahn - a Sommer Rodelbahn, to be precise!  Essentially, this is a roller coaster for 1-2 people that uses the simple hills of the countryside and gravity to do the work.  SOOOOO fun!

And here is a video of me riding down the Rodelbahn - WARNING:  could make you a little dizzy/nauseated.  But I PROMISE the ride doesn't.  SOOOO fun!  And beautiful countryside where this was located, between Heidelberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rodelbahn and the countryside

Right after this we headed to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval walled city that is really what you expect to see when you think of Germany and its quaint little towns.  We enjoyed the Night Watchman tour (in English again!)  He was very funny and kept us entertained and informed for the short 1 1/2 hour walking tour.  We stayed at another cute little B&B here right in the heart of the city.  

Rothenburg

The Night Watchman - so funny!

 Beautiful church in the city

 The town square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

 The boys in the city

Stuart and Zee on the Night Watchman tour

Silas walking the wall

A Great trip - a bit squishy, but a great trip!    

Squished in the car!

May Pole in one of the towns we passed!

One final video, if you are interested.  We were in Rothenburg on May Day.  So there was a German band in the square - pretty cool!  :-)

Hope this helps, Dad!  And send Phil and Becky here.  Of course, the pictures and video don't do it justice.  But you get a taste.

Normandy and Paris post next!