Wolverineinohio's International Travels: France

Yesterday and today I have been in France. I flew from Dublin to Paris on Saturday, February 1 and am leaving tomorrow morning. I feel like I should start this blog by first acknowledging that my preconceptions about France were proven flagrantly wrong these past two days. Contrary to my previous beliefs, Frenchman and Frenchwomen are very nice people. They are kind, accommodating, patient, and understanding. Most people I talked to (save my taxi driver) knew English - a point which helped me not have to rely on my very limited French.

Though I only spent a few hours in Paris, my perspective on the city was positive. It was clean and metropolitan. Unlike what I see on Twitter, there were no Jihadist bandits roaming the streets killing Christians. Navigating the subways was easy enough. You need not speak French to use them. It is only a matter of looking on Google maps to figure out which train line you need and buying a ticket. It is stressful, but a novice can get around.

I am staying at a random hotel in Bayeux. Although a little dirty, it is fine. Bayeux is a very cool city. It was the first substantial town to be liberated by the Allies! Additionally, it has the feel of a stereotypical French town. Small, winding streets envelop stone shops and restaurants. The entire town is under the watchful gaze of an amazingly-pretty cathedral. Truly France-101 stuff here. There is a D-Day museum here. I was disappointed. Despite having a German 105mm artillery piece, a Germany tank, an American tank, a Canadian tank, and a British tank on the grass outside the building, the actual museum had very little artifacts and exhibits. It was simply 2 large rooms providing mannequins of soliders' uniforms and detailed timelines.

Visiting Normandy has been my favorite part. Taking a taxi, I first visited the American cemetery. This was surreal. It is a beautiful cemetery. With ~8500 men (and 4 women), crosses scatter across acres of grass and trees. I walked the grounds for about half an hour reflecting on the sacrifices these Americans made 80 years ago. In the center of the cemetery, a grand chapel towers over the surrounding area. This is one of my favorite monuments I have seen. Although intimate, the inside serves as a solemn place where visitors can pray for the souls of the departed. There is also an amazing mosaic at the top of the dome.

Walking down to Omaha beach was a very ethereal experience. As I approached the bluffs, I was reminded of the hundreds of men that probably died where I was walking just 8 decades before. On top of the bluffs are two still preserved German pillboxes. The concrete walls still have the scars from bullets fired from advancing Americans. Moving down the bluff, I ran into two large German bunkers. Shaped like a hexagon, these positions undoubtedly claimed many American lives on June 6th. I have to say that I didn't really feel much when I made it down to the physical beach. After all of these years, I have finally reached the one place I have always wanted to go. But it was hard for me to come to terms with the significance of where I was standing. To the left and right of me, French people were walking their dogs, eating lunch, and hanging out. None seemed to acknowledge the importance of that beach. I took some sand and rocks and walked down the beach about a quarter mile. Each step I tried to remind myself that this....THIS was the very place where The Great Crusade began. I was able to envision the landing craft, the sea spray, and the destruction. Still, I never processed the power of where I was. After half an hour, I made my way back towards the cemetery. Lugging my backpack up the bluffs, I could not help but realize that I would have died if I had to assault the German positions that day. Expectedly, German positions had a clear view on my as I made my way up the steep, slippery terrain.

Its a miracle the Americans were able to break out and take 1.2 miles of French territory that day.

Right now, I am back in my hotel. It is quickly approaching 1am. I have to be up at around 8am tomorrow to catch my train. Going back to Paris, I will have a few hours to explore the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and the Pantheon. Maybe I will check out some more monuments, time permitting.

I will be back soon.

Goodnight