On Saturday morning, we made our way to the small town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Here, we explored the Airborne Museum – a tribute to the 82nd and 101st American Airborne Divisions. It warmed my heart to see the Maryland and South Carolina state flags handing side by side from the rafters of the museum ceiling! The building contained a huge C-47 plane, and dozens of real uniforms and artefacts donated by veterans’ families. Some of the gear even had blood stains on them, driving home for me the reality of the sacrifices made by these brave men.
We then moved on to Utah Beach – a vast stretch of land where nearly 25,000 soldiers landed on D Day in 1944. The cold and windy beach was so empty and serene that it was impossible to fathom the chaos and devastation that took place there.
My favorite stop of the day was Pointe-du-Hoc. The high cliff overlooking the beaches is absolutely covered in huge crater holes. Here I truly realized the devastation of the warfare as I saw the damage right in front of my eyes. The walls of the crater holes were so steep that I had to get Nora to help me climb out!
We also paid a visit to the US cemetery in a small town called Colleville-sur-Mer. It was an incredible sight – rows of thousands of pristine white crosses along a huge stretch of green grass beyond a glorious bronze statue commemorating the “Spirit of American Youth.” The bells of the memorial chapel chimed the tune of “God Bless America” as we strolled through the site, and my heart swelled with pride.
Saturday night was devoted to midterms. My roommate Ashley and I grabbed a quick bite from a local sandwich shop in Bayeux and headed back to the hotel. After struggling with the TV for a bit and phoning the front desk for assistance, we realized that a light switch had to be on in order to power the on and off switch – brilliant. Indulging in some CNN news coverage on the bleak outlooks for Indonesia and the progress of the Lisbon Treaty, I made lots of flash cards. So much for exploring the town...
On Sunday, I woke to learn that 8 of the 20 students on our trip had been struck with food poisoning. I felt nauseous just at the thought. Fortunately, I managed to stay healthy as we headed out for day 2.
All in all, it was a really eye-opening weekend. It was amazing to see this quaint little French town by the beach that ended up being a site of intense battle and devastation.
Now on to midterms!