Just so readers are aware:

Our visit to the Beaches at Normandy was a truly humbling experience that brought home the reality of the devastation and sacrifice made by our great countrymen during WWII.  Especially after reading Stephen Ambrose's account of the action and the patriotism in the Victors, I felt the monumental significance of the areas that we visited.

While it may seem strange that the beaches are now vacation destinations with beautiful homes and families walking about with their dogs, it is simply the reality of the way in which the land has changed.  There are beautiful monuments, museums, and memorials that serve as solemn reminders of the lives lost.  The memory of the courageous soldiers undeniably lives on through such tributes, and the profound sense of loss can be felt in this manner.

I hope that readers will understand that the enjoyment of the experience was in no way a sign of disrespect for the memory and the history of the soldiers.  We are all well aware of the history and have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for the honorable men who gave their lives for their country and democracy.

This past weekend, I headed to Normandy with the Furman crew.  After an exhausting 7 hours bus ride from Brussels, we made it to the small town of Bayeux, France just after midnight on Friday.  Upon entering our room at the good old Best Western, my roommate Ashley and I promptly collapsed.

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.

After touring the Tapestry Museum in Bayeux where we learned about the tumultuous history of William the Conqueror, we made the half hour drive to Caen to see the World War II Memorial Museum.  The museum featured absolutely incredible exhibits that illustrated both the background and the real life experiences of the World War II battles.  The first film that we saw on D Day was without a doubt one of the most stunning historical depictions of warfare that I have ever seen.  The powerful side-by-side display of the D Day events from both the German and Ally perspectives pulled the audience into the tanks, bunkers and ships with the soldiers.  The aspect of the film that struck me the most was the stark contrast between the peaceful visions of the empty beach today when compared to the footage of the utter chaos that consumed the beaches on D Day with loud explosions and men collapsing into the sand.  The film that followed was useful in that it pieced together a timeline of the battles at Normandy, it did not have quite the same emotional impact as the D Day film.

The historical exhibit in the museum helped me to construct the timeline of the warfare in my mind.  The spiraling staircase that led down into the exhibit seemed appropriately metaphorical as it highlighted the “Failure of Peace” given the rise of fascism and the Wall Street crash.  The museum displays did a wonderful job of portraying the warfare from every angle imaginable – from the engineering of planes to the construction of a parachute wedding dress.  The information ranged from technical to emotional, so it was pretty cool to see both ends of the spectrum.


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!