Bumming around Paris

We have a day free today before meeting our bike/barge group tomorrow afternoon. So we did laundry in order to be able to start out fresh again, and then used our extra metro passes to bum around Paris.

We started out just behind Notre Dame because it's so beautiful. (Photos from the front are obscured by a huge set of bleachers erected directly in front of the cathedral for the 850th anniversary celebration.)

We tried to see the memorial to the deported Jews of Paris, but it was closed.

We enjoyed a couple of peach Melba's at Berthillon ice cream shop, one of Paris's oldest and best.

Then we went shopping at Galeries LaFayette, the largest department store in the world. We wanted to get William a new belt, as one of his broke, but the cheapest one we could find was 70€ (nearly $100) so we decided to just enjoy the rooftop view of Paris and the beautiful stained glass dome of the Galeries and do our shopping at the much cheaper C&A, where we found him a belt for only 12€. 

This evening we went out for a last dinner with Linda and Jackie, our Rick Steves travel buddies, at a cafe near the hotel where we had eaten several times in the past. Then we went back to the hotel to wait for dark so that we could see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. Since it doesn't get dark til after ten we knew we'd be out past our usual bedtime, but we don't have to get up early tomorrow so it doesn't matter. 

Although it is lit a little bit all the time, the twinkling lights come on only for the first five minutes of each hour after dark, so you have to be there just in time or you miss it. 

Giverny

On the way back to Paris to end our Rick Steves tour, we stopped at the Giverny to view the house and gardens of Claude Monet. Monet travelled by train from Paris to LeHavre, where his family lived, and passed often through Giverny. Through the train window he saw a house and some land for sale, considered it and decided to buy it. He first planted the house flower garden and later bought additional land, diverted some water from the river and developed the water gardens which are so well known from his paintings. While there are no original Monet paintings in the house, there are some duplicates to see, but the real star are the gardens themselves. Monet lived in Giverny until his death and he is buried at the local church. 

Normandy Landing Sites

Next were the American landing sites for DDay. We were surprised to learn that the American sites were only 2 of 5 sites, the others being manned by United Kingdom and Canadian forces, and that the nonAmerican forces were actually, in the main, more numerous and successful at the landing than the American. (Not to disparage the American contribution, but it has been exaggerated largely because of war films made in the US.) First is a map showing the landing sites. 

Landing sites covered a distance of 61 miles along the Normandy coast, which was heavily fortified by the Germans. Just above each beach were defensive enclosures every 2 miles or so called Widerstanz Nests (resistance nests). Each was surrounded by 7 foot deep and 6 foot high barbed wire, a concrete wall, and a trench. each contained several bunkers with large guns that could rotate 360 degrees and fire up to 12 miles distance out to sea or land, machine gunner bunkers, ammo depots, housing for the troops, surveillance bunkers and radio communications to other Widerstanz nests. Each section in the nest was connected to another via a zigzagging trench. The land behind the cliffs was flat and had been flooded by the Germans  to a depth of 2-3 feet. As the land rose in height, large guns with a 12 mile range were located. The level of planning, skill and courage involved in overtaking this amount of defense is difficult to imagine. 

First came the paratroopers, just after midnight, charged with taking out the large guns inland and securing the four roads that were above the flooded fields that led to the landing sites. A famous incident regarding the paratroopers occurred in St.Mere Eglise, where paratroopers sustained heavy casualties landing in the village instead of the fields behind. Two landed on the roof of the church, one suspended near the steeple by his parachute. The church has commemorated the courage of the paratroopers by stained glass in the church and plaques throughout town. 

The landing at Utah beach was the most successful of the American landing sites, due to chance (divine providence) that led them to land further down the beach than planned, leading to only 13 casualties in the landing itself.

The landing at Omaha Beach was not so successful. In preparation for both landings, the US heavily bombed German fortifications along Pont du Hoc and sent a team of Army Rangers to find and destroy German Widerstanz nests ahead of time. The rangers sustained heavy casualties but managed to take out a nest of five long range guns that could have made things much more deadly at Utah Beach and Omaha beach. One can still see craters from the allied bombs and remains of bunkers. 

There are various military equipment pieces left around for inspection. 

Also are many memorials to the courage of the soldiers who fought through virtually insurmountable odds to take these sites. 

While Utah Beach enjoyed coincidental favorable mistakes, Omaha Beach suffered the consequences of many unfavorable events. The beach was not flat at the landing site, but furrowed side to side, so the landing boats got caught underneath and had to drop off men in very deep water where many drowned. Bombardment to knock outGerman defenses failed, due to heavy fog and inexperienced pilots, with bombs landing either in the ocean or behind the defensive lines. The landing primarily was directly in front of heavy fortifications. The great majority of landing forces in the first wave died. Waves of landing troops kept coming every few minutes, and the rangers eventually succeeded in taking out some of the defenses, but the troops still had to climb large cliffs to reach the defenses, and much of their equipment was lost at sea as the boats sank or the equipment failed.

Here is our group at Omaha Beach, listening to our day Guide, Dan, explain how the battle ran. He was an excellent source of information and has gathered first person stories from many vets.

While we have certainly learned about the horror of this fighting and the great sacrifice involved on the part of the troops, seeing things firsthand was quite an experience. 

American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer

The Normandy American Cemetery is one of 14 permanent American WWII military cemeteries on foreign soil.  The French government has granted use of this land, in perpetuity, without charge, as a permanent burial ground. This cemetery is 172.5 acres and contains 9387 headstones, some of which are crosses and some of which are stars of David. Two-thirds of families of American dead opted for repatriation of remains instead of burial on foreign soil, so this cemetery contains only those who died in the Normandy invasion or who were wounded here and subsequently died of their injuries. Many of the stones are of unknown soldiers. Those whose names are known are marked with name, unit, rank and date of death.  The garden also contains a memorial with a 22-foot statue named The Spirit of American Youth Rising and a wall of engraved tablets with the names of the missing in action who gave their lives in this conflict. At the far end is a nondenominational chapel with a mosaic ceiling depicting America blessing her sons as they leave for France via boats and airplanes and a grateful France bestowing a laurel wreath upon the American dead. 

At the end of the day we witnessed a ceremony where the flags were lowered to the sound of taps. The flags were folded and presented to an American and a Luxembourg war veteran.

About Rick Steves trips

This is our second Rick Steves Europe trip. What we like about the trips is that they aren't just a tour, but an enriched experience. They are smaller groups -- 28 in our group vs 40 or more in a typical Europe tour. Experienced guides -- we had two -- who take time not only to tell you about the sites you visit, but about language, culture and local customs as well as to get to know each tour member individually. Our guides were Toni Seymour, a Brit who has lived and worked in France for many years, and Virginie More, a Frenchwoman who lives in Britain. In addition to French lessons from Virginie, who is French, we learned about the French educational system, French weddings, French healthcare  and the French tax and benefit system from Toni and Virginie during bus trips from place to place. We had a married couple for bus drivers, Annie and Matt, who also supplied us with hot drinks, cold beverages and snacks from an on board snack bar. We had a great group of fellow travelers, all of whom were friendly, curious, intelligent folks who became as an extended family. 

Rick Steves has a few basic travel rules, all of which make for a pleasant trip. First, no grumps. Second, be able to carry your own luggage because you may have to carry it up some stairs to get to your room. Third, be on time or the bus will leave without you. 

There's a good mix of group tour time and free time. There are a few group dinners which are multi-course and fabulous.  Breakfasts are always included and lunch is usually on your own. The hotels are great. Take a Rick Steve's Tour -- you'll love it!

Our tour bus. 

Annie and Matt, our drivers. 

 Virginie

 Toni

Most of our tour group, listening to Dale, our local DDay guide at Omaha Beach. 

These last photos are taken at our last group dinner, the last evening of our tour.