Normandy

            

After Honfleur my family and I made our way along the coast towards the sights of Normandy and D-Day. History has never been my strong suit, and my family had just watched an in-depth movie portraying the history of D-Day, so I found myself a little less excited than they were to be going to a bunch of war memorials. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, it took a lot of refreshers to remember all that happened in Normandy during the war. I kept yelling at my mom for saying we were going to Normandy, after all that’s the name of a region and I knew there was no way we were going to be able to see everything in the insanely short amount of time we had allotted [keep in mind this is the same day, Wednesday, that we had left Paris, boarded a train to Rouen, and then drove to Honfleur… needless to say I was crabby]

     

We ended up seeing a lot of interesting things in Normandy. All the stops we made at bunkers and cute little towns were intriguing and worthwhile. As we were driving around my mom mentioned we should try to make it to the cemetery in case it closes early. I’ve always moaned and groaned when prompted to visit a cemetery because it’s always sounded like a weird, and boring, place to visit. France changed this for me for a number of reasons (Pere Lachaise is a place I’ll never forget). So, we pulled up to the American Cemetery and vowed to quick run through just to see what it was all about.

 

We entered into a building where we had to go through security, and then proceeded downstairs to an informational/memorial museum, where artifacts with descriptions pertaining to the war were displayed. There were several videos playing and my mood changed instantly and I began to become a little more interested in visiting these D-Day sights. As you walk out of the memorial and into the cemetery you walk through a hallway where the names of soldiers who lost their lives are read off. In a circular room as you exit there placards telling the story of soldiers and their families. Too many of them told stories of families who received word that their son died, only to find out several days later that their other son died. I even read one placard for the family and man who inspired the movie Saving Private Ryan.

As we walked out into the cemetery I began to feel more and more moved by the site I was visiting. The views over the ocean were breathtaking, and behind was perfectly manicured grass with endless white tombstones representing the brave souls who died for our country. It was peaceful, eerie, and heartbreaking. Walking through the cemetery I was in awe, in awe of the sheer amount of people buried her. More than that, I was in awe of the amount of unknown soldiers who were laid to rest here. The entire experience was powerful and moving, and it felt appropriate to be having so much pride for my country just as I was about to be returning home myself. I will leave you with a quote I read on a large monument outside of the cemetery.

“This embattled shore, portal of freedom, is forever hallowed by the ideals, the valor, and the sacrifices of our fellow countrymen.”