Leaving Paris -- Day 5

Up and checked out of our hotel by 7 am to catch the train to the airport.  We had a terrible time using coins at the metro station to buy our tickets.  We asked the woman in the information booth for help but she treated us like imbeciles.  She even slammed the door on us.  After about ten attempts we finally made our coins work.  Luckily we were making this trip on a Saturday morning and the train was not too full.  We went to the airport to rent a car.  We have a little black Peugot.  We were very nervous about driving in France and so paid the extra money for GPS.  I highly recommend that decision when traveling in a foreign country.  It saved us repeatedly.  The French countryside was spectacular as we headed to Normandy.

Our first stop was Arromanches to see Port Winston Artificial Harbor.  This is where the Allies landed in the largest amphibious attack ever.  Since it was Winston Churchill's idea it was named for him.

Then we headed towards Omaha Beach to the Longues-sur-Mer gun battery.  Four German casemates (three still with guns intact) can be found here. They are the only original ones left in the D-Day region.

From there we went to the American Cemetery, where 9,387 crosses and stars of David represent the American soldiers who gave their lives on the beaches below.  It is a haunting site.

Bryan's father was drafted at the age of 29.  He came to Europe via Normandy.  Bryan was able to map his father's journey by looking at the walls of the memorial at the American Cemetery.

We wanted to go down to Omaha Beach but police were barricading every route.  So we headed to Pointe du Hoc where US Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to disable a German gun battery.  Huge craters in the ground showed how the Allies had bombed this place to smithereens.  The view from inside the German bunker showed just how vulnerable the Americans were.

Up to this point, the weather had cooperated with our trip, only raining when we were driving between locations.  But at Point du Hoc it began to thunder and so we took off for the car at a run.  We set the GPS for Mont Saint-Michel and ate bread, cheese and strawberries as we drove.  The scenery was stunning.

When we finally spotted our destination we were not disappointed.  My grandmother, who travelled around the globe 11 times with World Campus Afloat when my grandfather was dean of the ship, once told me that I should make sure to visit Mont Saint-Michel before I died.  Now I know why she thought this was such a fabulous place.

Mont Saint Michel seems to arise out of no where.  After several failed attempts we finally figured out where to park the car and catch the shuttle to the island.  We were dragging our suitcase because we had been lucky enough to score a reservation on the island.  The shuttle drops you halfway down the causeway. 

While there were several day tourists entering with us, the Abbey was already closed for visits and the island, which is usually wall-to-wall people, was very quiet.

We walked up,the cobbled street quite a ways before locating our hotel.  This is the view from our room.

We threw down our stuff and headed out the door to explore the island before it got too dark.  We started by walking up to the Abbey.

Then we walked the ramparts.  It was raining again by then and the stone stairs were wet and treacherous.

Every few steps I turned to discover yet another magical view.

By then we were wet, tired and very cold.  We decided that bread and cheese in the car needed to be supplemented.  We ate a lovely dinner overlooking the bay.  Still not ready to pack it in for the night we decided to explore what was behind our hotel.  There is a little cemetery there and as we went up to take a look we discovered that the church next door was open.  What a treasure to find ourselves all alone in this sanctuary.

By then the rain was picking up again and our jackets weren't keeping pace with the frigid air.  We had been hoping to stay outside until the lights on the Abbey came on but we knew we wouldn't make it.  We retreated to our room, turned the heat on max and tried to get warm.  After Bryan fell asleep, I sneaked outside and tried to capture some of the magic of the island at night.

I can't wait to explore the island in the early morning light.