Historic Normandy, France

After visiting Monet's Garden, we continued on to the Normandy region of France to see the beaches of D-Day.  The Normandy coast has steep cliffs leading to long, beautful beaches that will forever be linked to World War II.  Our first stop was Arromanches, a small harbor town made famous when the allies used it to build a man-made artificial harbor to move supplies for the invasion.  There are still remains of the ships seen on the beaches during low tide. This harbor was assembled completely on the day following the landings - June 7,1944.  We took in a 360 degree circular cinema that shows footage of the invasion combined with modern-day images shot in the same locations.  It was really moving and brought tears to my eyes because my Dad's Naval Fleet took part in the D-Day invasion. 

Just north of here is the American Cemetery sitting on the cliff above Omaha Beach.  It is chilling how tranquil and quiet it can be, even with many visitors.  Even though we have all seen pictures of the many crosses, nothing prepares you for the experience of seeing acres of white marble monuments.  The stones are polished smooth and many of them etched within days of the date of the landing - June 6, 1944.  There are 9700 dead soldiers here.  Over 2000 died on Omaha beach that first day.

Arromanches with remains of the artificial harbor

A view from the cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach

The only flowers in the cemetery are pink roses

One of our South Dakota boys



The Memorial with reflecting pond



In the memorial wall is a huge map showing the invasion and timelines

"Spirit of American Youth" bronze sculpture

From the bluff above Omaha Beach looking East

From there, we went to the small town of Bayeux for the night and the coastal town of Honfleur. It was here that artists like Monet spent their summer months to stay cool and paint images of the sea and this quaint harbor town.

Our Hotel in Bayeux tucked into a courtyard

A really old half-timbered building in town

A beautiful canal running through the center of town

Honfleur where the River Seine reaches the English Channel

Inside harbor surrounded by old buildings and cafes



Mary in a sweeeeet shop


... and then back home to Wiesbaden.  Tschus!

Giverny... Monet's home and garden

Just an hour drive from Paris is the small town of Giverny, famous as the home of impressionist painter Claude Monet.  For the last 43 years of his life, he lived here and painted his water lily series among other paintings.  The gardens and ponds are well-preserved and tended perfectly.  When we walked through his home, it was easy to imagine his day-to-day life here.  It's like time stood still, you could almost expect him to walk through the door with fruit, cheese and wine.  There are also many photos of him in and around the house, walking through the gardens, and entertaining his artist friends. 

This was one place at the top of my bucket list to visit.  It was even more amazing than I had imagined.  Even though it was crowded with summer tourists, you still got a peaceful and tranquil feeling here... much like his paintings. 



One of many paths through the arbored gardens



View of Monet's home

A stream running into the Lily pond

A bridge in front of the famous Lily pond

A familiar scene from Monet's paintings

The pond seen through willow branches

Hydrangea

Another famous site with a famous couple

A happy sunflower

...and a happy Mary

See you in Normandy,  Au Revoir!

Paris...can you ever get enough?

We arrived in Paris at our hotel on Sunday evening after a chaotic drive through the center of Paris.  I can't believe Pete can maintain his calm demeanor as I see cars coming from all directions.  We even drove right through the mother of all roundabouts - the Arc de Triomphe.  There are 10 streets that dump into that roundabout.  After settling in to a teeny tiny hotel room, did I say tiny already?  We set off to the Latin Quarter to get Parisienne bistro food. 

After walking over the Seine, we found a bistro that served us a classic "menu" meal of 3 courses:  Salad, Poulet (chicken) with Pommes Frites (french fries), and of course, Chocolate Mousse.  The Latin Quarter (Left Bank) is named for the students and professors who spoke Latin on the streets nearby at the University of Paris (Sorbonne).  The heart of the Latin Quarter is the boulevard St. Michel.  Students call it Boul Mich.

Monday morning after Pete left for meetings, I grabbed my guidebook and explored St. Michel, stopping in many fun shoe stores.  I must have been in 100 shoe stores and bought none!  The Sorbonne is located just off St. Michel and it's impressive to see the place where so many intellectuals in scarves and berets came and went.  On to the Pantheon and the Luxembourg gardens, where I enjoyed a perfect day for people watching.

Pete joined me for dinner with his local salesman, Alain.  He took us to one of his favorite restaurants that features food from his boyhood home in Southwestern France.  The food and wine was fabulous.  It was another great day and a half in Paris. 

On a typical street in the Latin Quarter

Nighttime in Latin Quarter

Artsy photo by Mon Pierre

On the Seine at dusk

Walkway to the Sorbonne

The Pantheon

Luxembourg Gardens in full bloom

Notre Dame along the Seine

Waiter whipping up the signature cheesy potatoes from our favorite restaurant

Amore Paris!

.... and on to Giverny and Monet's Garden.  Au Revoir!

Reims - In the Heart of Champagne Region

On our way to Paris, we drive right by Reims, a town located in the Champagne region of France.  So this time we stopped and toured the Cathedral.  It was built with golden limestone taken from the medieval city walls.  Like many European cathedrals, it is HUGE.  The defining feature of this church is its windows designed by Marc Chagall.  He was a french artist born in Russia in an Hassidic Jewish family.  In 1971, when he was 84, he took on this job.  A local artisan he worked with used medieval techniques from the 13th century to create the special sea-blue glass in the background.  It combines both images from the Old and New Testament.  As a stained glass artist, I can only say these windows are awesome.





The massive doors to the Cathedral

2 of the 3 Chagall windows behind the altar

Close-up of Madonna and Child

... and on to Paris!  Au Revoir.

Women's World Cup Day in Frankfurt



World Cup party on the banks of the Main River in Frankfurt

Since the finals of the Women's World Cup was being held in Frankfurt, we hopped a train in Wiesbaden for the 40 minute trip to the Stadion.  We did not have tickets but thought we might be able to buy some on site.  We arrived quite early - about 6 hours ahead of game time.  After wandering around the stadium, we found mostly Japan fans trying to also buy tickets.  It was sold out and tickets were going for over $400 each.  About that time, we ran into an American couple who were retired military and living in Frankfurt.  They told us about the fanfest area along the Main River where we could watch the game on big screens.  That was all we needed - yet another festival !!

We got on a Frankfurt Tram and headed for the fanfest.  We started to see fans with American flags, walking through the streets.  It's funny how a sense of pride washes over you when you see your flag in a foreign country.  I of course got homesick again.  No matter, we found our way to the waterfront and an instant party was on. 

We eventually found ourselves sitting at what was to become the American consulate booth.  They were so happy to see us, they told us to stay and meet Jill Biden and Chelsea Clinton when they show up.  Unfortunately, they were delayed and were whisked off by helicopter to the stadium for gametime.  We did meet the ambassador and told him about Daktronics.  He just smiled and nodded - typical politician. 

Before the kickoff, there was a great live band called "The Baseballs" who looked and sounded like a 50's greaser band but played covers of contemporary stuff like Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon....in 50's style.

Finally it was time for the match and a large crowd had gathered around 3 giant screens to watch.  The first half was full of "almost" goals but ended 0-0.  We decided to head back on the train and catch the final minutes at home.  Good thing cuz we all know how it ended.  Oh well, on to the Olympics!



First stop Sangria booth



Next stop - Brat stand with the meat "just-a-swingin"



A german soccer team showing off their lederhosen



Same soccer team in training




Another pretzel at the USA booth




The Baseballs performing under the giant soccer ball




Pete with USA military fans





Mary cheesing out with the Ambassador

Best part of game.... just before it started.
Behind is the Main River and Frankfurt skyline.