We’re in Aix now, but it’s Sunday and almost everything’s closed. It’s a day for laundry and schoolwork and getting this old blog-thing-y up to date.
We’re having lots of fun in Aix, but I’d feel remiss if I didn’t mention our 4 days in Langrune-sur-Mer, a village on the coast of Normandy. My dad has long been fascinated by WWII, perhaps because he was born on the cusp of the war and spent his early years surrounded by all things WWII. He’s instilled in us a respect for veterans of conflict and for their service and he’s always reminded us that we are the beneficiaries of unimaginable courage, bravery and sacrifice. I remember when Dad and Uncle Al made their way to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Hard to believe that was 22 years ago.
A dip in the English Channel
This was my first time in Normandy and Mike’s second visit. Like my Dad, Mike has a keen interest in military history and strategy, so it was a very, very full (read: exhausting) three days. We lucked into yet another fabulous Airbnb – loads of space, a big courtyard, bikes and laundry. The host’s wife even made the kids a delicious chocolate cake.
Once settled, we biked down to the beach and the kids dipped themselves into the English Channel. It was windy and a bit chilly, but they were undeterred. We decided to celebrate Mike’s birthday (10 days late…ahem…I’m trying to relax here…) and splurged on an actual restaurant dinner instead of our usual grocery store fare. I tried to stay appropriately nonchalant when the kids ordered moules and frîtes off the menu, without any parental prodding. And then promptly gobbled them up. A Norman conquest of a different sort.
We started our first full day with a private tour of the area’s beaches. Mike got a lot out of it, but the kids and I were completely flummoxed by the guide’s heavy Russian accent. “Zees eez zee site of zee Joonah landing…”. Huh? What? Pardonnez-moi? Who’s Joonah? Where’s Waldo?
After our tour, we ducked out of the drizzle to visit the Bayeux Tapestry (aka “hey-kids-let’s-check-out-this-cool-medieval-comic-strip”. Yep, we’re clever like that). Turned out to be a big hit with all of us – it’s 210 feet long and depicts the Norman conquest of England culminating in the Battle of Hastings (and yes, people, I took that directly off Wikipedia. Source duly noted). They had a special audio tour for the kids that was, apparently, sufficiently gruesome and violent to keep their interests piqued. It’s possible they even learned something. We’ll see.
Pointe du Hoch
The next few days were a never-ending tour of all things D-Day. Tom, like Mike, has been interested in WWII since his earliest days. I’ll never forget the mortification I felt on his first day of preschool, standing around the playground with all the other mums, sizing up each other’s progeny. Tom decided to organize a game of tag with his new buddies and yelled out, “Hey guys, you be the Nazis and we’ll be the Allies. So run REALLY fast because we’re coming to get you!”. Cringe. We were expecting that Tom, of all the kids, would get the most out of our trip to Normandy, but he pushed back after Day 2. “Too much sadness”, he said.
Henry, on the other hand, was fascinated. He and Mike could have easily spent another week in the area. Henry impressed with his questions and his vision and his interest in the incredible strategy behind D-day. He was amazed by the engineering feat that is the Mulberry harbour at Arromanches – a deep water port built and made operational within two weeks to transport Allied supplies to shore. You can still see parts of the temporary harbour today rising ghost-like from the sea.
I was most impressed by the Centre Juno Beach and the American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer. Those who know me well know that I cry. All the time. Everywhere. These two places nearly did me in. The thought of 45 sets of brothers…GAH. Ok, here I go again.
The Centre Juno Beach was amazing for both kids and adults alike. It’s staffed entirely by Canadian university students on exchange, including NV Neil from Simon Fraser. The exhibits are harrowing and filled with lots of interesting facts, exhibits, short films and Canadiana. The Centre is located right off of Juno Beach and you can walk through a German bunker and along the shore. Unimaginable. That’s the only word that I can come up with. And I know a lot of words. Just ask Mike.
We visited the Canadian Cemetery at Bény-sur-Mer and had it entirely to ourselves. It’s small, unassuming, lovely. No displays or films or visitor centre. Just a beautiful spot in the middle of the peaceful countryside. By contrast, the American Cemetery is massive. Impressive. Moving. You have to pass through security to get into the visitor’s centre, but they’ve done an amazing job of personalizing the experience with short films, biographies, memorabilia from dozens of the soldiers. It sits above Omaha Beach and we were there at 4:30pm when Taps was played and flags lowered. And again. I cried.
But we weren’t done yet. We visited Omaha and Pointe du Hoch and Caen and Utah. We climbed on tanks and through more bunkers and into craters carved into the land by both sea and air attacks. We all came away feeling a bit sad and exhausted, but immeasurably grateful. And as we left, a little red fox ran across my path… And it made me smile.