Lessons and Conclusions from 3 Weeks in Europe

Now that I have been home for nearly a week I have been able to reflect a little on my trip. Sometimes when I remember it, it seems as if we were there just yesterday. Other times, it seems as if it were all a dream. Anyways, here are a few conclusions I made about traveling.

First of all, it always pays to be nice to people. Even if it is tough, being kind and generous is always the way to go.

Next, don't believe all of the stereotypes you hear about Europe. For example, not everyone wears black clothes 24/7, most French people are quite nice if you are nice to them, and, disappointingly, not every gondola ride in Venice includes an opera performance:)

Thirdly, don't be afraid to 'wing it.' I mean yes you should probably plan out everywhere you are staying ahead of time but you don't have to plan every single activity beforehand. For example, in Italy we really enjoyed taking back roads to some of the major towns just to get a feel for the rural life in Italy. Also, eating at random street-side cafes is sometimes more fun than having a fancy dinner reservation every night.

Here are some general tips for traveling if you ever plan on going to Europe:

• Pack extremely light (we had to haul our luggage quite a long ways in Venice and also there are really no elevators in European hotels or b&bs)
• Keep your money and passport on you always- even though none of us witnessed pickpockets, it is comforting to know where your valuables are at all times
• Allow a few rest days because touring and sight seeing is more tiring than you think
• If you plan on renting a car, know how to drive a manual-automatic cars are not common in Europe
• Try new things- you can't discover something good until you try it

I absolutely loved my vacation and I wouldn't trade it for anything. However, if I had to pick one thing that 3 weeks in Europe taught me it would be that there really is no place like home. Meeting so many different people made me realize how passionate everyone is about their homeland. And, upon arriving back in the U.S. I felt a really strong sense of patriotism that I had never felt before. Although I have a strong passion for traveling, the familiarity of suburban Minnesota is indeed comforting.

Made it to the U.S.A.

After a long morning (5am wake up) we have made it to New York. It is surprisingly refreshing to be back in the country. Everything is more familiar and everyone speaks English!!:) However, it is kind of sad not knowing if and when I will ever be back to Europe. One more conncection flight to make it to Minneapolis. Glad as well as sad to be home.

Florence

This morning we woke up at 8 and got ready fast in order to go to Florence today. The drive took longer than we thought due to morning traffic. When we did get to Firenze (we call it Florence in English) it was really hard to find a place to park. However, we finally were lucky enough to find one eventually. We then walked to the main basilica in Florence. It was really stunning! Even though we didn't go inside the outside stone architecture was amazing. We ate lunch at a cafe right next to the cathedral. I had a salad that was very refreshing. Then, we strolled around the church to look at shops and street entertainment that was going on. Mom was super excited when she found a shop full of leather jackets. The guy that ran the shop tried to sell her a really tight fitting red one but she instead picked a nice brown one. Right outside of the cathedral there were two horses pulling a carriage. We sat and watched the man feed them while Mom picked out her jacket. I really enjoyed hanging out around the square with the basilica. Florence is a larger town than I thought it was and there are so many more things that I would have liked to see in the town-I guess I have to have a reason to come back;) Once we were tired of the heat in Florence we drove back to the town where we are staying. We felt obliged to say goodbye to Angela at the pizzaria since she has helped us out so much. Mom and Dad are still at the pizzaria but the rest of us came back to the villa to pack. Unfortunately we have to leave tomorrow:( I have had a really great last day in Italy and I would definitely come back! 

Basilica in Florence

Last hike up the hill!

Lucca Half Day 7/11

Since we had a long day yesterday we decided to sleep in late today and go to Lucca in the afternoon. I enjoyed hanging out in the morning by the pool. At about 2 we headed towards Lucca. We first stopped at a village called Massarosa because Mom wanted to look at pottery. It turns out that there weren't really any pottery shops there like we had thought. So, we continued on to Lucca through the mountains on a more scenic route. Once we arrived we found the city to be much more lively than it had been on our other visit. I think this was due to the time we went there. All of the shops were open and there were many street performers. There were these funny mimes that looked like they were sitting in thin air! While Mom and Dad looked at pottery Brynn and I found some cute leather keychains to buy. We also had a before dinner gelato:) We then watched some street performer for a while-a violinist, russian musicians, and the mimes. Next we ate dinner at a really nice and quiet cafe. I had some grilled cod and vegetables. It was a little undercooked for my taste but it was okay. When we finished dinner Mom went back to the pottery shop and Grandma and Grandpa bought her some pottery for her birthday in September. It is really pretty! While she was picking out pottery Brynn, Dad, and I found a bakery and tried a hazelnut brownie (did I mention we are eating our way through Europe?!) Anyway, Mom is really happy with her pottery. Then we left Lucca and came back to the villa. We played one more game of Monopoly deal and are going to bed now! Ciao:)

Brynn tried a wild cherry that she found on the path by the villa. Sour!!

Cinque Terre 7/10

I have had such a fun day! This morning we woke up a little earlier to get to the Cinque Terre at a good time. The Cinque Terre is a chain of 5 towns along the coast and they are perched on cliffs-some call it the Italian riviera. The lady renting us the house told us to take the train from La Spezia as it was much easier than any other method of trasnport. So we drove to La Spezia and  rode to Corniglia (the third town in the bunch). Brynn, Grandma, and Grandpa decided they didn't want to go on a hike with us so they continued on the train to Vernazza to meet us there. Once in Corniglia Mom, Dad, and I got a sandwich and cold water so we were energized for the walk. Then, we made the hour and a half trek from Corniglia to Vernazza. It was such a beautiful hike despite the heat and steep climb. We loved the view because the trail went up very high. Along the way there were accordian players and people selling their goods (although everyone was too hot and sweaty to think about shopping for souvenirs). I thought the Cinque Terre was one of the best parts of our trip so far. After the long but rewarding hike we met up with the rest of the family in Vernazza. I got some more water and a little gelato to refresh me after the hike. We looked around Vernazza but it wasn't as interesting as I thought it might have been. Then, we took the train to Monterosso, the fifth and furthest village in Cinque Terre. This village is closer to the sea and actually had a good stretch of rocky beach. Brynn and Grandma couldn't resist the cool water-both went and dipped their feet in. After exploring Monterosso and determining that it was a little too touristy we headed back to La Spezia via the train. Then we drove to a grocery store to get dinner. We bought a lot of fruit and stocked up on water and juice. Upon heading back to the villa we stopped at the pizzaria that Angela works at. We had a snack and continued to converse with her. We found out she grew up in Canada and speaks 4 languages. She loves talking to us because she says she never gets to practice her English. After that we headed up the hill with our groceries. Since it wasn't very late we hung out by the pool and played Monopoly Deal. Tomorrow we are going to sleep in. I am really enjoying Italy because it is warm and has a lot to do!

Views from our hike

Rocky beach at Monterosso

Day of Freestyling 7/9

Since we didn't really have a plan today we decided to drive northward to see what ever looked interesting. Brynn and I slept in until about 9:30 then ate some light breakfast. We headed out and were on the road about 11:30. The first town we stopped in was called Pietrasanta- it was small but charming. Dad and Grandma ate lunch there but the rest of ua weren't hungry. We found the town square and explored a little. Unfortunately it was lunch time and most of the businesses were closed. Once we were ready we moved on to a little bit larger town called Massa. Upon driving in we saw a large castle on a hill-it looked cool so we drove up to it. Dissapointingly it was closed for some reason. After that it started to rain lightly. Our next adventure led us to the town of Fort dei Marmi which is on the sea. There was a long pier that we went out on. We watched kids jump off of it and saw quite a few large jellyfish! Then we strolled up and down the town streets. We found some amazing gelato flavored nutella and banana. I was in heaven! I really enjoyed the seaside town because it doesn't have as many tourists as some other places  we have been and it is so pituresque. We continued to drive along the sea until we arrived back where we were at yesterday. There is a long stretch of walkway that extends parallel to the beach that we walked along. I can't get over how far the beach stretches! We found a spot to sit down and have a cold drink and a snack before dinner at 8. Brynn and I continued to stoll the walkway. Then around 7 we headed for the restaurant that we had reserved. It took us a long time to find it because the GPS doesn't work very well in the mountains. It was so worth the frustration though! When we arrived I was awed by the setup of the restaurant. It sits on rocks right above a stream and waterfall! I can't describe it very well but all I can say is it was one of the coolest places I have ever been. I ate a sort of pasta stuffed with beef and cheese. It had a red sauce too. The best part of the meal was the dessert! We had marscapone with strawberries and panacotta with dark chocolate. It was amazing! After dinner we climbed up the hill in the dark then took cold showers because there seems to be no more hot water. It is almost midnight so we will go to bed soon. I had a wonderful day especially exploring the towns by the sea and the dining experience. 

View from Fort dei Marmi pier(rain in the mountains)

Some tropical flair:)

Gorgeous seaside path with various shops

Brynn,me,grandma at the restaurant

Day at the Beach 7/8

After seeing three different bodies of water we finally got to spend a day swimming in one-yay! We got to the beach at about 11 this morning and just as we expected Angela had reserved us a big shade cabana with beach chairs that was really close to the sea. The entire beach is all private so we were glad that we had planned ahead and reserved a spot. It wasn't extremely busy because it is Monday but there were a fair amount of people there. Today was very hot so it felt good to be in the sea. The beach was very shallow even for a long way out. It was also very long and it seemed as if you could walk for miles. We spent all day there until about 5. In between we had lunch at a restaurant very close to the cabana. I had what I thought would be a small sandwich but came out as a huge pizza thing with a crust on top! I was very surprised and felt wasteful- I guess that's what I get for not knowing a word of Italian! After lunch we continued to swim-the waves got larger in the afternoon and we had more fun! After the beach we went back to have a light dinner in the restaurant where we continue to go. Angela was there and we thanked her for her help with the beach cabana. She brought us big antipasta platters of grilled vegetables, ham, and bruscetta. It was very tasty and refreshing after the beach! Now we are trying to plan out our day tomorrow. I am so glad we got to go to the beach today!

Cabanas

Panorama of the beach

Quite a few people!

Beach girls:)

Nice scenery with mountains in the background!

Exploring Pisa and Lucca 7/7

Ahhh! What a beautiful day in northern Italy. This morning we woke up at 9 and ate some breakfast that we had bought at the supermarket the day before. Once we were ready we made the hike down the hill to the car. Then we drove to Pisa to see the leaning tower and look around. Once we got to Pisa we found a parking lot that said 60 cent parking. When we parked and got out of the car there were a few guys that came up and gave us tickets then demanded 4€ per car. We obliged because we didn't know. After we had left we found out we were actually swindled into paying much more than we should have. Oh well, it wasn't much money but the fact that we were tricked was kind of scary. Anyways, I got to see my first one of the 7 wonders of the world today! The leaning tower was awesome-it looked like it would fall over at any second! The thing that I thought was cool was the church and babtista that were adjacent to the tower. In all of the famous pictures these building aren't seen. We went into the baptista place where the ceiling was perfect for echos. A lady sang some notes and they bounced off of the ceiling and came back as a different pitch. It sounded like an entire choir was singing when it was just one lady! We continued to look at shops around the plaza and decided to have lunch. I had penne with a spicy tomato sauce. It was very refreshing and delicious. After lunch we found a gelato shop that had peach mango flavor! It was really good:) After one last glace at the tower we left to go to Lucca-a walled city about an hour away from Pisa. It was very hot today so we strolled the streets and tried to keep in the shade. Lucca was a a very nice town. The only downside was that most of the shops were closed because it was Sunday afternoon. However, we looked in a few that were open including leather shops, ones that sold olive oil and vinegar, gelato shops, and small street vendors. Once we had seen most of Lucca we headed back to Metato. Along the way we found another grocery store to pick up some snacks for tonight since we didn't want to go to a restaurant for dinner. Before going to our villa, Mom, Dad, Brynn, and I stopped back at the place we ate at yesterday to talk to our very helpful waitress Angela. We wanted to ask her about the best beach to go to tomorrow. Instead, we stayed for about 3/4 of an hour having homegrown fruit, bread, and drinks that she brought us (did I mention the people in Italy are super nice?!!) Along with the meal/snack that we had she reserved us a shade tent on a private beach for us to relax at tomorrow! We were very impressed with Angela's generosity and helpfulness. When we got back to the villa and up the hill I jumped right in the pool. It felt good to cool off. We have just been hanging out the rest of the evening playing a card game and watching the news. I have a feeling tomorrow will be really fun!:)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Brynn and I in front of the tower(yes we have the same sunglasses on because I accidentally left mine at a rest stop. Thank goodness that Brynn brought two pairs!)

The church in the center of Lucca-very old but beautiful

Travel Day to Metato

Leaving Venice today was disappointing but we are very happy with our new place on the opposite side of Italy. This morning we ate the same great breakfast and took a water taxi to where we rented a two cars. The cars are definitely smaller than the ones in France but they aren't bad. We had a little difficulty finding our villa but we eventually got here. The trip across Italy was very scenic and only took about 3 and a half hours. The people renting the house met us at a parking lot at the bottom of the hill we are staying on. They brought a motorcycle and golf cart to help us haul our bags to the house. The path is very steep and quite a long ways. It probably isn't the best for Grandma and Grandpa because we have to walk back and forth to the car on the steep path but we will make do. The house it very cool-it is built into the rock, has an awesome view, and has a pool! We are way up on a mountainside so it is warm but not as hot as in the city below. Since we didn't eat lunch we stopped at the nearest pizzaria at about four to eat. No one in Italy eats at 4 so we were the only ones there. I had a salad with mozzarela, tomatoes, basil and lettuce with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. I also had some of Brynn's pizza. Next we ventured to the supermarket in the town of Veraggio- I wasn't expecting much but when we arrived we were blown away at the size of it and the number of people that were shopping there! It was awesome because it had underground parking and cool moving ramps. The market was comparable to a grocery store in the U.S.! We bought a few essentials to have breakfast and snacks but we didn't buy more than we could carry up the hill:) Just another piece of info-we had to buy plastic sacs at the market-they weren't free like in the U.S.A. After the market we drove back to the house and made the trek back up the hill with groceries in hand. We then dipped our feet in the pool and enjoyed the view. Apparently there is some sort of parade/festival going on because we can hear a marching band and music from up here. I am ready for a quiet night's sleep after the day of driving!

View from the house as the sun sets. The Mediterranean Sea is in the far background. 

The lights from the city tonight. The big lit up spot in the center is a soccer field with stadium lights!

A Wonderful Day in Venice

Hopefully the 4th of July was festive for all of you in the states! Our one and only day in Venice was packed full of many amazing moments. We started the day out with the hotel breakfast which was surprisingly good! They had really good jelly filled croissants among other things like hot chocolate, pineapple juice, yogurt, procuitto,etc. Then, we went to the Rialto bridge for another looks since we were just passing by yesterday. It was  just like in pictures and movies. Next we explored the Saint Marks square. It was pretty crowded even in the morning. It includes Doge's palace and Saint Mark's Basilica. We also walked along the port that is near the square. There were really long lines to go inside the buildings so we decided not to. Instead we looked at shops and enjoyed the hot weather. For lunch I ate a big cup of fruit because it was almost too hot to eat anything. After lunch we took a water taxi that the hotel provided over to Murano where there are several glass factories. We went to the Marco Polo factory first and got to see a glass master make a vase and a horse statue. It was so facinating that I forgot to take a picture:) Then, we looked around in their gallery. It was amazing how artistic and intricate the pieces were. We walked to a few more galleries but none were as impressive as the first. Mom and Dad went back to the first factory and bought two pieces-an abstract vase/bowl thing and a nice platter. We took another private water taxi (which is 200x better than a public water bus) back to the hotel. There is a cute shop next to the hotel that sells popsicles of every flavor. I had a mango one that was delicious! We then decided to walk along the streets for a while and look at the canals and shops. I loved just walking up and down the maze-like streets. I bought my first souvenir of the trip-an Italian leather purse and am in love with it:) We also saw these little water filled pigs that people were selling on the street. They were so cute we had to buy one! We next sat down to eat an earlier dinner at a pizzaria. For an appetizer we tried camari. I didn't think I would lime it but it turned out to be pretty good! Brynn and I shared a Hawaiian pizza that was extremely tasty. We ate the whole thing because it was such thin crust. After dinner we had gelato(surprise!) Mine was dark chocolate and cherry. And, since my theory is that you can't come all the way to Venice and not ride in a Gondola, we decided to indeed take a gondola ride. The man driving it was in a black and white striped shirt and it looked just like Hollywood. Even though it was only a half an hour it was truly worth it. It was so peaceful and a great view from the water. The only thing I was dissapointed about is that he didn't sing:( We are now going to get some rest because tomorrow we leave for the Italian countryside-a small town called Metato. I have really enjoyed Venice and would gladly come back!

Brynn bought a mask!

OMG! A whole lifetime's worth of nutella!

Gondola man

Rialto bridge

My new purse:)

ITALY!

I am so sad to leave France but extremely excited to explore Italy. This morning we left pretty early after a nice breakfast that Anna made. We drove to the city of Nantes in France and took a small flight to Venice. It was only a 2 hour flight. We then took a water bus to get into Venice. When we arrived it was extremely hot compared to France. After the water bus (which wasn't very comfortable) we walked from the Rialto bridge where it dropped us off to our hotel called Antico Doge. It is a really nice hotel and we only have two rooms this time. Grandma and Grandpa have a room and we have a 4 person room with a loft. We arrived in Venice around 5 abd rested a bit. Then we went to dinner at a really nice and traditional Italian restaurant. I had some spaghetti- so much better than any I had ever tasted! It was very fresh. We also had Caprese salad which was also awesome! Their olive oil and balsamic vinegar are so much better. We then had to try some Italian gelatto to compare it to the French version. It was very good- I had strawberry. We dropped Brynn, Grandma, and Grandpa off at the hotel because they were tired and then Mom, Dad, and I went on a walk. It was still very nice outside even when it was dark. There were considerably less people but it was really fun! There were still a couple street shops open and the overall atmosphere is really different but kind of what I expected from Venice. We are now preparing for our big day tomorrow in Venice. I am super excited to explore the city! But, I am sad that I am missing the 4th if July. It is so weird to not celebrate and have fireworks. Hope you all are having a great Independence Day! Happy Birthday USA!:)

First glimpse of a gondola

Our lofted room

Venice by the evening

Another view

Loire Valley Day II

I cannot begin to tell you how great the hospitality is at this place! Every morning we wake up to an all out breakfast feast. Today our hostess said it took her an hour just to make these perfect little grapefruit slices for us. Anyway, we ate breakfast at 9 this morning and got on our way to Le Clos Lucé which is a chateâu where Leonardo DaVinci spent the last few years of his life. The house itself was outstanding but the really special part was the room of his inventions and the gardens. His inventions were replicated and had an animated video to go with each one. I was stunned at how smart and ahead of his time DaVinci was. After touring inside we went into the gardens. They were absolutely amazing! There was a river, streams, and an awesome pond that had misters that made it look as if it were foggy. Of course there were many flowers and plant too. We continued to walk through the forested area where lifesize replicas of DaVinci's inventions were displayed. The best were an armoured tank that spun (Brynn loved it) and a machine gun that fired smoke. There were also other inventions but they weren't as impressive. DaVinci's house was definitely one of the best places we have toured so far. After that we headed to a winery to tour and tasted some wine. I am so surprised how many people here speak English. I am a little disappointed that I haven't spoken as much French as I had liked but instead I read a lot and sometimes try to listen to people having conversations in French. Anyway, the lady at the wine place spoke English. She let us tour the caves that they make and store the wine in. She told us the special process of making sparkling wine. She also explained the caves stay at a constant cool temperature perfect for the wine-they don't have to use any cooling systems. Next the adults tasted some of the wine. This area is known for their white wine so they don't make red wine. We enjoyed looking around and I guess Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and Mom liked some of the wine. Yesterday the owner Anna asked us to have some wine and a snack with her this afternoon. We complied and enjoyed conversing with her. She told us she learned English from staying in Arizona for 3 years. She is a really nice lady-I am so glad we get to meet people like her. She reserved us a spot for dinner at a well known restaurant called Les Gueules Noirs. It was only a little ways away (after going in the wrong direction for a while) and had really good food. It was traditional French cuisine- I had beef with green beans wrapped in bacon. Grandma had pieds de cochon (pigs feet). I purposely didn't even look at her plate:) Besides that, everyone was happy- especially with dessert! Brynn and I had waffles with homemade rasperry whipped cream. Mom and Grandpa tried the sorbet and said it was awesome. The coolest thing about the restaurant was that it was in a cave. It was well lit and everything just the walls were rock! We are now going to bed because we have to get up early to catch a flight to Venice. I am really excited for Italy but disappointed to be leaving France. We all have loved this bed and breakfast so much that we would gladly come back. I guess the stereotypes about snobby French people either aren't true or we've been very lucky!

Gardens at Le Clos Lucé

Dad and Brynn at dinner tonight (notice the rock walls of the cave)

Touring the Loire Valley

Starting the morning off today was a grand breakfast at our b&b. I had tea, orange juice, a croissant, granola, fruit salad, and homemade jelly. We left at about 10:40 to see the Chateâu Chenonceau. When we arrived there was a long line of trees that made an alley towards the castle. It was very beautiful on the outside! We went to buy tickets and then picked up our audio guides that were on an ipod. Then, we toured the 3 story castle. I loved the kichen in the basement because they had boats that would pull under the bridge to deliver food. I also thought that it was interesting that one of the bedrooms was painted black because the lady staying there was mourning for 11 years. The part I enjoyed the most were the gardens and the view of the castle from them. It was so pretty and I could imagine living there. After the castle we drove back to the city surrounding Amboise and ate ham sandwiches at a bakery. They were very tasty-especially the special French bread and mustard! Next we went back to the place we are staying to swim in the pool. It was pretty hot today (80) compared to Normandy and Paris. The pool was pretty chilly because they had just had a storm that wrecked the heating unit. Oh well, we had it all to ourselves. The funniest thing happened when we were hanging out at the pool. Grandma Cindy tried to get Brynn to show her some of her swimming strokes-Brynn instead prefers to just frolic in the pool. So, Grandma challenged her to a race. Apparently she had swam back in the day in high school so she was very prepared. We were all shocked when Grandma dove into the pool without bothering to get her swimsuit on! After 4 laps Brynn won but Grandma did pretty well. I laughed so hard as did Mom and Dad. Unfortunately Grandpa was napping so he missed it. After swimming we took a shower (in our awesome shower that sprays out the side too!) and went into Tours for dinner. We found a restaurant that served all sorts of oriental food. I had some noodles that were really tasty. We also sampled rice and many other dishes that were very good. The city of Tours looked nice- we were in the older part that looked similar to Paris. We are resting in our rooms now for a spectacular day tomorrow!

Gardens at Chenonceau

Brynn and I in front of the castle

Awesome view of the castle which is built over the river

A First Glimpse at the Loire Valley

Sorry for the delay in posts. There wasn't really wifi in Normandy (it felt good to be away from the internet for a while) so I posted it all this afternoon. Anyway, it has been a long but fun day of travel. We started out with another wonderful breakfast and a goodbye to our wonderful British hosts, Lesley and Grahm. Brynn helped Lesley with some technical problems on her iPad and we were off- not before signing their charming guestbook:) It was about a 4 hour car ride (with a stop for a baguette sandwich) to where we are staying- just outside of Tours in a very small village called Vouvray. We are at another bed and breakfast that is very cute and really nice. Brynn and I have a double room not far from Mom and Dad's suite. Grandma and Grandpa are downstairs. There is a pool that I'm sure we will try out tomorrow as well as beautiful gardens that we will surely explore. After getting settled we went to our first castle. It was called Chateâu Amboise. It was very large and from the 6th century! We toured the inside and the gardens. The most amazing thing was the view of the river as well as the internal furnishings. Something I would have never guessed was that Leonardo DaVinci is buried there. After the castle, we went nearby to a chocolate shop-of course we bought some to sample;) Then, we had to wait about a half hour for the restaurants to open for dinner at 7. We ate outside at an Italian restaurant. I had pasta with chicken and shrimp-it was amazing and a nice change from the usual french cuisine! While eating dinner there was a bike race in the street. They had blocked it off and it must have been a short track race because they kept going very fast in a relatively small circle. Anyways, after dinner we got some gelato. This time I got banana and caramel flavor. While eating gelato a guy was playing the accordian accross the street. He was pretty good so we tipped him. I guess its the little things like this that characterize my travel experience and leave an impression on me. We are are at the room now and getting ready for a fun day tomorrow! Thanks for reading:)

Panorama from the top of the castle

The Chateâu Amboise

Loving practicing my french all over! Even at the dinner table:)

For all you non-frenchies peach flavor, salt, and pepper. 

Normandy Tour Day 2 6/30

Again today we started at 8:30 with breakfast. Leslie served crèpes today with fruit and lots of other sides. I also drank a lot of tea:) Grahm guided us around again and it was as interesting as yesterday. We went to three cemetaries today- Grahm wanted us to compare the different nations way of commemorating the fallen. First we saw a German cemetary. It had all dark black stones and was very somber. It was kept up but not very detailed or extravagant. Next we saw the American one. It looked similar to Arlington in Washington D.C. as it was very precise lines and all white cross headstones. It had many statues and memorials and a wall of names of missing soldiers similar to the Vietnam memorial in D.C. One thing he told us was that to construct the grounds, they dug up the earth and installed a series of underground beams so that the cemetary slopes perfectly down towards Omaha beach and so that the headstones could be attached into the framework so they wouldn't move over time. I was very impressed with the perfection of the grounds. Grahm told us there were only 4 women buried there, a few pairs of brothers, and one father and son. The last cemetary we visited was the British cemetary. Grahm told us there were 16 British cemetaries because it is their custom to bury the soldiers close to where they died. One thing that I thought was the most interesting was that there was a small plot of German burials among the British. He said that this is also a custom to bury the enemy among the British troops. The external difference of this cemetary was that it was much like a large garden. There were flowers everywhere including among the headstones. Overall, I thought it was a neat idea to compare the gravesites because I would have never thought there would be that much of a difference. Today we also went to Omaha beach. Contrasting from Utah beach, the battle at Omaha was much more difficult and bloody. We first stopped at the western end of the beach. The tide was low so we got to see how wide the beach was when the Americans arrived on D-Day. It surprised me how much the terrain differed from Utah beach which was about 30 miles away driving. At the back of Utah was low dunes with tall grass whereas Omaha had tall forested bluffs at the back of it thus making it harder to get inland. Grahm also took us to an awesome lookout point at the eastern end of the beach. We got to look down on the beach like the Germans had almost 70 years ago. Once we were on the lookout point the tide had came. It reminded us how fast the Americans had to get off of the beach due to the rising tide on D-Day. We went to lunch at a small restaurant where I had croque Monsiuer, salad, and fries. The other awesome thing we did today was go to Pointe Du Hoc where American Rangers assaulted the cliffs east of Omaha beach. There were craters all around from the allied airforce bombs that had tried to decimate the German artillery and hideout. When the Rangers climbed the cliffs on D-Day they expected to find large guns on the top of the cliffs. Instead, they only found a small amount of Germans because the guns had been moved inland. The site and the view were very impressive. One more thing that we did was go and view the Bayeux tapestry from the 10th century. it had something to do with William the Conqueror and a battle but I haven't studied that far back in history yet. Anyway, the tapestry itself was extremely long-it wrapped around a room. It was totally hand embroidered with scenes from a battle. Just to inagine the time and effort put into it was amazing. Conclusively, I had another great time learning about the sites of Normandy and getting an expert's view on the invasion. On the way home from touring we picked up some things to have a sort of picnic outside the cottage. Of course, Grandpa bought a ton of sweets at the pasterie shop (he's a sugar addict!) We are going to bed a little earlier today because we have a day of traveling tomorrow. I am so glad we came to Normandy. I have learned so much and furthered my interest in history. 

Pointe Du Hoc

Omaha Beach

D-Day Tour 6/29

I have absolutely loved the day so far! We got up around 8 this morning and ate a really good breakfast that Leslie served-homemade granola, fruit, and delicious breads! After that we left for our tour with Grahm. If I wasn't clear before, Leslie and Grahm are a British couple that own the cottage we are staying in. Grahm is a British general that has extensive knowledge about d-day. He didn't serve in WWII but he is an expert on the Normandy area as well as the invasion. Anyways, we set out on the tour and the first stop was an 11th century church. It had various memorials and he tied together pretty much the entire European history in 3/4 of an hour. He also told a facinating story about a D-Day paratrooper that landed on top of the church and slid down only to be captured a day later by the Germans. I am glad I had a little knowledge about history so I knew some of what he was speaking about. The next few places he took us were various memorials and sites where the fighting took place. I found it interesting to see all of the fields that were flooded by the Germans to detain the Allies. We also went to a town called Ste. Mere Eglise where apparently 2 paratroopers landed on the roof of a church. One is said to have gotten stuck on the spire and hung there for 2 hours and eventually taken prisoner(although Grahm didn't seem to think it was a true story). After a few more stops, we finally reached the coast! I was so excited because it was super beautiful:) Although today was a little windy it turned out to be sunny and the nicest day yet in France. On the coast we toured the site at Utah beach where the Allies were supposed to land. Because of current and other factors they landed quite a ways further down the beach. We got to see some bunkers actually used by the Germans. We ate lunch at a cafè right by the beach. I had a baguette sandwich with ham and cheese. After lunch, we went to the real site of the landings on Utah beach. Again, the coast was pretty but windy. I couldn't believe kids were actually swimming! Grahm told us the whole story of the Utah beach landings. Apparently they were pretty successful as opposed to the Omaha beach invasion. One thing I thought was interesting was that there were actually 13 nations involved in the landings! After the beach, we went to another site of a battle where Americans fought after having success on the beach. One gross thing he told us was that there were so many dead cows and horses from the bombing that they blocked the street and smelled awful. Our last stop was a demolished churchyard where a rather large battle took place. There was some goegeous scenery but the stories about civillian casualties were sad. We are currently resting and plan to go to dinner around 7 (they eat late here because it doesn't get dark until about midnight). I guess I'll rest and look around at the gardens for a while. Can't wait for another exciting and informational day tomorrow:)

See the paratrooper statue on the top of the church. 

Utah Beach

You can tell it's windy by our hair!!:)

A Travel Day to Normandy 6/28

Sadly, we left Paris this morning but we are on to another adventure! After a few problems with our taxi, we finally found our way to the Gare St. Lazare (train station) and were in plenty of time to catch our 10:10 train. We rode 1st class to Caen then switched onto a small train to go to St. Lô. It took about 3 hours total to get to St. Lô. When we arrived, we had to wait about an hour for the rental car place to open (they close for lunch). So, we ate lunch at a café. We had onion soup and crèpes... It was very good. Once it was time, we picked up our rental car from EuropCar. The cars are larger than we had expected! Then, we drove to our bed and breakfast place. The drive was nice but I slept most of the way. When we got to the bed and breakfast, a nice lady named Leslie (she has a British accent!!) showed us our rooms and welcomed us. Grandpa and Grandma had already been there a few years ago so they were familiar. My first impressions of the place were that it looked very quaint and pretty. There are a few large gardens and the building is an old stone farmhouse. My parents and grandparents have their own building to sleep in. Brynn and I have a room in the main building. After checking in we decided to drive the 1.5 hours to Mont St. Michel. It is a huge castle/church on an island. The tide goes in and out so that sometimes it is surrounded by mud and at other times it has water around it. I loved the spectacular castle and the gorgeous ocean. I am a little dissapointed that it is so cold outside (60 degrees). It is also quite windy but we are close to the coast so I guess that is expected. Recently, they changed the rules and don't allow you to drive to the Mont- we had to park and take a bus across the bridge. In the castle there were lots of shops, hotels, and restaurants. We witnessed a funny incident where seagulls started diving at visitors- I guess they were trying to protect their baby that was on the sidewalk. We couldn't go to the top of the church because there was a workers strike (I guess the French workers are really unhappy at this time of year!) After touring the castle we decided to eat dinner at a restaurant close by Mont St. Michel. I had a salad with a really good cider dressing. Dad and Grandma shared a seafood platter. We also tried some desserts- a chocolate cake thing with ice cream, sort of an apple crisp, and Grandpa had some ice cream and fruit. It all tasted pretty good! We are now driving back to the B&B. Tomorrow will probably come early... We are supposed to eat breakfast at 8:30. I'm not sure if I have wifi but I will post this when I do!:)