Normandy, France

For those that don't know, Normandy is a region of northern-most France, bordering the English Channel. It's most famous for the D-Day Allied invasion on June 4, 1944. However, there is so much more to this beautiful part of France.

I've had a chance to visit Normandy a couple of times - each trip for different reasons. I had a good friend that lived in Paris. He picked me up one day and we drove all the way from Paris to Normandy (I'm sure another post is required to talk about the crazy roads and driving in rural France). This particular 4.5-hour trip had nothing to do with the historic location of D-Day - but was still a magnificent trip. Our main focus was to see the mind-blowing Mont Saint Michel (aka Mt. St. Michel or MSM).

MSM is actually an island, located off the Normandy coast.  It's actually an abbey that sits on top of a small rocky island.  To the casual observer, it looks like a castle:

I wish this were my picture...

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this place is.  You have to understand that there's nothing around for several miles - except sheep that are grazing in nearby fields.  The best part is that the road that leads up to the entrance (causeway) actually disappears under water, during high tide.  If you stay too long on the island, you'll be trapped there for awhile.  In fact, people are warned not to approach the Mont in any way other than the causeway, because people have been cutt-off and even drowned due to rising tides.  I say, there's nothing like danger to make a place more interesting! Here's a picture from a brochure, to show you what it looks like at night.

Are you getting how cool this place is?

Inside, the streets are very narrow - with steps winding around the entire place, leading to the Abbey at the very top.  

Inside the Abbey, there is some beautifully-preserved walls and windows from the Medieval age:

Now, aside from MSM, the Normandy region is a great place to visit.  You have a ton of wonderful, little French towns.  Many of these have historical plaques and statues from WWII.  Others, located right along the coast, offer incredible seafood (we all know that the French really know how to cook) and relaxing views of the Channel.  One of these is Le Tréport:

For Americans in particular, Normandy is really sacred ground.  It represents the first big push-back against the Germans in WWII.  It's also were a huge number of soldiers died on D-Day, and the weeks after.  At the largest military cemetery (there are several) there is a sobering reminder of the cost of our personal freedom. 

On a sidenote.  If anyone who is old enough, doesn't take the opportunity to vote in an election - this place will help you realize just how ungrateful you are, for that freedom that you carelessly toss away.  Yes, I do feel strongly about this.

I think that - besides the sheer size of the cemetery - I was surprised to find that Jewish soldiers had a Cross of David placed above their grave, instead of traditional Christian crosses.

The cemetery itself is located on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel.  It's located near the town of St. Laurent-sur-Mer.   From the cemetery, you can actually walk down to Omaha Beach:

Not my picture - it was too cloudy on the day I went...

The beach itself isn't much to look at - it's just the history that overwhelms you.  Particularly after you've seen the film Saving Private Ryan:

Nearby - and along the Normandy coast - you can find the remains of German outposts and pill boxes, where they defended the French coast:

Further to the west, near Grandcamp-les-Bains, is an amazing statue. It's called the World Statue of Peace:

 

A beautiful piece of artwork, dedicated to helping people remember what happened there...and to always try to prevent something this horrible from ever happening again.