Traveling With Grace: France

Calais, Point du Hoc, Dunkirk, Caen, Abbeyville, Isigny sur mer, Normandy beach,

Docks at Calais

True story, we were escorted by the police out of Calais... after the wrong turn on the bus lane, the standard shift car stalling in the middle of the busy intersection, and me not being able to utter a word to the officers... my son crying in the back seat... wow... that was fun. the officers, it turned out, were absolutely wonderful. They helped navigate to the interstate... not intestate... the highway to Dunkirk.

Cathedral in Dunkirk

Popeye's ship in Dunkirk harbor

Me, I think this was in Cabourg or possibly Deauv

Dunkirk harbor at night

Me driving... yes, I'm bad... I just don't get to drive through tunnels very often. I loved that it was so clean! I know... not a thing to wonder about, but how do they keep it so clean? Tunnels I have been through in America were not really clean, and they were dark and dismal... this was nice.

Me in Deauville or Trouville

Boulevard in Caen France

Point du Hoc

Crater at Point du Hoc. It has been worn down, and they ask you not to go down in it, but as you see, many still do. They are trying to preserve this and a few other craters.

I think what impressed me the most was the bunkers that were no longer there, or the cannon platforms that were minus the cannon. Bits and pieces of bunkers were scattered around, huge cement blocks that were taller than me, were scattered like a child's building blocks. My heart was heavy the whole way trip through. My son found some bright spots though.

My lily white legs. This is looking out of one of the bunkers. I was looking out at the sea. I had enough of the dreary bunkers and I longed to be out on the sailboat that was just coming into my view.

A day at the beach, again... this time on Normandy. My son wanted to swim, the gracious lady at the hotel gave me directions to this beach, she said it would be deserted and that it would be nice to swim. She was right. My son had a lot of fun, I sat and contemplated the blood and gore that was once spreading on this very spot. I can't imagine. My mind just can't wrap around how this was a deafening, gory, and horrible place to be.

They make a lot of cheese here...

cathedral in Caen, France

Bayeux, France

Never so happy to see a rest stop

Pont du Normandy Bridge this is going over the Seine River. This is right at the estuary of

Le Hotel du France, Isigny sur Mer

My son found cherries. He was so happy. This was one of the bright spots in Point du Hoc.

I stood and watched this sailboat from the point, I really wanted to be on that boat.

Inside one of the bunkers at Point du Hoc

Some of the Americans at Omaha beach. We were so glad to see them, and to speak English for a while.

Looking toward Point du Ho

Who knew? we were on Omaha Beach, and look who we found! They were riding up to Cherbourg. Beautiful day for it. They recognized our University of Texas Tshirt! Struck up a conversation. Enjoying English for a bit!