Normandy, France This weekend we traveled to Normandy, France. It was a very fast-paced trip because there was a lot to see in the 36 hours we were there. It took us about 4 hours to get to our first stop in Rouen. Rouen is a popular city because Joan of Arc was burned at the stake here. Below is a monument in her honor.

The picture above is from Mount St. Michel in France. It's the most breathtaking view. Construction began on the Mount in the 1100's by St. Aubert who had a vision from Michael the archangel to built this. It was a monastery with monks until the French Revolution then it became a prison - now it's a tourist attraction. The best thing about the Mount is that when the tides are low it is surrounded by sand and when the tides are high it's surrounded by water. We came at just the right time and got to see both. The tides are just starting in the picture above.
The D-Day beaches were very serene. It brings out a somber emotion seeing first hand what the thousands of armed forces went through. The picture below is of the Arromanches. Make-shift harbors were made out in the sea to tie the ships to and store artillery. They were also linked together so the vehicles could transport the wounded back to safety and get our vehicles to land.
The American Cemetery is beyond words. It over looks Omaha Beach which saw the worst loss of all of the beaches. The crosses go on for acres and acres. There are 9,386 graves at the American Cemetery.

Out of remembrance for everyone who gave their life and those who put their life on the line June 6, 1944 and the 77 days following, I'm just going to end today's blog a little early. It hard to be witty and funny when an indescribable emotion hits you because of the events that happened so long ago and how it changed the course of history.

Be back next week for cheery Prague. I'm thinking that the Czechoslovakian split into Czech Republic and Slovakia won't be as emotional. ;)