Normandy was the last stop on our visit, but was probably one of the most impactful. As my father served in the military during WWII, this meant a lot to me. It is hard to imagine that this beautiful place was the scene of so much death.
Cool fact: the headstones at Colville Cemetery all face to the west, toward their home. There are 9,389 graves, which represents only about 40% of all of the US soldiers killed there. There are also 4 women buried there as well.
I was so glad to have my son with me on this trip, along with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew - who was the planner, organizer, leader and all around cat herder.
London was our first stop where we went on a Winston Churchill tour, saw the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Churchill’s War Room and had drinks in the American Bar at the Stafford Hotel, where Eisenhower stayed with his top Generals and aides. I’m pretty sure we sat in the same seats as they did. That’s what we are telling ourselves anyway.
Amsterdam was a quick sidestep to the overall tour. While there was little significant fighting or decision making going on there, there was an important life that was in hiding there. My nephew worked hard to get us tickets to tour the Ann Frank house. This was on my list of key things to see.
We had the opportunity to take a wine & cheese canal boat tour, which wound us through many different parts of the city. There were also a few artists here over the years: Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer, just to name a few.
Paris was a sight to behold. Obviously I loved the Eiffel Tower, as you can see. She stands tall and elegant as she waits for her photograph to be taken. At night she puts on her best dress for the nightlife. But don’t be fooled, she does not stay out late and does not stay out for long.
We were able to stop by the Notre Dame Cathedral and see the progress being made to rebuild. There is always something to do in Paris.
