Bonjour
tout le monde!
1st
Day of Bus tour
June
6, 2016
Yesterday was amazing! Well it started out a little rough.
Melissa and I thought that we weren’t going to be able to get an uber, and then
when we got to the meeting place for the tourbus the bus was an hour and a half
late. Finally, we were off in our 50 seat bus with only 21 people. The nice
thing about this however is that everyone on the bus has their own row.
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| The Inside of our Bus |
It was
amazing to me how the second we left Paris, the sun was out and shining with
clear blue skies. After a quick stop for lunch, the first stop on our tour was
the Tapisserie de Bayeux, or the Bayeux Tapestry. This Tapestry was amazing. It was 70 feet long and over a
thousand years old. It told the story of William the Conquerer in his conquest
of Europe, and the battle of Hastings. It was amazing to go through and see the
whole story, and I find it so interesting that this tapestry was used to teach
people the story of William the Conquerer to people that couldn’t read. It was
truly amazing to see.
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| The Bayeux Tapestry |
We went and looked at the Cathedral de Bayeux real quick and
then it was back on the bus. Our next and last stop for the day was the D-Day beaches
and the Normandy American cemetery. It just so happened that when we went it
was the 6 of June, the actual date of D-Day 72 years ago. We went into the
visitors center and watched a video telling the stories of different soldiers
in the war. We walked through the memorial in the visitors center. After, we
were able to see Omaha beach. It was surreal to be standing in the place where
so many allied soldiers came to fight against the German soldiers. I was able
to see just how much of an advantage the German soldiers had from their vantage
point, and how far the soldiers had to make it before they reached higher land.
Unfortunately, the gate down to Omaha beach was closed so I was not able to go
directly on the beach, but after I was able to walk through the Normandy
American cemetery.
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| Omaha Beach |
It was interesting how there was kind of peacefulness there,
but a different kind of feeling than I’ve felt before. It was overwhelming to
look out and see the hundreds and hundreds of graves of perfectly white
crosses. I was able to see the ceremony of the American flag coming down off of
the flagpole, and it was incredible to see all of the soldiers walking around
the cemetery. Knowing that everyone person buried there served our country and
gave their lives in order to make the world a better life was a really humbling
experience. I am so thankful that they were willing to give their lives so that
the world could be a safer, better place.
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| In the Normandy American Cemetery |
After, we stopped in Saint-Lô for our hotel and went to
Buffalo Grill for dinner, and we spent almost 3 hours there. Joys of being in a
group of 21 people I guess. Overall, it was an incredible day and I am so
excited for this week.
À Bientôt,
Claire
Hunsaker
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