Bitten by the Travel Bug: Part Two!

After spending a few days in London, I was off to France! We were in France for a total of nine days, I believe. We spent four days in the Normandy area, and five days in Paris.

City/Country #3: Bayoux, France.
Bayoux was such a cute little city. It is about a two and a half hour train ride from Paris, and you definitely know that you are no longer in or near a large city. I was really excited to visit the Normandy area of France for a very personal reason. Some of you may know the reason, but I will explain for those of you who may not. My grandfather was part of the 29th Infantry during WWII, and landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. His unit then went on to St. Lo, France, which about 20 minutes from where we stayed in Bayoux. It was here where my grandpa was shot during a nighttime battle. I was very excited to be visiting the area where my grandpa served, and it was a really nice way to remember him just over one year after his passing.

Bayoux was a very cute little town with many of their buildings dating back to the 15th and 16th Century (or earlier!)

One day while in Bayoux, we did a shuttle tour of various sites relating to the D-Day invasion. We visited the German cemetery, Utah Beach, Sainte-Mere Eglise (where the American paratrooper got stuck on the church steeple), Pointe Du-Hoc, the American Cemetery, and Omaha Beach. We visited various museums during the day as well, which really helped give me a good idea of what type of supplies the soldiers had, as well as various artifacts and various things that survived the invasion.

The glider used by the American paratroopers

A hand grenade that was carried by the soldiers. When my grandpa was shot, he had one like this on his belt that was hit by the bullet and fragmented. 

The church in Sainte-Mere Eglise, where paratrooper John Steele got caught on the steeple and was stuck for hours. 

This letter was one of the favorite things I saw in the museums. However, as cute as it is, sadly the soldier who wrote it never came home. 

Pointe Du-Hoc was badly bombed, and you can still see all the craters made by the bombs. 

The middle patch on this memorial is the patch of the 29th infantry. 

This church in St. Lo was one of the only building to survive the saturation bombing of the city. Today, it is a memorial dedicated to the 29th infantry division. When my uncle visited about 8 years ago, he was able to place my grandpa's picture inside. Sadly, it doesn't open until July, so we were unable to go inside. 

The last thing we did on our stay in Bayoux was to go to St. Michel. The best way I can explain it is that it is a little village on top of a mountain, with the main building being a large church. It was truly something wonderful to see. 

After our time in Bayoux, it was time to head to Paris!

City/Country #4: Paris, France. 

I truly did not know what to expect from Paris. I had heard various things from people who had been there. I don't want to say what my opinion was, necessarily, because I think everyone probably will have different opinions about all of the places I visited. So, that being said, I will say that Paris was not my favorite place that I visited. It, like Berlin, has a lot of history, and it is a very beautiful city. I just did not "connect" with it like I did some of the other places I visited. But nevertheless, I had a good time and am glad I was able to visit this city at least once. 

The apartment where Vincent Van Gogh lived in when he lived in Paris

The Montmarte area is where many famous artists have lived

Notre Dame

The Arc De Triomphe

The palace at Versailles

The famous Hall of Mirrors at the Palace at Versailles

During my travels, I got to see and do many wonderful things. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I had, and can't wait to return to Europe again someday soon. My list of places I want to go is still much too long! For now, it's good to be home!