Normandy

In early June, we took a trip to the west coast of France to visit Normandy and the D-day landing beaches. A friend was going to a conference nearby which prompted us to travel and explore the area with her. Luckily, we were able to arrive June 9th and miss all the ceremonial stuff on the 6th. I’m sure it would have been really interesting but we would have had to deal with crowds and likely would not have had much access to the sights. I’m not a fan of anything related to war but I do recognize the bravery these young boys had to summon and the need to stop the Nazi’s. I thought ok, I will go and see the beaches which I read so much about but I am really going to hang with my friend and to see the famous Bayeux Tapistry.

In the photo’s above, the first two images are of Pointe du Hoc. We did a half day tour with a private guide which I highly recommend. As I mentioned, I am not really interested in war so it’s not a topic I seek out. Our guide was really knowledgeable and respectful. Pointe du Hoc was the site where the American invasion began on the morning of June 6th, 1944. The Germans were crawling all over and they hid large canons behind shrubs and in craters within the topography to trick the Americans. The American soldiers were mainly boys of 19 years old. As their ships approached the land they were fired upon and many jumped into the sea. Some swam and then climbed the cliffs. Many were killed and/or drowned. It’s near impossible for me to fathom the fear and horror they must have experienced.

The third photo is of a sculpture called “The Braves” on Omaha Beach. It is a tribute honoring the courage of the allied forces. It is monumental and beautiful. I loved the shadows that fell between the curved, brushed metal arms that sprout from the sand.

And the last photo is of my wonderful husband and our dear friend.

We totally lucked out when we arrived at the American Cemetery because they were allowing visitors to walk along the grave sites and get up close to read the head stones. Walking among the grave sites was very somber, as you can imagine. The cemetery was initially established June 8, 1944. There are 9,387 soldiers buried here (mainly men but a few women too). All of the head stones are made from marble that was brought from Italy. It is such a majestic sight with the white stones on the green grass and the blue ocean as a backdrop. We were able to watch the lowering of the flag as well. It was all really moving.

I later phoned my parents to ask if any of my uncles were part of the invasion. I learned that a cousin of my father did indeed lose his life and is buried in the cemetery. His name was Angelo Guarino from Belleville, NJ. He received a purple heart and was in the 8th infantry division, 13th regiment.

We spent the night in the city of Bayeux and visited the Cathedral Notre Dame first thing Saturday morning. There is a lot to describe about the cathedral - it was consecrated in 1077, mainly of 13th century remains now, it is Roman Catholic and of gothic architecture. There is a large stained glass window that seems very out of place because it is super colorful and bright. The entire church is impressive. Having been raised as Catholic, when I found a few coins in my pocket, I decided to light a candle for my father who was not doing well back in NJ. He was close to his 98th birthday.

We next went to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry was a treasure of the Cathedral. They think it was created in the late 11th century. It is mind blowing that something that old, that fragile, is still in existence! I thought the museum was excellent. I loved how they displayed the cloth fabric in one long window that you walk along to see the nine sections. There are 58 scenes of embroidery that tell the story the three kings - King Edward, William of Normandy and Harold. The story is incredibly detailed with more than 500 different characters, over two hundred horses, fifty dogs, thirty buildings and forty ships. It is unbelievable.

Next we drove to Cerisy la Foret Abbey. The original abbey dates back from the 6th century! That was destroyed but the existing abbey dates back to the 11th century. It sits in a rural landscape with farm animals and a charming lake. Take a look at these pictures:

We were basically the only visitors on this quiet afternoon. We walked inside the church and explored all the nooks and crannies but we were really mesmerized by the mare and new born foal that was behind a stone wall. We were told the foal was likely born just a few hours earlier! You could feel the love and tenderness between the mama and baby. We all felt a special joy from this apparent new birth.

I stayed behind to photograph the pair more. When I caught up with my buddies I noticed my husband was on his cell phone. He slowly turned to me and gently whispered that my father had passed in his sleep the previous night. I think I am still in disbelief that my sweet father will not be waiting for me when I fly to the US again but I truly believe he and nature gave me these signs of the cycle of life as a way of saying it was time.

Our final stay was in Etretat. I had been wanting to visit ever since I saw the paintings of the Cliffs of Etretat by Claude Monet (1885). The cliffs are famous for their white chalk like color and arch formations. We didn’t have the best weather when we hiked along the trails but it was humbling to look out across the Atlantic from such a height.

The third photo above was taken around 8pm from the patio of our hotel. The weather cleared and gave us a beautiful sunset.

Monday morning we set off to drive our friend to her conference. Note to others - there are two Chateaux de Rosie. Make sure your GPS identifies the correct one so you don’t drive an extra hour only to have to back track…

I can now say it was pretty funny. We rang the bell of a gorgeous Chateau de Rosie and announced we were here for the conference. The housekeeper walked to meet us at the gate shaking her head and saying “there is no conference here. This is a private residence.” She quickly noted our confusion and explained this happens a lot. There are two Chateaux with the same name. The one we were in search of was 50 miles back from where we just came!

The way I see it, we just got more time too hang with our friend and I came across this spectacular setting of cows grazing in a field. Had we not gone too far, I may not have gotten the light that I was able to capture below. Thanks for following along. Try and make someone smile today.

In loving memory of Vincent James Del Guercio August 19, 1925- June 10, 2023. May his memory be a blessing.