On Monday we went to Normandy. We went all through the visitors’ center and watched a couple short movie/ documentaries. The visitor’s center was very well done and provided excellent information. While it was very interesting, it was very hard as well. It especially hit us when we walked through the cemetery section. There were so many white crosses. Almost every cross had a name on it and we know that with each name there is a family of hurting people. The saddest part was the graves that were marked “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.”
I ran that evening on Omaha Beach. Omaha beach is the main beach where the US soldiers landed. It was so beautiful and calm that it was hard to image the destruction that went on there. We also went to point Hoc. Point Hoc is one of the few places where the holes haven’t been filled in and nothing has been removed. 225 rangers scaled the cliff to take it from the Germans. They succeeded but only 95 men lived to continue on. Aside from the memorial, it was left exactly as the rangers left it, including the barbed wire. There were huge holes everywhere from the bombs and still many of the bunkers were standing. There were so strong.
We stayed that evening in a little bed and breakfast. By the time we had found a place to stay and had seen everything that we wanted to see all the restaurants were closed. We ate a lovely meal in the McDonalds parking lot haha.
Yesterday we went to a town called Saint Mere Eglise. We saw a church that had a dummy of the paratrooper who had gotten stuck on the steeple of the church during the 2:30 AM D-Day jump. The town was full of German soldiers and he pretended to be dead and eventually was rescued. There was a little walking tour around town all about the paratroopers. We also went to a museum that talked all about life for regular people during WWII. We ate dinner and then stayed at a hotel.
Today we drove through Belgium and into the Netherlands. We stopped in a little town in Belgium just long enough to browse through the local market and buy… what else? Pastries and bread. We also got some hot, fresh chicken that was seasoned with different spices and was very delicious.
We arrived in Haarlem, The Netherlands, just in time for a tour of Corrie Ten Boom’s house. It was very interesting to hear about her. The tour guide was very nice was obviously a christian. The entire story was based around a spiritual element. The guide concluded by talking about how Corrie was available for God and that anybody who is available will be used.
We walked around the town square and I got a Belgium Waffle (I’ve wanted to try one for a long time.) It was delicious.
We found a little pension (B&B) and then went to eat dinner. We had pizza and pasta at a delicious little Italian restaurant. I ran on the beaches of Holland beside a large Dike to keep out the Sea. Mom and Dad walked the same beach while I ran. Tomorrow I think that we are going to head into Amsterdam and sight see. We need to make good time toward Germany today and tomorrow as we have to be back in Frankfort by Friday night.
See you in a week. Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment