normady, france

Hello, everyone! It's good to talk to you again!

I went to Normandy, France, for 4 days for an extended field trip with school. It was super awesome!

We left on Monday morning, and stopped at a WW1 French/British monument and graveyard.

Then we drove for a bit and saw an Irish tower. I can't remember what it was for because we didn't stay for long. I just thought it was pretty.

After the Irish tower. We went to the Newfoundland (Canada) battle ground where they beat the Germans.

Then we drove to the hostel and went to bed (it was like a 4 hour trip on a bus with a bunch of crazy kids. GAH!).

The next day we went to the Omaha Beach American cemetery. It was really depressing, knowing that all these American men (and a couple of women) sacrificed themselves for others.

There  was a really lovely poem with the American flag flower offering:

The Veterans

They ask us why we do it

Why we still parade

Now that we're getting older and just a little frayed.

It's not for the sake of glory,

Or the medals on our chests,

It's simply that we are comrades

Who stood the final test.

On the 6th of June that fateful day 

A day we will never forget, 

Many a lad laid down his life

And paid the final debt.

So when you see a veteran

Give the man your hand

For the medals on his chest

Were won in foreign lands.

And when God asks the question:

"Who are you, my man?"

I will proudly answer,

"Sir, I'm a veteran."

After the cemetery, we went nearer to Omaha beach and picnicked near a Nazi bunker. It was really fun to explore in, even if it was used for horrible things.

After that, we went to the Point du Hoc, were there were enormous craters from the bombs. It was so fun climbing around in them. Except for the fact that there was a torrential downpour and I slipped all the way down a crater and got muddy and nearly destroyed my camera. No worries, it's okay! This photo is of me in the biggest crater that I saw that day.

We also went to a little town called Saint-Mère-Eglise and went to a WW2 museum. There were relics donated by veterans and there families. Look at these adorable vintage food containers!

The next day was D Day, and first we went to Bayeux, and saw an amazing tapestry. It was made around 1087, is 216 feet long, and depicts the Battle of Hastings. It's said to be the first comic strip ever (though it's not funny, it depicts a battle)! I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but here are some from the Internet.

We also saw another German bunker, that was cooler than the other. This one still had arms in it. 

The afternoon we went to a tiny and adorable seaside town called Arromanches. There was a lady there with a veteran wearing an amazing vintage outfit!

I also sat on a sea wall, and it was amazing!

And then I got caught in another torrential downpour with nowhere to go, and I was soaked all the way through to my t-shirt. :( These next two pictures are after the storm. I had dried a little bit by then, thank goodness! A couple of soldiers let my friend Tiffany and I get in their jeep (they didn't take us anywhere, no worries!), and we also met a veteran from Illinois.

Yesterday I did an obstacle course in the forest up high in the trees and got caught in YET ANOTHER torrential downpour while climbing on slippery wood. It was super-duper fun, but not the getting wet part. Luckily my friend Austin came inside before the downpour, so I got to use his sweatshirt. Now I have to go buy the same one for me, because I love it! Then we had to go home, and I bought M&Ms at a rest stop. I always eat them in rainbow order. This time, though, there were NO REDS. AT ALL. It was horrible! I had to start with the oranges! :( Oh well, they still tasted good. It's just a mentality thing. 

See? NO REDS! What color M&Ms do you eat first? Or do you just not care?

Sorry, I realize that this post was really really long........ Hope you weren't bored!

Love, Lena