day 3

tuesday 11 may 2010 rouen (normandy beaches)

Because of Normandy’s proximity to the sea, it has been the site of many conflicts and battles, including the famous D-Day Invasion by the Allied forces during WWII. Before visiting the beaches of Normandy, you’ll be taken to Bayeux, where you can appreciate the Medieval depiction of the Battle of Hastings on a tapestry dating from the 11th century. Afterward, you will visit places that are haunting reminders of the Allies’ hard fight for freedom—the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, the Allied landing sites at Omaha Beach, and Mulberry Harbor at Arromanches.

the most emotionally heavy-going day of the cruise. i'm the last person to be interested in military history and visiting the DDay beaches were a horrendous eye-opener to the atrocities of war. the tales of wanton sacrifice and indiscriminate killing saddened me to the core. sometimes ignorance is bliss and i wish i could turn back time and remain in oblivion. the soldiers were so young, so unwillingly, and so brutally exterminated. awful awful awful. so we drove 3h to the beaches, and then 3h back. returned to the barge totally drained.

wound down by watching the sunset from the dining room. how novel to be able to tan over dinner!