Originally published: 12/15/2015 | 10:15pm
Following my adventures in Paris, we embarked on the extended part of our tour package that allowed us to enjoy a weekend visiting Normandy. We were there for the Fourth of July weekend, which, as Americans, was an incredibly powerful and unique experience for our group. It was my first time not being state-side for the holiday, but I did get to spend it in a location that gave me the opportunity to feel patriotic. We started the morning by taking a road trip from Paris to Caen, where we visited the Caen Memorial.
We arrived at the memorial around mid-morning and stayed there learning about World War II. It was really interesting getting to learn about the events that took place from a non-American point of view. I enjoy first hand learning experiences, and I think the couple of days spent in this region fulfilled my desire to gain knowledge in such a way. After visiting the Caen Memorial, we went to Arromaches to visit another gorgeous memorial site with perfect views of the English Channel before going to Normandy American Cemetery. This stop on our trip was very powerful. Thousands of people are buried there because they laid their lives down to protect the world. It made me realize how brave and courageous someone had to be to go through that experience. Please take some time to view my Google Photos Collection to see this beautiful cemetery. Once we left the cemetery, we made a stop at Omaha Beach to collect some sand to bring home. This is actually my favorite souvenir from my Europe trip because it has value and is extremely meaningful. If you ever get the chance to visit, do not hesitate to collect some sand for yourself. You get to have a piece of France with you forever! We left the beach and went back to Caen for dinner and had some free time to explore the town. I went to Caen Castle with a few other people and had a very pleasant and peaceful experience. I also have pictures of the castle you can view. When our free time was up, we went to our hotel (Hôtel Kyriad Caen Nord - Mémorial) for the night.
The next morning, we prepared to return to Paris, but made some stops along the way. We first stopped at Pointe du Hoc. It was a misty, cool, wet morning. However, I think it made for perfect conditions to explore the grounds and take great pictures. After spending about an hour there, we continued on our road trip back to Paris. Along the way, we made a stop for lunch in Deauville where I tried macarons for the first time. I have never enjoyed a dessert so much in my life. I came back to the United States in search of macarons here that could match the ones I had in France, but I have yet to find any. If you have any suggestions on good macarons in the United States, please leave a comment on my blog (or tweet @KimiThoughts or comment on Kimi's Travel Thoughts Facebook page). Once hour time was up, we continued our trip back to Paris.
The weekend trip to Normandy was very brief, but I think we made the most of this portion of our trip with the time we had. I enjoyed almost every minute of it and learned so much about World War II. As always, I encourage my readers to consider making taking a trip to Normandy if you have not done so already. It is a wonderful learning experience that everyone can enjoy. If you enjoy photography, this would be a perfect trip for you! Take some time to view my Google Photos Collection in case you cannot make the trip for yourself, and also just to have a visual to go along with this post: https://bit.ly/KTTinNormandy.
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) and share stories and experiences with traveling to Normandy!
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