Breakfast was AMAZING!! The best continental breakfast ever! They had pork that resembled bacon, sausage links, eggs, croissants, cheeses, meats, fruit, yogurt, cereal, etc. It was mouthwatering! So much better than bread & jam at the hostel. Today we went to Omaha Beach & the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum.
First we walked down to the actual beach itself. They had a nice memorial there. It was surreal to realize how many people died on this very beach where I was standing. To know how anxious they were to get on land and fight, likely knowing their fate. I can't even pretend that I know what that's like. It made me so thankful for those who have served and protected our country and those who serve today. I can't say that I would be able to do that, in fact I'm sure I would have been paralyzed with fear that I wouldn't even have made it off the boat. I was really glad I got the opportunity to stand where so many sacrificed for my freedom!
There was a Google Maps car that drove by us recording the area for the street view on their site. I checked, but we weren't online yet. I always hoped to be famous haha, with a stupid "what is that" look on my face. I'll have to check back in a few months.
Then we went to the museum. That was very cool because they actually had real items from the war - real uniforms, guns, tanks, ammo, letters, etc. It was all items they found in the area. It was moving to see one of the last letters an American soldier wrote to his family.
After lunch we went to the American soldiers cemetery. That was something else! It was really moving to see how many crosses there were. It really put it in perspective how many soldiers died - and that was only for the battles around the area. They had a cross for each soldier that perished there. On each one they had their name, squad/platoon # (I'm not sure which), their state, and the day they were killed. There were also several unknown remains. For these they had the inscription, "Here Rests in Honored Glory a Comrade in Arms Known but to God" on the cross. Those who were Jewish had a special cross. They also had a very nice memorial with a wall that had all the unknown soldiers names. Inside the main building you could also look up what row/column your loved one was in. It really was an important stop for me. It meant a lot. It brought tears to my eyes seeing the flowers on some of the graves.
After we went to an area where they had German bunkers that were still intact. The area was pockmarked with craters from the bombs. It was crazy to see how tiny the bunkers were. I can't imagine spending that much time in there. It was very interesting walking around the area. It was a top a cliff overlooking the sea. We spent 2 hours there, but it wasn't enough time to see everything. Again it was unreal to realize what went on there nearly 70 years ago.
For dinner Malia, Anna, Lisa, Reed, Keith, Chris, Trevor, & I went to a crepé place. I wanted to have a "food" crepé before I left France. We found the perfect place. No one in the tiny restaurant spoke English. Perfect!! Seriously. I order a crepé not really knowing what to expect. It turned out to be amazing!! Holy cow, it was so good! Probably my favorite dish of France. It had ham, mushrooms, cheese, egg, and cream. I devoured it in no time! For dessert I had an apple crepé. It was ok, but nothing compared to my meal. The dinner was a fantastic close to our time in France.
