Remembering some of the greatest from "The Greatest Generation"

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

After a quick walkthrough of the Saturday Market in Bayeux, the rest of the day was dedicated to visiting some of the iconic sites related to the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.  This historic event led to the liberation of France and was a turning point in the war against Hitler's forces.
There was a heavy price paid by 156,000 troops from the US, British and Canadian that landed on French soil that day, as well as the 200,000 more that arrived within the next four days.  Today was a day for us to learn, reflect and honor all of these brave hero's, and one in particular.

A special bouquet of flowers purchased at the Bayeux Saturday Market

The staff at the hotel suggested several key sites to visit.  We inquired at the Bayeux Visitors Center as well, and they suggested the same sites, so we felt confident in our route.
We started at Arromanches-les-Baines which was a landing site for British troops.  Once the site was secured troops immediately constructed a series of floating piers where ships could unload supplies and troops.  Ironically they named the harbor Mulberry Harbor, although I don't think it had anything to do with honoring the small central Florida town where Beth and I lived.  It's been close to seventy five years since these piers were built but there are sections remaining along the beach, as well as out in the English Channel.

Some of the remaining sections of the pier in Mulberry Harbor

Our next stop was Longues-sur-Mur which was a German battery consisting of four large, well secured long range guns.  These guns were capable of firing on targets up to twelve miles away.  They fired upon approaching American and British ships the morning of the D-Day invasion, but once the Allied troops landed they were overtaken and quickly surrendered.

The remains of one of the German large gun bunkers.  Note the damage incurred from incoming artillery fire.

The view outward from inside the bunker

We then visited the small fishing village of Port-en-Bessin-Huppain.  This small port city was liberated by British troops and was part of a very ambitious undertaking called Operation PLUTO (Pipelines Under The Ocean).  This operation developed a way of rapidly getting fuel from England to France by way of a pipeline that was laid on the floor of the English Channel.  The pipeline worked as planned, and around 10 percent of the fuel that was delivered to support the war effort flowed through this pipeline.

Memorial to Operation PLUTO

The next site we visited is the most well known site for Americans related to D-Day, Omaha Beach.  What is now a peaceful five mile stretch of beach was the scene of a horrific battle that resulted in a tremendous loss of life of young Americans.  Estimates of the total number killed or wounded that day vary, but it is estimated that around 4,000 were killed or missing and presumed dead.  One young soldier said that he was the first one out of his landing craft to make it to the designated spot on the beach.  The next six to follow him were either killed or injured before a second man made it safely.  It's hard to imagine what that scene must have been like on that morning.  Very little went as planned due to weather conditions and German resistance, but in the end the beach was secured and the liberation of France was in full swing.

Panoramic of Omaha Beach

Memorial above Omaha Beach

Just above Omaha Beach is a very sacred site, the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.  This immaculate and serene setting is the final resting place for 9,387 American hero's.  Each grave is marked with a white cross or Star of David.  The orderly and peaceful setting is a direct contrast to the environment on the day they made the ultimate sacrifice.  All of these men and women (there are four women, three of them were African American) who are buried here are remembered by around 1.5 million visitors per year, including several family members every week.

The Memorial at the Normandy American Cemetery  

In Plot E, Row 2 was a very special grave.  This is where my Uncle,  Private Arthur Aultman of the 703 Tank Destroyer Battalion is buried.  Although he died nearly 15 years before I was born, he is family.  It was an honor to place a bouquet of flowers on his grave and spend a few minutes reflecting on him.  As we were leaving I mentioned to a young man in the visitors center that we had visited the grave of a relative.  He immediately asked me if we wanted to be escorted back to his grave for a special ceremony of remembrance that they do for visiting family members.  We said yes, and we sure are happy that we did.  He escorted us back to the grave.  First he took several handfuls of sand from Omaha Beach and rubbed them over the engraving.  This made it easier to read the engraving.  He then placed  American and French flags that were used on the previous Memorial Day side by side.  Finally he spoke directly to Beth and I offering a most sincere "thank you" for the service and sacrifice.  There are no words to describe the feeling.

From Omaha Beach we drove inland to the small city of Saint-Mere-Eglise.  This city has the distinction of being the first city in France to be liberated as part of the D-Day Operation.  This part of the operation actually started several hours before the beach landings when over 13,000 paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions made night jumps into the area around the town.  While I still wouldn't jump out of a plane now, can you imagine how much different it was back in 1944?  There was no controlling the parachute, there were no night vision goggles and the equipment was bulky and cumbersome.   Sadly many of these young men were killed by enemy fire before landing or died as a result of a parachute malfunction or landing in water and drowning.  One young paratrooper named John Steele had the misfortune of having his parachute get tangled in the steeple of the church.  He hung there for over two hours while the fighting was going on all around. Later that day he was captured by German soldiers.  Thankfully he escaped three days later and rejoined his troop to continue the fight.

John Steele continues to be memorialized on the church steeple

There are numerous museums throughout the area and all of them have very good reviews.  It would be impossible to go to all the museums and sites in the same day, so we limited ourselves to one museum.  Unfortunately the museum at the American Cemetery was closed for renovations.  We chose the Airborne Museum in Saint-Mere-Eglise, which was outstanding.  It was a series of four buildings that told the story of both the paratroopers and the thousands of ground troops that were flown into the area in small gliders.
We ended the day back along the coast of the English Channel at Utah Beach.  This was the westernmost beach of the five landing beaches used during the D-Day Invasion.  While lives were lost here as well, there were far fewer casualties than were suffered at Omaha Beach.

Utah Beach Memorial

The sun was setting as we drove back to our hotel in Bayeux.  We were humbled by what we saw and learned and grateful for the sacrifice of so many from what was truly the greatest generation.
If you haven't done so already, and would like to read more about Arthur's story here is a link to a previously written blog:
Honor, Sacrifice and Keeping Their Spirits Alive

Bayeux and Mont-St-Michel, France

Mont-Saint-Michel

It was an uneventful overnight flight to Paris.  Neither Beth or I have mastered the art of sleeping too much on planes, so other than being a little sleep deprived we were ready to go.  As I had mentioned in a previous blog, we were not going to be spending anytime in Paris other than one night at an airport hotel at the end of the trip.  Our first destination was the city of Bayeux, which is located in the Normandy region.  It was about a three hour drive from Paris that was easy to navigate other than the foggy conditions we had for most of the drive.
Bayeux is centrally located for exploring this area and has a few very interesting sites as well.  After checking in, we headed right out to explore a bit on foot around the city center. Our hotel, the Hotel d' Argouges is a small hotel that was built in 1734 as a private mansion.  It's aged quite nicely through the years and functioned as a hotel since 2000.  It is also conveniently located very close to the cities two main attractions, the cathedral and the Bayeux tapestry.
The cathedral was built in the 10th century, and like many of the huge cathedrals around Europe it has been damaged by wars, revolutions and time only to be repaired and rebuilt.  It is an impressive structure from the outside that towers over the city.  Inside there are numerous stained glass windows, a huge alter and pipe organ that are well worth seeing.

Bayeux Cathedral

Storefront along one of the main streets in Bayeux

The Cathedral at night

Entrance to the Hotel d' Argouges

A few blocks from the cathedral is a small museum that is dedicated to housing the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry is an embroidered cloth that measures over 230 feet in length and 20 inches in height.  It was created in the eleventh century and tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England which was led by William, Duke of Normandy.  There is a narrated guide that tells the story of the fifty scenes depicted in the tapestry from the uprising through the Battle of Hastings.  If you want to see it sometime in the future you have two options.  It will remain on display here in Bayeux until 2020.  It will leave France for the first time in over 950 years (it was created in England) and will be on display in London's  British Museum until 2022.  During the two years it is on loan to the British Museum the museum here in Bayeux will be undergoing major renovations.  The tapestry is well worth seeing no matter where it is on display.  
Yesterday we drove about an hour and a half from Bayeux to Mont-St-Michel. This is a small island located around 800 yards off the coast.  It has a permanent population of around fifty people but is visited annually by over three million and was one of the first sites to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The islands history started to be written when an Irish hermit took up residence there back in the sixth century.  A monastery was built on the island in the eighth century and it has continued to evolve since then.  It has served as a strategic stronghold in times of war that because of it's unique location was never conquered.  Currently there are a small community of monks and nuns that make up around 20 percent of the islands population of fifty residents.
The island itself, as well as the buildings on the island are spectacular.  In recent times they have served as inspiration for the Disney film Tangled as well as the fictional city of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.  A visit to Mont-St Michel is well worth it.  If you do go, be advised of a couple of things:
A few times a year the tides are high enough that access to the island is not available.  These are rare but it would be worth checking ahead.  Secondly, there are plenty of stairs!

This is a picture of a postcard showing the island during an exceptionally high tide.  The island is not accessible.

St. Petersburg.........not just where you go to die anymore!

St. Petersburg Marina

We started our French adventure yesterday (Tuesday).  So far we've made it about 25 miles.  We are all the way in St. Petersburg where we spent the night.  Don't worry, this was all by design.  Our flight to Paris is later today.   Actually a little later than we had anticipated.  We were scheduled to go via Philadelphia, however due to a winter storm we were able to reroute through Miami.  We now leave Tampa around 3:00 PM and are scheduled to arrive in Paris around two hours after our original flight.
Growing up in Florida, St. Petersburg had quite a reputation back in the day.  The demographics were such that it was often referred to as "heaven's waiting room".  The average age of the residents of St. Pete were close to, if not the oldest in the US.  Funeral homes were as common as Baptist churches in Texas.  The city has undergone a slow but impressive transition over the past decade or so.  It is now a really impressive destination made up of a diverse population of residents and visitors.  There is still a large number of seasoned, well experienced folks. Now they are mixed in with an equal number of younger people to create a very vibrant city.  We've spent a little time here over the past few years but not enough to really appreciate all it has to offer.
Before getting to the hotel we checked out Pass-a-Grille Beach which is located at the south end of St. Pete Beach.  There are a few shops, restaurants and a nice beach that only has one down side, there isn't much shade.  What we really liked was the fact that so far most of the small homes that were built decades ago remain.  Along much of the west coast of Florida these quaint homes have been torn down and replaced by larger homes.

Pass-a Grille Beach

 After strolling around and enjoying a late breakfast at the Paradise Grill, which is a small beachfront restaurant, we were off to the winery.  Sarah, Joey and James had given us a certificate for a tour, tasting and bottle of wine at the Florida Orange Grove Winery.  The groves that once surrounded this building are gone and the fruit stand has turned into a winery.  The uniqueness of this winery is that all the wines produced there are with fruits other than grapes.  There were strawberry, mango, tangelo, pineapple, blueberry, kiwi and banana wines just to name a few.  The tour was interesting, the tasting fun and we settled on a bottle of Key Lime wine which is a little tart and very tasty.

Paradise Grill

Fruit wine smoothies...….so delicious and healthy you'll want to have two!

We are staying at a small boutique hotel, Hollander House which is just a few blocks from the bay.  If you're looking to visit St. Pete, I would highly recommend checking out this hotel.  The original building is an old cigar/cigarette factory that was built in the 1930's.  Like the city itself, the hotel has undergone a transformation.  The staff have all be super friendly and helpful, there is a nice restaurant in the hotel and free parking.  The location of the hotel exemplifies the diversity of the city.  If you go out the front door and turn right in one block there is a huge shuffleboard complex.  Right now every court is being used by seniors battling it out.  If you turn left and walk a few blocks you'll be on Beach Street.  Here you'll find tons of restaurants, shops and art galleries. This is also where you will find Vinoy Park which has a really great trail along the bay.

The Hollander Hotel...…….and a one way sign as a bonus

Serious shuffleboarding!

400 Beach   Like any good restaurant in Florida, they have a nice "early bird special"

Waterfront area in St. Pete

We're trending a little towards the shuffleboard demographic but we're not quite there yet.  We'll keep turning left out of the hotel for now and are already looking forward to coming back.

France North to South

We've thrown a few "cooler weather" clothes in the suitcase and are ready to start the next adventure.  We'll be flying to Paris, by way of Philadelphia on Wednesday.  We've spent a little time in Paris and really enjoyed it.  For this adventure we're simply flying into and out of Paris with one night at an airport hotel.  Our destination is Normandy in Northwest France and the Nice area, which is located on the Southern coast. 

In Normandy we will be staying in the small cities of Bayeux and Honfleur.  Bayeux, with a population of around 15,000 is about twice the size of Honfleur.  We've got plenty of activities on the agenda, but one of the main points of interests will be visiting a number of sites related to the D-Day invasion that played such a pivotal part in turning the tide of World War 2.  I have an uncle who was killed in action on July 11, 1944.  He is buried at the American Cemetery located in that area.  No member of my immediate family has ever visited his grave.  I'm looking forward to paying my respects to him as well as the thousands of members of the US military who are buried there.  I did a blog on him and his brother who was also killed in the war.  Below is a link to that blog.
Honor, Sacrifice and Keeping Their Spirit Alive
Once we finish in Normandy it's on to warmer, sunnier skies in the French Riviera near Nice.  We'll actually be staying in an Airbnb just outside of Nice in Villefranche-sur-Mer.  We'll be attending the Nice Carnival  and the Menton Lemon Festival.  Both of these annual festivals look like they will be quite lively and colorful.
Bayeux
Honfleur
Nice
Nice Carnival
Menton Lemon Festival
Beth and I put our heads together and collectively we came up with about a dozen French words we know.  Thankfully that includes the most important one of all...…………..baguette!

February 14, 1982

Earlier today Beth and I were reflecting back on past Valentines Days.  It took us a little time and looking back on this blog to figure out that we were in Utah last year on Valentines Day.  We had no problem remembering where we were on Valentines Day, 1982 (13,515 days ago).  We were in Tallahassee.  Beth was in her last semester of undergraduate school at Florida State.  I was in my final semester of graduate school at the University of Florida.  We had been dating for several years and while we were in different cities we were able to see each other pretty much every weekend.  Valentines Day in 1982 was on a Sunday.  The next day was Presidents Day and there were no classes so we had an extra day together before I headed back to Gainesville.
So the stage was set for a romantic Valentines Day.  First it was a free "movie on the lawn" on the campus.  It was a true romantic movie, "Creature From The Black Lagoon".  Afterwards we went to the Melting Pot Fondue Restaurant.  Even though it was Valentines Day, it seemed as if every couple in the place were in the midst of a major fight.  The stage was set for the big moment.  I reached down into my boot to pull out the big surprise only to discover that the box had slipped down to about my ankle, causing me to have to dig and claw a little deeper than I had planned.
I wrapped my fingers around that little box, pulled it out of the smelly boot, opened it and popped the question.
Thankfully Beth said yes, and thankfully she has tolerated me through the years.  It's been an amazing 13,515 days since that most memorable Valentines Day!  We celebrated Valentines Day today with a dermatologist appointment for me, a nice early dinner at an outdoor waterfront restaurant and a walk on the beach.  Here are a few pictures from tonight's sunset.

Fun and Fast Times!

This past Thursday evening around 8:00 PM Sarah, Joey and James made it to the island.  It was an incredibly long day for them.  They left their house in Novato at 2:30 AM.  It's around an hour drive to the San Francisco airport.  Parking, getting to the terminal, checking in, checking baggage and getting to the gate for a 5:30 AM flight is tough.  First stop was Dallas, then San Antonio before finally making it to Tampa.  Picking up luggage, then making their way to the rental car center for the one hour drive from the Tampa airport to Anna Maria Island.  They crossed two iconic bridges (Golden Gate and Sunshine Skyway) on different coasts of the US in the same day.  Amazingly, 15 hours or so after they left their home they were with us.  A little frazzled but still smiling.  According to his Mom and Dad, James was a real trooper the whole day.  Needless to say he had a little stored up energy, he and NaNa started entertaining each other (and us) right away.
The time passed quickly and this morning (Tuesday) we waved goodbye and they were off on the journey home.  It was so great having them with us.  There was plenty of beach time, good food, good fellowship and plenty of entertainment that only a two and a half year old combined with a ninety year old can provide!

The water was a little chilly but he loved it

Chilling with his Great NaNa!

We did a little fishing every day with the nice rod and reel his 

Aunt Debbie bought him.  The fish skunked us!

Right side up

Upside Down!

James loves his Mimi