Trip to France - Day 1 - Normandy

In March we got a wild hair, well Yulia did, and we planned a quick spring break trip to France.  I had always thought I wouldn't like to go to France (a lot of this was quite stupid bias on my part and a bit of Machismo.) Yulia said we could do Paris AND Normandy, though, so I got on board.  We left the kids home with Babushka and went on our own.  This is the third time we've done this since we've been in Kazakhstan (Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and now France) and it is nice to travel just the two of us.

Yulia got a fantastic deal on flights through Belavia, the national carrier of Belarus, and we were on our way.

Waiting for our early morning flight out of Astana (it was still Astana when we left.)

The Belavia flights were pretty nice - scaled back, but comfortable, clean, and with nice little food boxes.  The layover in Minsk was quick and fine.  The plane that we flew to Paris on was branded with "World of Tanks" and was painted like a tank, had tank decals inside and had special announcements.  Apparently, World of Tanks is one of Belarus's main exports.  It was fun.

When we landed in Paris and cleared customs, we rented a car.  We got the GPS option (great choice on our part) and besides getting lost on our way out of the airport (we went around the circle in the center of the airport three times before I figured it out), we were on the road and fine.  We drove for about two hours and stopped at a roadside McDonald's for lunch.  We eat McDonald's when we travel because it is fast and you always know what you'll get.  Don't worry, we also ate French food, but on the road, McDonald's was fine.

On the road.

We went immediately to the American Cemetery at Normandy.  The visitor's center was closed, but we had the cemetery almost to ourselves and we took our time.  It was very overwhelming.  The cemetery is so well cared for and the different monuments and explanations are very well done.  It was a very moving experience for me especially.

Overlooking the beaches at Normandy

Looking out over the beach.

Rows and rows of crosses and stars of David.

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After we had visited the American cemetery at Normandy, we drove to Pointe du Hoc, which was the site of a ranger assault on the cliffs where a German gun position was located. The craters from the naval bombardment are still visible, filled now with thorny flower bushes.

The fortified positions are still there.  Guns were disabled, but the concrete is still there.  Part of a series of fortifications stretching all along the Atlantic coast.

A view of the how steep the cliffs were where the assault took place. Normandy beaches are just past the little Peninsula.

Driving through little villages along the Normandy Coast.

Yulia had made reservations in the little town of Bayeux at a little bed and breakfast that overlooked the cathedral in the city, one of the most famous in France. We found the place without much trouble and checked in.  After checking in we went looking for somewhere to eat.  That was a problem, because apparently most places in town are by reservation only (and they don't open without reservations), but we found a little restaurant in a different hotel that was open already.

I had a little casserole and Yulia had a beefsteak with fries.  It was a nice meal and more "peasant French" than fine dining, but was delicious.

A view from our hotel room.

Dinner!

Out walking in France!

The cathedral lit up at night.  It was a very beautiful building.

Our first day in France was done.  We had successfully taken a road trip, seen the sites at Normandy that I was most interested in seeing, and had a nice French meal. We were off to a great start.