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Well hello all!
From the magic city of Paris, Matt's family and I caught a train up to Normandy France to visit his dad's side of the family. Matt's Grandparents have a beach house on Omaha Beach, inside the small town called Vierville-sur-Mer. Their modest 3 level nautical themed house sits about 100 yards from the beach and has a quite an extensive backyard and garden where the many little Lebrec's run, yell, and play from dawn to dusk.
We arrived here around noon on the 3rd, after a quick 2 hour train ride that transported us from the busy city of Paris, to the calm rural northern countryside of Normandy France! Right off the bat we were exposed to the drastic difference from the busy city of Paris and popular touristy city of Hossegor to this rural historic peaceful countryside that just happened to be having a Medieval festival on the day that we arrived. Thus as we slowly made our way out of the small town, due to the heavy traffic of knights on horseback going down the road, and quickly back on another beach, now facing the English channel!
Arriving at the Lebrec's beach house we were welcomed with open arms, or rather the traditional kiss-kiss that has now comes as second nature as the formal greeting everywhere in France. The scene quickly reminded me of the many family get together that I experienced through with the families both in Wisconsin (which I will be seeing later in this summer, and can't wait to catch up with all of you) and the family on the West coast (shout out too all in Seaside right now! I'm sure that you are all having a BLAST with the great Birthday of Aunt Jane! Happy Birthday!!!!). Feeling only as a slight outsider in this new family reunion, we began to get to know each other over a great BBQ in the beautiful and sunny comfort of their backyard. After lunch and a refreshing dip in the English Channel that surprising for its northern latitude was remarkably warmer than I would have expected. With fairly steep cliff walls of yellow and grey sandstone that rose out of the rusty orange sand and mixing teal and blue sea, I can see why this area has been the site of the many historical events dating back to medieval times.
History is everywhere here in Normandy. From the events of World War 2 that ravaged this northern countryside to the building that scatter this land dating back to the Medieval times and architectural influences from every time period. We went to one very old property that has been in the Lebrec's family for quite some time to visit a family farm that has been producing hard cider and HARD apple liquor, all of which is grown and brewed on the property in the old estate which includes part of the home is a tower from the medieval times with large cobblestone masonry architecture. Drinking this delicious cider in the warm sunny climate of the north, I felt both content and at peace soaking in every minute of this wonderful experience that was taking place around me.
The next day, we celebrated the Birthday of America, the 4th of July, in the most honoring way possible by visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial that sits just down the beach from their house and commemorates the many men that paid the ultimate sacrifice in protecting our, France's, and potentially the world's freedom from oppression and dictatorship. This was without a question the most intense and memorable place I may ever visit. For 172.5 acres, 9,387 headstones of men that died in combat line the property of this great site. Mixed between amazement and sorrow we toured the grounds, and museum that is dedicated to all that were lost here. I could not help but wonder at what cost is war necessary and how far will it ever go. As we wondered about I tried to pay homage to all that have served in the services, and made a mental thank you to all. Such as my Grandpa Jerome (my father's father) for all that he did while serving in WW2 on the islands near Japan, Thank you. You were both courageous and brave and had made a great impact on everyone's life that you came into contact with. You are missed and loved. RIP.
With wonderful weather of sunny skies and warm temperatures continuing through the week here in Normandy, we continued to visit the many historical sited that occurred here. The grandparent's house is on the famous Omaha Beach, which was the one of the main beach for the events on June 6 1944, D- Day, where allied forces from the US, Great Britain, Canada, Poland, the Chez Republic, France, and Australia invaded the Normandy shores currently taken over by the Nazi army. These beaches were covered with German forces in an attempt to defend the newly acquired French countryside. Across the coast were heavy artillery, bunkers and miles of underground tunnels. One site that was thought to be impossible for the Allied forces to reach let alone invade and take over was the massive La Point Du Hoc, a large point of the land that extends out into the English Channel with shear rock walls that jut from the rocky beaches and ocean hundreds of feet below. This point was covered with heavy machine guns, bunkers, and large weapons that would have caused the allied forces to struggle even more with the battles. Luckily the allied forces had a strong air force and bombed the point to a level that a small battalion of 250 men were able to scale the shear walls on rope ladders and eventually take over the point. Currently the point is still in a very primitive state where the French government has left all the remaining structures and bomb holes to remain as they did after the battles. Thus we were given the opportunity to explore the grounds and remaining bunkers as we wished. This was by far the coolest historical site i have ever witnessed. For about 2 hours we were able to walk among these giant bomb holes that left craters around 30 feet across and up to 20 feet deep all over the point, interspersed with semi remaining and intact bankers that would have served as the only protection from the air strikes. Crawling down into these bunkers I felt only one percent of what I can imagine the men that were fighting here would be experiencing. These tombs were extensive and still fairly intact in places while completely destroyed and collapsing in other areas that had more of an impact form the bombs.
This Normandy coast has been one of the most impactful and interesting historical areas I have ever experienced. Everyday I was filled with thoughts about how different this peaceful beach community was once the living hell that many men came and fought in. It's hard to imagine this place so clouded with darkness and death. Yet as horrid of a place it use to be, now I see it as one of the most peaceful places I have ever experienced. With time to sit back and enjoy the land and people, I took advantage by exploring the coast with friends we hiked out on the rocky beaches to points in the distance, took walks through the quite country side, visited m, had dinner with family, and tried a new passion: Chara-voil. This was by far the most fun part of the time in Normandy. Herve, Matt's dad, took us and some of the kids out to learn this new hobby where one sits in a small fiberglass sled and with 3 wheels and a sail attached you fly down the beach on the hard pack sand. This was a true adrenalin rush as you learned how to control your speed and direction as we would fly along the sand, bursting through puddles and the lapping waves, pushing your speed and control to then make quick tight turns and take off again. It was impossible to get out of the driver seat without a smile across your face and sand and water covering you from head to toe. And who says wind power is overrated!
As our time here in Normandy came to a close and we trained back down to Hossegor, I have to thank all of the Lebrec family for allowing me to experience something so amazing and unique. The hospitality was exceptional, the personal tours throughout the region and all the new experiences will forever be held close in my heart as one of the large highlights for this trip. Thank you Normandy!
- comments
Steve I read your blog aloud at the Seaside, Oregon - Aunt Jane 90th Birthday/family reunion. Thank you for your experiences, and poetic descriptions. Charles says "High Carson".
Aunt Carole Thank you for remembering and honoring my father, Jerome. He was a brave man who knew all too well the price of war. If you want to read a book about the war(WWII) in the Guernsey Islands in the English Channel, I have a great book that you can borrow.
Dotty Full of salient poitns. Don't stop believing or writing!