The storming of Normandy France...by the Shumates

Normandy is one of those places that you know that you should get to before you leave Europe, but it doesn't normally make anybody's top 10 lists of 'have to' in Europe. Such was our case, we knew it needed to make our list at some point but it wasn't a pressing matter. We tend to always have plans for spring break, this year was no different. We decided to fit in Normandy the last three days of spring break this year. As it is in any ward, or probably any church, people are always discussing where they are going for vacations and word gets around. We realized Eric and Stephanie Flake were also going to Normandy at the same time. After talking with them they offered to share their lodging accommodations with us. They had secured a small farm house in the countryside of Normandy. In addition, Ken, the owner, gave tours of the D-Day beaches and Mt. St. Michel. Eric had arranged for tours of the beaches, Mt. St. Michel, fishing in the local ponds around the house, shooting guns, gathering eggs, naming the baby lambs etc. We did not opt for this package, our only desire was having a place to lay our heads. So here is what it ended up to be, a large farm house complete with 6+ bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living room and kitchen/dining area. We had one half of the house with our bedrooms and the flakes had the other half of the house with their bedrooms and we met in the middle to eat, converse and play games. We left early in the morning on Thursday, knowing we had an 8 hour drive ahead of us. We love our GPS, in fact if it wasn't for it we would still probably be in the Czech Republic trying to get back to Germany. Our GPS is on our iPhone, which we love the compact, concise nature of it all. The only drawback is that when we travel outside of Germany we get hit with roaming charges. If I was smart, for all of the money that I have paid in roaming charges I could've purchased two GPS units. Our trick, when outside of Germany, is to turn it on briefly, see how far I have to drive before our next set of instructions and then I will turn it off. In order to get to Normandy, from where we are in Germany we have to go directly through Paris, at least that is the most direct route. We were told over and over again to loop around Paris to avoid the traffic. Before we knew it, we were entering the Paris city limits. Traffic wasn't terrible, we caught a few sites of the city as we drove through, including the iconic Eiffel tower. As we were leaving Paris I saw a sign for Versailles. I mean, really, could I pass this up? No, I should say not. We followed the signs off of the Autobahn and through the city. After 20 minutes of driving we found a parking spot close to the palace. After stretching our legs we started walking. A 10 minute walk led us to the Palace of Versailles. The gold gate laid out the boundary around the outer courtyard. We walked through the first set of gates, past the long line of those going in, to the second golden fence. This was the actual palace border, you could peer in and see just a little. As this was not on our itinerary and we didn't have a lot of time this fleeting glimpse would have to suffice...but we'll be back. Beyond Paris the drive is beautiful, as you get into rolling hills, a patchwork of trees and grasslands that seem to go on forever. The houses are quaint and feel like they have been plucked out of an old country magazine and placed on the landscape. On the way to the Normandy area we decided to stop at Rouen, a small city whose claim to fame is the death place of Joan of Arc. There is a church here that marks the spot where she was burned at the stake. We made our way to the church and arrived just as it started to rain. All the other family members went into the church to take refuge but since Eddie was with us, I stayed outside, under shelter, and weathered the storm. There has to be some scriptural message in that story. The rain let up and we observed where she was burned (it is outside of the church). We got back to the van and took a deep breath for the last leg of the journey. As we were getting close to our destination, we realized that we were hungry and wouldn't you know that a McDonalds was right there...always so conveniently located. We called Eric Flake to let him know that we were almost there and then we grabbed a bite to eat. We drove another 30 minutes and met Eric and Ken, who then led us to our final destination. We got acquainted with our new surroundings, checked out the large house, strolled out in the garden/animal area and then thankfully put our clothes away, followed by us. The next day the plan was to go to the D-day beaches. Ken rode with the Flakes and we followed. On our way to the beaches we decided to go to Bayeux, a town that is home to the largest (longest) tapestry in the world. It tells the story of William the Conqueror. We drove in and out of small villages and towns in order to get there. As we were leaving one of these villages we passed a police car off to the side of the road, tending to another car. We didn't think anything of it. Not more than a minute later, as I looked into my rearview mirror, I noticed the police car on my bumper. They pulled around me and waved me over, so I obliged. Then they caught up to Eric and waved him over and he followed suit. The police car then sped up in front of us and blocked the roadway. Oh boy, what were we in for? Both cars pulled up to the police car now forming a barricade in our lane. They waved us onto a dirt driveway and approached the vehicles...they started talking in French. I understand some French, but I played dumb..."English?" In their best English (which was pretty good) she explained that I was clocked speeding coming out of the village and so was Eric. Since I am one not to make a big deal out of things, especially when I am in a foreign country I was getting ready to arrange payments. But Ken, was not going to take this lying down. I must confess at this moment that I didn't have any money on me, in fact we were just getting ready to find a bank in the next town. Ken pleaded and reasoned and explained...all to no avail. I was sent off by the police to retrieve my international driver's license and vehicle registration. Within the time that it took for me to walk 50 feet and come back, the three police officers and Eric and Ken were exchanging good byes and thank you's. Wait, what did I miss? Apparently as soon as Eric took out his passport and USAREUR (Government issued) license and the SOFA stamp was seen the police officer let us go. To this day I really don't know what happened and I am not sure Eric really knows either but suffice it to say we saved ourselves a lot of money. It would have cost us at least 150 Euro each for these infractions, it would have been paid in cash and it would have found its way into the police officer's pocket. Needless to say I drove 10 Km under the speed limit the rest of the time I was in France. We made it to Bayeux, a small and quaint city in Normandy. The Bayeux tapestry is kept in a building that is enclosed by walls. We got there early in the morning and still had to fight the lines. We had our Yorkie with us so he stayed outside with Ken. We really were not interested in anything else at this site, so we made a bee-line to the tapestry, stopping just long enough to get our audio guide. The tapestry was long, not big, as in rectangular, it stretched forever. They stretched it out in a horseshoe shape, there were numbers on the tapestry so the audio guide could follow along. In actuality, I thought it was a pretty neat thing to see. I took a couple of pictures (without the flash), even though you weren't supposed to. The tapestry depicts William the Conqueror's life, very interesting. We left the building after seeing this and walked up to a cathedral that was near by. We knew we had to hurry today because there was plenty to see. We waited for the Flakes for quite some time, but I became inpatient as I could see my time here slipping away and thinking of everything that I still wanted to see. The Flakes showed up and we piled in our cars and got on our way. Our first Beach stop was at Gold Beach, a site of the British invasion (not the Beatles). We parked and walked along the rode way that paralleled the beach, passing all sorts of trinket shops and souvenir shops selling old army relics. You could probably find anything related to WWII there. We stopped at one of them...because it is written in a bylaw somewhere that Sharma can't pass a souvenir shop without stopping. Actually it was fine, I definitely wanted a memento of this trip. My children bought spent ammo casings (they were probably never used in the war, but who would know). We walked down to this small beach that had large cement stacks sitting in the water, 200 meters out. These were known as Arromanche, they were part of a floating, portable road that the Allied forces used to off load their ships and transport their armored vehicles ashore. Really a great site to see them. And what an amazing feat of engineering to achieve it. Oh yeah, we bought Maddi a cotton candy...she remained happy. From there we drove to Omaha beach. "The beach" that everybody knows. The whole group went into the museum there, except for me, I had to take Eddie. There were no dogs allowed on the grounds, but being undetermined I snuck him in. I walked the grounds waiting for the others to come out of the museum. There were a lot of people there and there were several workers patrolling the area, looking for anybody breaking the rules...namely me. I lasted 20 minutes before I was nabbed, the Yorkie was not welcomed. I took him out to Ken, who was watching one of the Flakes little girls while she was sleeping. The cemetery at Omaha beach is breathtaking, white headstone after white headstone, cast against the backdrop of the site of the beach invasion. We were there while they were taking down the US flag, everybody stopped what they were doing and paid their respects. We walked down to the beach from here, a winding and fairly steep walk. The beach was like any other beach, sand, a barrier of sage brush, followed by a steep cliff. But to think what had happened there, to think that many of those young soldiers would see their last moments of this life there...pretty moving. We gathered some sand to remind us of our time there and started our ascent back up to the top of the hill. From the perch at the top of the hill you could have a clear view of this beach and some of the other beaches that were in play on that D-Day. Next we stopped at Pointe Du Hoc. This was a small peninsula that was carpet bombed on that triumphant day. As you walk up to the area of Pointe Du Hoc you start to see the telltale signs of pockmarks in the ground. Some were small, only 8 feet deep, others were very large, 20 feet deep. The kids had a ball running around, down and in the craters and then climbing back out. The whole landscape was hole after hole. Some of the pill boxes and fortified structures were still there. Compared to Omaha beach, the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc made them look like the plains of Nebraska. These were sheer cliffs, a rock face that was unforgiving. It started to rain on us here, it was about time since it was threatening all day. The rain was refreshing and lasted 30 minutes. We decided it was time to get going and make the trip back home. The next day we arose bright and early and headed out for Mt. St. Michel. Again, this was something I remember learning about in French class. We drove 40 minutes from our farm house and then there it was. There in the distance was this edifice that looked like some giant had placed a huge paperweight on the flat sand and left it there. The land leading to the water was as flat as flat could be and then you have this gigantic rock with an Abbey placed on the very top. It truly was an amazing site and probably the most breathtaking site we have seen so far in Europe. We crossed the causeway and parked our car. We entered the walled village at the bottom of the rock and made our way through the streets taking in the sites, souvenir shops and restaurants. We climbed the stairs to the Abbey and decided to split up. McKay and I had Eddie and the girls went in. The views were magnificent, overlooking the inlet of water, that was now rushing in to try and encircle this monolith. After the girls came out McKay and I entered. We kept a pretty quick pace, knowing that they were waiting for us. The structure was incredible, just knowing how much work they had to do to build this structure. The rooms were cavernous. After winding our way through the Abbey we found our way out and eventually found the rest of our family, they were shopping. We always purchase a water color of travels, so we found a nice water color and few other souvenirs to remind us of our time there. We returned home, cleaned up a bit and hit a antique shop...a huge antique shop in a small town. It had a lot of...stuff, yeah just stuff...oh and did I mention there was a lot of it. From there we went to a restaurant where they had a buffet style food choice of French food (obviously, since that is where we were at). The food was good and interesting all at the same time. I ordered Salmon along with my buffet. It was good, not great, but we did have a great time there. We drove back to our farm house where we relaxed the rest of the evening, enjoying the company of the Flakes and learning a new game called Dominion. The next day we dedicated to relaxation. We could have been very ambitious like the Flakes, who took every opportunity to immerse themselves into the surrounding culture and farm life. We opted against going down to the local dairy farm and buying fresh milk, skimming the top off and making your own butter. Looking back, I would have done that, but at that day and at that time I just wanted to sleep in. I had to get to the dairy farm by 8:30 am. The Flakes left in the morning to head back and we spread ourselves out and enjoyed the house. They had a real wood burning fire place, something I have loved ever since growing up in Washington....the smell and feel of a real fireplace. My skills were not quite as good as I remembered however. It didn't help that the wood was wet from the recent rains...definitely going to blame my lack of starting a fire on that. Eventually the fire started and kept us warm. Sharma and I went to a supermarket to buy enough food for the day. We went to bed and got up the next day and drove home. Info Transportation to area: Drove van from Germany, 8 hours, approx 45 Euro in tolls-each way (29 Euro just to Paris) Lodging: Holiday Lettings-Ken and Charlotte Kitson, CAKitson@gmail.com Sites: Versailles, Rouen, Bayeux Tapestry (7.80 Euro adults, 3.80 Euro children/students), Gold Beach (Arromanche), Omaha Beach (museum and cemetery), Pointe du Hoc, Mt St Michel (9 Euro/adult, under 18 are free)

Bavaria

We have long wanted to take a day to visit the southeastern part of Germany, better known as Bavaria. This is where you would find Munich, Dachau, the Eagle's Nest and Neuschwanstein castle. Obviously we couldn't see all of these places in one day so we chose to see Neuschwanstein and Dachau concentration camp. The Neuschwanstein castle is the model for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. Dachau concentration camp was the first concentration camp established by Adolf Hitler. Talk about dichotomy. The trip was about four hours, not a hard drive, easy to do in a day. As we got close to the castle, from the back seat the call was heard "There it is!" I looked, I swear I did. Where? The classic case of looking beyond the mark, I was looking up on the mountain for a massive monument. I finally spotted it, a smaller castle, placed on a medium sized hill in front of the mountains. Now please, don't let my description deter you from visiting or downplay the 'coolness factor' of the castle...I just had built up something more in my mind. We parked below the castle because you can't drive up to it. On dry days you can pay to take a horse drawn carriage to the midway point and then hike the rest of the way. Today, because it had been snowing and the path was wet, we had to walk to the top. We purchased tickets for the English tour of the castle. On our way to the trail head we passed a very picturesque lake scene. No seriously, postcard picturesque. The lake was serene, the backdrop was a mountain ridge draped in a blanket of snow. We didn't have long to admire this beautiful sight as we need to make our way up the hill to the castle so we could join our English tour guide, otherwise we would be trying to figure out what the German tour guide was saying. We ran into another English speaking family and exchanged picture taking services with each other. We walked up the hill, at least we were able to work up a sweat and get relatively warm. About half way up we heard the tell tale sounds of clomping hoofs. We missed our opportunity to ride by 15 min. Thats okay, if you know me, I am hiking the hill to save a few bucks unless I am physically unable to perform. We made it to the top and looked out over the valley, what a view. We didn't have long to admire it however because we needed to be in the castle in 5 minutes. So after a string of quick photographs we were on our way again, finishing off the last 200 meters. We joined our group and were immediately given rules/instructions. The only one I remember and the only one I knew that I was going to break was 'no photographs'...yeah, like that has ever stopped me before. The castle was very magnificent on the inside. Ludwig II did a very good job on this castle and spared no expense, which was part of his problem. I had my iPhone at the ready to take any photo that presented itself...because that is what any good photographer does right? I have become pretty good about blending in, waiting for the perfect hole, quickly snapping the photograph off, putting the phone away and acting natural. I took several photos of the inside of the castle and never got caught once. Through one of the windows you could see this bridge spanning the mountains behind the castle. People were on it and taking pictures. I asked one of the workers there how to get out onto the bridge, she said the bridge is closed and they should not be on it because it was dangerous. Too bad! That would have been a great picture. Our next destination was Dachau Concentration camp, a very humbling and moving place. I have been here before but it was by myself, I wanted to check it out before taking my family here. I felt that my kids were mature enough and could handle the very sobering subject of genocide. This place was a destination of the visual, for the camp is not a thing a beauty, but it is a destination of the mind. It makes you pause, it makes you think, it makes you question, and in this sense it is a very real tourist destination. The day was a dreary, overcast day, which is the way you would expect a visit to a concentration camp to be. I was excited for my kids to see how evil this world can be, sometimes it is beneficial to take off your rose-colored glasses and see the potential in people...the potential evil. This place made evil a reality. Dachau was used as a prototype for other concentration camps. The ovens were actually used, but the gas chambers were never actually used but they existed here. All of these still stood; the barracks were torn down and where they once stood, just the foundation remained as a testament to what was here. There was a mini museum/story of what happened not only here but from the onset of the third reich. Hailey really wanted to see it, Sharma was not thrilled and McKay and Maddi, I believe, could have cared less. But, I believe they all walked out of this place with a better perspective on life and possibly vowed to be a better person because of it. We try to blend ethical and philosophical places as much as just seeing the beauty of this world. The trick is communication, talk with your children, spouse or friend as you have these experiences...you might just learn something wonderful.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

So, one of the best perks we receive is being able to partake in the Wounded Warrior travel opportunities for providers at the hospital. It is an opportunity to see various things in Germany free of charge, for the whole family. We decided to visit Rothenburg, because it is supposed to have a wonderful Christmas market and just the fact that it is supposed to be a wonderfully preserved walled city. Rothenburg is situated near Nuremberg, in the eastern part of Germany. We left very early in the morning. We drove to the hospital, parked our car and loaded onto one of two buses. Like I have alluded to before, the buses that we get to use are very nice, complete with a bathroom, reclining seats, seats that move away from your seat mate, so you have a little extra room. They always give you a goody bag, this time it included a drawstring backpack, water bottles, and other small items. The bus was moderately full, McKay and Hailey sat next to each other, Maddi and Sharma were paired up and I sat by myself. We left at 6am, on a very cold and dark Saturday morning. I plugged in my iPhone and listened to music and podcasts that I downloaded. Half way to Rothenburg we stopped at McDonalds to have brunch, just as the snow started to fall like a blanket out of the sky. Oh yes...it was cold this day..a bad omen. We pulled into Rothenburg in the late morning, somewhat groggy and very cold. On all Wounded Warrior excursions there are tour guides provided, very knowledgeable and approachable. Here is the rub, if you know the Shumates, we are an independent breed. We don't like to be cooped up in a pack of people, unless we are leading the pack. The balancing act here, is how long do we stick with the pack leader before we break off and form our own makeshift group? We stayed with our tour guide for 20 minutes...not too bad for us. Our first item of business was to find an ATM and get some Euro so we could do what we do best. Before we could do this, we were lured into the Rothenburg cathedral, which much like all of the churches here in Europe, was wonderful...wonderfully 'been there done that'. We conquered the ATM and set out for our adventure. We actually wandered a bit outside of the walled city and purchased something called a Schneeball. It is a shortcrust pastry special to this area, it is deep-fried in a special device that helps it to retain is characteristic ball shape. It is then dusted with chocolate or confectioner's sugar. We bought two and since we were hungry they didn't last longer than 5 minutes. It wasn't fantastic, but we were hungry. From there we wandered back into the city, feeling sorry for ourselves because we were cold. We made it to the town square where the Christmas market was being held. We purchased something called Kinderpunsch, this is our version of a hot drink, non-alcoholic. It is usually made with apple or grape juice, cinnamon and ground cloves. You buy the drink in a souvenir mug, each city has their own souvenir mug. You buy the drink which includes a fee for the cup, if you want to keep the cup, away you go. If you want a Euro back, turn the mug back in and they will dispense a Euro to you. After consuming our Kinderpunsch we wandered down the main street of town. Now, I am going to apologize right now, I am not sure what appeal the Christmas markets have. Please don't get me wrong, they are nice, they put you in a Christmas mood, of this there is no doubt, I just am not a subscriber of needing to see all 2,500 Christmas markets in Germany or the rest of Europe for that matter. We meandered down the street, briefly stopping into stores to look at the local wares, but mainly to get warm. We found our way to a portion of the walled city that you could walk around. So we climbed the stairs and walked along a narrow path and low hanging ceiling, that they built around the wall. There were great views of the city...and into people's homes. I am sure they have gotten used to seeing random people peering into their homes while they are trying to live their life, I don't know, if you ask me that would be just a little strange. We had 1.5 hours to go before the bus was to leave. We found this restaurant that was serving hot chocolate that looked very good. We purchased 5 hot chocolates...I figured that we paid $20 for all of them. The exchange rate can really kill you sometimes. While there we played a game that we like to play...somebody starts of a story by saying one word, the next person says one word, the next person says one word and so on. We laughed, they looked at us, we laughed some more. And since we use our iPhones and iTouches a lot our respective batteries were running low. So we plugged each one in...since we never go anywhere without having a cord to charge them. I know...sad that we can't detach. We met our group and blended in, like we were there the whole time. We did have a good time, we are glad that we went...mainly because I didn't have to drive, it was free and we could mark this one off of our ever growing list.