Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

It's hard to believe that a month and a half ago, I was lounging around in Normandy, cruising through the country side, eating cheese and baguettes. Well, summer has bid farewell, and I'm in the throes of fall, better known as the academic school year. I've posted the rest of the France pictures below, but I still daydream about catching a flight and visiting Bev in the idyllic countryside. Sigh.

American Cemetary

 

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the American Cemetary, but it's supposed to be a stunning sight. They are just about 10,000 graves here; families who wanted could have their loved one's repatriated to the US. The graves at the American Cemetary are the men laid to rest with their soldier brothers. You can find the grave markers of the Niland brothers (on which Saving Private Ryan was based), and Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. When I return to Normandy, this will be on my to-see list.

D-Day Monument

 

Here's just one of the many monuments that you can see as you go along the beaches. This one is located just outside of the American Cemetary.

D-Day Beach

 

Shot of the beach from the monument

 

This is a shot taken from the monument looking down on to the beach. It was beautiful, and there were still people out walking in the sand.

Notre Dame Catheral

 

Mind you, there are many Notre Dame Cathedrals, but this one was on the way to the D-Day Beaches so I asked Bev to stop just so I could say I stopped at a Notre Dame Cathedral. It truly was an awesome structure - it was huge, and the design so intricate. I'm so glad we stopped here.

Back side of the cathedral

 

Close up shot of the entrance

 

Really, really close up

 

Scary stuff...

 

It's troubling for me that a scary creature like this is part of the decor of the Notre Dame Cathedral. I know, I know, it's goth...