Destinations and Reflection

With the knowledge that I am boarding a plane headed back to California tomorrow morning, I have become rather contemplative on my time here.

Before I get into comparing places and praising the idea of travel changing my world perspective, though, I should talk about my time Normandy, which was truly incredible.

The town we stayed in, a little tourist-driven place called Bayeux, is in the Normandy region of France, and is the cutest city I have ever stayed in. It rained every day we were there, but the weather didn't deter us from taking in the history of the D-Day Invasion.

We took a tour around the various locations related to the invasion and memorials, learning the history of each location. Our tour consisted of the two of us, our French tour guide, Maud, two older couples who played 'whose traveled more' the whole trip, and two middle-aged single men. The whole thing was reminiscent of the movie 'My Life in Ruins', which is a comedy about a tour guide in Greece. The tour itself was incredibly humbling to stand on Omaha Beach and learn of the boys who died there.

The invasion that happened on Omaha Beach was a disaster. The weather and stormy seas put it off a day, but the soldiers couldn't wait any longer and had to launch in terrible weather. The beach was lined with explosives and sharp metal objects designed to destroy ships, so they had to go in during low tide, early in the morning, which left a lot of open beach and deeper water to step into. Many soldiers drowned, while others were gunned down by the Germans, whose preparation for the attack made up for their fewer numbers. We don't know the exact number because quite a few boys (and I say boys because the average age of the soldiers was 19 to 20 years old--my age) went missing and were never recovered, but approximately 4,000 died on that beach on June 6th, 1944.

We climbed up the grassy hill beside it, where German bunkers sat and the soldiers had to climb to take the beach, which they eventually did, after an entire day of exchanging fire. We walked through Pont du Hoc, where the Rangers climbed the cliffs and destroyed the German bunkers, blowing concrete structures apart and leaving craters that remain to this day.

We went through the town where the paratroopers landed, having been blown around and confused by the storm. They were left to fight the German soldiers in the town, who unfortunately saw them coming because a large house was on fire that night and they were out trying to put it out. John Steele, the mascot of the paratroopers and local town hero because of his story, was stuck hanging on the church roof by his parachute, where had played dead for two hours before being captured by the Germans.

We saw the bridge that was fought over for a bloody three days as a way into the town and over the intentionally flooded farm ground. The Battle of La Fiere in memorialized in the small bridge still remaining and a table-sized plaque dedicated to the soldiers.

We saw the concrete remains of various bunkers and gun batteries littered along the fields of yellow flowers and grassy fields, not far from towns and churches with history stretching back to before the second World War. There was a small church in an even smaller town of around 56 people that held a lot of history. The story was actually lost until the man who lived it returned to the town 55 years later and recognized it, spreading his story. Robert E. Wright was one of two American medics, aged 19 and 20 years old, who set up a temporary hospital in the church, treating soldiers from both sides and creating a place of peace amidst war. They treated 80 soldiers and one 14-year-old boy whose family had been killed.

We saw the remains of the temporary harbor and bridge to bring in supplies, destroyed by the worst storm in French history, and then saw the larger Utah beach, where the invasion happened much faster and with great success, only losing about 100 soldiers before the Germans surrendered. Interestingly enough, among the German soldiers were two Korean men. They had been fighting the Japanese and been taken prisoners of war, where they were then made to wear the Japanese uniform and fight for that side. While fighting the Russians they were again taken captive and made to join the Russian military. Then, while fighting the Germans, were taken captive for a third time and made to fight for the German military. After being taken captive by the American soldiers, the two were moved to the US and lived out their lives there.

The whole exploration of the areas and seeing the places I learned about in history classes was amazing, and moving into the reflective part of this entry, it was one of my favorite places. I think, if I were to pick my top few places, I would say that Normandy, Scotland, Berlin, and Amsterdam were my favorite places. I could have easily spent more time in each place.

It's odd to think that this time tomorrow (and keep in mind I'm not doing conversions or anything) I'll be back home in the states, seeing people and being places I haven't been in four months. After so long, I do think that I'm ready to be headed home and find some stability in placement (at least for a week before I head off to Minnesota for a graduation). I miss everyone back home a lot, and as much as I will miss the traveling I've done, I think it's time for me to return and share what I've learned in my time here.

The travels I've done and the places I've seen have truly been a blessing to my life, and I feel as though this experience has changed me for the better. Oxford was amazing, and for all the places I've been I am truly grateful for this opportunity I had to see the world and learn from it. I will miss the friends I've made and the places I've been, and I hope that one day I can return. Until then I hope to see the world in new light now, and enjoy the memories of the amazing things I've done.

So, for the last time (for now), good night London, and good morning Calfiornia,

Sam

A German bunker left intact from the D-Day Invasion

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach with the remains of a concrete barrier erected by the Germans to keep the American soldiers out

Omaha Beach cliffs, with concrete bunker remains, that the soldiers had to climb to take the beach

A memorial to the soldiers lost in Omaha

Omaha Beach cliffs

The American Cemetery in France Memorial

The American soldier cemetery in France, where thousands of soldiers who gave their lives during the invasion lay buried

A memorial

Some of the battle ground from the war front

The remains of the artificial harbor

Pont du Hoc

Pont du Hoc

Pont du Hoc craters left by bombardments and explosions

The church where John Steele hung for two hours; there's a fake man there now

La Fiere

A hedgehog, one of the barriers put on Omaha Beach to deter the soldiers

Utah Beach

The church where Robert E. Wright and the other soldier worked as medics to save soldiers on both sides. Inside there are still bloodstains on the pews, and the church takes nearly 26,000 pounds to keep up each year, something the 56 town residents assist in raising

Inside the church is a stained glass window depicting paratroopers and the Virgin Mary