Normally we dread August in Europe because everything closes down, the autostrada is jam-packed with Northern Europeans coming to Italian beaches, the mountains are crowded with Italians escaping the heat, and it becomes unbearably hot and muggy where we live. But this year we had a French vacation to look forward to with Papa, Gaga, and Reese, my only niece (out of four total) that I have ever met.
We flew into Paris on Saturday morning, rented a car, and started the 3 hour drive to Normandy. Instead of stopping in the tourist traps of Rouen or Honfleur on the way we chose the smaller, out-of-the-way village of Les Andelys on the river Seine.
Papa and Gaga in the quiet downtown. There was a wedding at the church while we were there and the bars were soon crowded with guests in fancy clothes.
Of course there was also a carnival in town and the kids wanted to try out the aqua-gerbil wheels. It was not as much gerbilling and a lot more falling than you would think, even for ultra-coordinated Reese. Reesie can do front flips, back flips, back handsprings, one-handed cartwheels and aerials on and off the trampoline. She was a great inspiration for our kids and even taught them a few things.
The town of Les Andelys and the river Seine.
Georgie and Reese from the same spot. We hiked up to the castle above the town which was built in the 1100s by King Richard the Lion-hearted during a time when England claimed Normandy.
There was also a medieval festival going on at the castle and these guys were demonstration-sparring with dull swords, shields, helmets, and chain mail on the castle grounds. It was really fun to watch.
With Papa and Gaga at the festival. I love Juliet's face/pose in this picture and also the short knight in the background taking off his helmet.
Three generations of Pettey girls with the river Seine and the town of Gaillon in the distance.
The castle proper is in the background behind the tents. It was surrounded by a wall with towers for defense against those pesky Franks.
Taking in the view.
Summer vacation 2015 - part 2!
After eating at a Lebanese restaurant (because it was the only one open between 3 & 7 pm), and which closely resembled Greek food (just as Andreas our Athenian food guide had told us), we finished the drive into Ver-sur-mer, which literally translates to "View on the sea".
Papa standing in front of the "cottage" where he, Gaga, Reese, and a rotating cast of Merback chidren slept. It was an old "gypsy" caravan that the owners had renovated.
Breakfast the next morning. We all stuffed ourselves full of fruit tart, baguette, french butter, homemade preserves, fresh fruit, and local yogurt.
We had woken up early that morning to make it to our Normandy guided tour on time. Adrian, a kid from Avignon who had lived in Waco, TX, as an exchange student (what a terrible American experience!) was our guide.
Two important things here. One is the "Peace Statue" which was given by China in recognition of the sacrifices made by British, Canadian, and American forces in WWII and is the same one they have in Bejing. Two, the "National Guard" memorial for Tech Sergeant Frank Peregory, member of the Army National Guard and winner of the Medal of Honor. At this location he charged into the Nazi fortifications with only grenades and a bayonet, no bullets. He single handedly killed 8 Nazis and made another 35 surrender, including machine gunners.
WWI-era German artillery that they used to fire on the boats approaching the beach heads.
Adrian at Pont du Hoc teaching us the history of the place. Every crater and depression you see in the background was made by American artillery and bombs dropped from planes.
The Ranger monument at Pont du Hoc. This was where the Nazi officers were stationed with their communications center. From here they could see all the way from Utah beach to the west to the end of Omaha beach to the East. A platoon of Army Rangers attacked here on D-day, 6 June 1944. They climbed the cliffs using their daggers, which is what the monument represents.
The cliffs that the Rangers scaled. If one fell, another started climbing in his place.
You can see the Nazi bunker behind us. The Rangers stuck flame throwers in the ventilation system to burn up all the oxygen. When the Nazi officers fled through the exit the Rangers stood above them and executed them, even if they had their hands up. No time for prisoners at 0-dark thirty on D-day.
The view from inside the observation bunker.
Looking to the east towards Omaha Beach.
Isaac outside the bunker.
A view from a different angle.
And the girls posing just outside the bunker where the Nazis were executed. Lovely.
This was the site of one of the Nazi rotary artillery cannons. These were exposed and easy targets for the bombers that flew over.
So the Nazis wised up and built hardened structures to protect the cannons. You can see on the left side where an American artillery shell from a ship in the Channel (Do NOT call it the English Channel in France!) struck the bunker. These guns had a range of about 15 miles, while the ships' guns had a range of only about 10 miles. Pont du Hoc is great because it has been left intact, just as it was 71 years ago.
We left Pont du Hoc and drove towards Omaha beach. This is a museum/shop with the flags of the three nations that invaded Normandy and the insignia of the American infantry units that attacked Omaha beach. We didn't stop very long at Omaha Beach proper because it is mostly a pleasure beach with seaside cottages and tourist traps masquerading as museums nowadays. As Adrian says, that's why we won the war, so we could go back to normal life.
The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, however, is an entirely different story. The land was gifted to the US and is considered American soil, same as the embassy. The trees, bushes, and grass (Kentucky Blue) are all American species shipped over and planted. There are over 9,000 people buried there, as most of the bodies (about 60%) were shipped home to families. This is the grave of one of only four women buried there: Elizabeth Richardson, a Red Cross nurse. Her plane was shot down over Normandy. She had no family and her husband's family did not want her body.
Frank Peregory's grave, the Medal of Honor winner. Working my line management and primary care provider jobs for the US military makes me jaded and cynical, but this man's grave cuts through all that.
The Niland Brothers, who were the inspiration for the story of "Saving Private Ryan". Brothers Preston, Robert "Bob", and Frederick "Fritz" were part of the invasion at Normandy. Edward served in the Army Air Forces in the Pacific. On May 15, 1944, Edward was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese in Myanmar (Burma). On June 6, Bob was killed holding off the Nazis while his company retreated in Normandy. On June 7, Preston was killed near Utah Beach. That is three brothers within 23 days. Fritz fought at Normandy and learned several days later that his brothers had been killed. He was shipped back to the UK and then to the US and home to his mom.
Preston's grave on the left, Bob's on the right.
"Here rests in honored glory a Comrade in Arms known but to God." There are about 600 of these at the cemetery. On the back of the tombstones are the service numbers found on the soldiers' dog tags. These markers are blank.
The visuals of this place are mind-blowing and humbling and gratitude-inducing all at once.
It's almost too much.
The family walking amongst the tombstones.
Stopping to read a few names. You could spend hours here.
We took this one to remember the Italian immigrants who had moved to New York and went back to the old country, fighting to reclaim it.
General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., on the right, Teddy's son and FDR's cousin. Died of a heart attack a little over a month after D-day. It was that stressful. He had to have a waiver to keep serving as he was pretty old at the time. Also a Medal of Honor winner. Next to him is his brother, First Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, who was killed in World War I but whose body was moved here to lie next to his brother.
We took this one because we couldn't find any Merbachs, Dustes, Roths, Garffs, Parrys, Brimhalls, or Pettersons.
The map of Allied operations in Europe in WWII. Normandy is in the center left, and added to the three other flags is the French flag, as they were able to join the push eastward after the liberation.
Behind the kids is our neck of the woods, Veneto and Friuli in northeastern Italia. The American 5th Army pushed north into Austria through Bolzano, where we went to the Christmas market and saw Oetze, the Ice Man. The British 8th Army pushed northeast through Friuli past Udine, where we go to soccer games, and into Austria, Slovenia, and Trieste.
At 1730 I rushed out of the museum to make sure that I didn't miss taps being played while the French employees lowered the flag.
If you need to awaken some latent patriotism, there are worse places in the world.
Between our two visits at the cemetery (we went back in the afternoon), we had lunch and walked around in Bayeux, the largest city near the Normandy beaches.
Nann and Craig enjoying "galettes", savory buckwheat crepes stuffed with goat cheese and ham and walnuts and honey and deliciousness.
The restaurant was called "Moulin de le Galette" after the water wheel and the crepes.
The cathedral in Bayeux, which was quite stunning, even for someone with a bad case of cathedral fatigue.
Macaroons at the best bakery in town according to Adrian.
That evening we went to our beach in Ver-sur-mer, which is in between the British Gold Beach and the Canadian Juno Beach.
Low tide. Look how far out you can walk on semi-dry land. The kids had a field day.
Isaac in the muck.
Juliet in the muck. High tide sees the water all the way up to that wall in the top right.
The girls in the muck. There were several people out collecting oysters and mussels, but we didn't see any.
Dinner that night back at our B&B. We bought a bunch of local foods and just chowed. The owner's dog, Grenade (which means "pomegranate" in French) was eager to join in.
A creek running through the property on its way to the Channel (or "Le Mange", in French). Grenade would repeatedly jump in the water trying to catch one of the fish floating by.
The next day we played at the beach some more, ate lunch in a nearby town, and then headed southwest to the Brittany border to see the famous island town of Le Mont Saint Michel.
Are you kidding me?! It is like something out of fairy tale or Lord of the Rings. This walled island with an abbey on top is out in the middle of the sea. We were there at low tide so the mud was exposed. Saint Michael allegedly appeared to a monk and told him to build a monastery on this spot way back in the 11th century. It survived two sieges by the English during the 100 Years War and was used as a prison by Louis XIV. In the late 1800s it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the tourism commenced!
Crazy faces!
My boy and I.
Nann at a cemetery inside the village.
Juliet imitating the adults with the gift Papa bought for her: a toy camera with pictures of Mont Saint Michel in the viewfinder that change when you press the button, just like those old Disney viewfinders we used to have as kids.
Reese on the steps leading up to the abbey.
This place was like a medieval playground and the kids loved it.
Georgie and I. Bordering the sea are salt marshes where they graze sheep. The meat is a local specialty and has a certain flavor because the sheep eat so much salt.
Inside a nook in one of the walls. So great that my kids got some cousin time!
The view from the ramparts.
The view of some punk kids on the ramparts.
Three generations of Nina Nannettes!
More views of the walls and the sea.
Farewell shot with the cousins.
And just to give some perspective, this is what it looks like off in the distance. Like something from another world.
We drove back home, packed up, and headed out the next morning. I drove into Paris on diesel fumes, sweating bullets the whole way, but at least Google Maps took us on a road along the western Seine with a view of the Eiffel Tower, then past La Place de la Concorde, where Marie Antoinette was beheaded, then past the Notre Dame, and finally to our hotel right by La Sorbonne.
While I drove the van back to Orly airport and caught a train back into town, the rest of the crew headed to the Eiffel Tower.
Dream come true for Reesie Pooh.
This is another thing that Reese taught my kids on this trip: sassy poses for pictures.
You know, just hangin' from the Eiffel Tower.
They rode the elevator to the second platform, which is cheaper, faster, has better views, and is not nearly as windy as the top is anyway. Trocadero in the background across the Seine.
Lookin' good, girls.
You too, buddy.
The Champ de Mars with the French Military school behind it. These are the fields where the cadets used to drill and practice surrendering to the Germans. I kid, I kid! Dennis Miller joked that the French were improving the quality of their school lunches because they wanted to raise the next generation of healthy cowards.
I finally joined up with them at the bottom and there was much rejoicing. I took this pseudo-artistic shot while the rest perused the tourist trap shops along the Champ de Mars.
That night we ate dinner at a place close to the hotel. It was billed as "rustic", which meant that it was French "comfort" food. We had some amazing duck confit and goat cheese salad, but I think I ate more fried potatoes at that meal than I ever had in one sitting in my entire life.
The next morning we split up, Isaac and I heading to a LEGO art exhibit, "The Art of the Brick", while the others went to Notre Dame.
Georgie and Papa at the entrance.
The famous Christian missionary who was beheaded by the pagan Franks but picked up his head and kept on preaching anyway!
Georgie and Gaga inside.
The famous altarpiece.
The windows above.
Apparently Georgie climbed a fence and was hanging upside down when Reese decided to pretend Georgie's hair was a blonde wig.
Which caught on with Ms. Impressionable.
And then spread like cross-dressing wildfire.
Aunt Rita?
Saint Chapelle with the lovely high stained glass windows.
Place des Voges where Victor Hugo once lived.
Louis XIII in Place des Voges.
The Arc du Triomphe.
And some fancy schmancy store on the Champs d'Elysess with a sparkling crystal staircase.
Meanwhile, Isaac was contemplating how long it would take to build a human replica out of LEGO and how many pieces it would require...
"Blue" or "The Swimmer". The artist's name is Nathan Sawaya, a former New York corporate attorney who quit his job to become a professional LEGO artist.
A half-scale David.
This one touched me. These are donated bricks from families who were just going to throw them out or sell them at a garage sale. He didn't bother to sort them, just built a peace sign out of the multicolored recycled pieces.
His most famous work, "Yellow". You can barely see Isaac. No flash allowed.
San Giorgio Maggiore (in Venice) at Dusk, by Claude Monet. In LEGO.
Van Gogh's "Starry Night".
This one was cool. He built a rosetta window out of transparent LEGO bricks and then shone a light through them onto the floor. Very cool. Behind and to the left is a 1:1 scale model of Rodin's "The Thinker".
I'm disintegrating! A common theme in this guy's work.
There were four of these skulls, red, green, yellow, and blue, all along the wall. If you ever get the chance to take your kids to his show, do it! Great for adults and little ones.
We then headed to the same place everyone else did but just a little bit earlier (or later, not really sure). The Arc du Triomphe is HUGE! Way bigger than the Arch of Titus, which inspired Napoleon to build this behemoth.
Wow I look fat.
This facade was almost hilarious, especially combined with the painting in the Louvre where Napoleon snatches the crown out of the pope's hands and crowns himself Emperor. The goddess Nike of Victory flies overhead while Aphrodite or some other goddess crowns Napoleon with an olive wreath. Of course he is standing on a pedestal so she isn't taller than him. And some other crowned woman is kneeling at his feet with an offering while a scribe records it all for history. What a megalomaniac. Imagine if Washington built a monument like this for himself.
Standing in the middle of the Champs d'Elysees, where the Tour de France finishes every year.
Isaac and I found a great restaurant for some more duck confit and goat cheese salad. And of course more fried potatoes.
We met up at the Louvre where Craig and Nann took the big kids on a whirlwind tour while Ashley and I took Juliet home for some R&R. We then rewarded Papa and Gaga for their generosity by dumping all the kids on them at the hotel and going out for falafel by ourselves. I love grandparents.
Notre Dame and the Seine at dusk.
Our new favorite spot in Paris, a beautiful square behind the church of St. Gervais. If we had known about it we would have tried to eat there, but we were on a mission to try the best falafel in the city.
The next morning Ashley and I took off AGAIN by ourselves (grandparents!!!) and did a lightning tour of the Musee d'Orsay. We were underwhelmed by the impressionists. Not that they weren't talented, but the paintings of lilies and bridges and ponds and parties didn't speak to me. We did enjoy Cezanne and Degas. Toulouse Lautrec and Van Gogh were likewise amazing, as were the sculptures by Rodin. But the Naturalists were my favorite, especially this one, "A Meeting" of Parisian street urchins, by Marie Bashkirtseff:
The fence graffiti on the left side looks like someone played "Hangman" and lost. And the kids are wearing the same kind of smocks that our kids wear to Italian school.
Meanwhile, Papa and Gaga had taken the kids to the amazing playground at Luxembourg Gardens where the kids played on zip lines and rope pyramids until they dropped.
Various states of happy and tired.
And that was pretty much it for our third and final France vacation. We accomplished two of our three goals, falafel and the Orsay, missing out on the Montmartre neighborhood. It was great to make it to Normandy with Papa and Gaga and to give Reese the Paris experience. Au revoir, France.
