Easter 2010

Do you hear it?!! No, I guess not.  What I hear as I am typing this post is nothing, just the quiet, something that comes only at night after 8:00 pm in the Henson house.  We visited Chase and Laura and the boys for the Easter week-end. To say there was something going on all the time is an understatement.  Everybody in  their house gets up by 7:00 am at the latest, and William and Wes go strong all day long, especially when the sun is shining and the weather is beautiful.  We played all kinds of ball games, rode bikes and tractors, wrote on the sidewalk, walked around the neighborhood, played ping pong, hunted Easter eggs, went to Church, and ate at the country club twice.  I am worn out!  However, I can't think of anything I had rather have been enjoying (wow, the verb tense on this sentence is dicey) any more than spending my time with my precious family.  God is so good, and His son is risen. Alelluia!

Reed  enjoys being outside

Yep.  This is one of those pics that will come back to haunt him during his senior year in the yearbook.

Ditto

Two peas in a pod!

All duded up for Easter!  William, Wes, and now Reed have worn the Easter outfit Honey made for William on his first Easter.

Sunday, March 14: Steps and More Steps

Oh, no!  the alarm rings at 6:45.  We have a long day ahead and we have to get going early.  We dress and go downstairs to breakfast with bags in tow.  Same choices for breakfast, so I chow down on croissants, butter, and applebutter spread.  I think I do drink some o.j.  Do I get credit for being healthy? 

We throw our bags or I should say push our bags with a groan toward the bus driver to load.  He probably thinks we have brought half of our homes with us.  His name is Mio (more about him later, also).  We pull out at 8:45 heading for Bayeaux, home of the Bayeux Tapestry that tells the story of William, Duke of Normandy (he's not a conqueror yet) defeating Harold, the self-proclaimed King of England after the death of his father, King Edward the Confessor at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The town is quiet when we arrive at a fairly early hour for a Sunday morning.  The town is small and quaint, and  the weather is still cold and overcast.  We are a bit early for our 10:00 a.m. appointment to see the Tapestry so we have the opportunity to walk around and see what we can.  Debbie, Andy, Natalie, and I go up a hill to see the Bayeux Cathedral. 

Bayeux Cathedral

We quickly back track to meet our group and go into the building that houses the Tapestry.  We get an audio set to listen to while we view the story told with stitches.  FYI:  The Tapestry is not really a tapestry in the truest sense of the word because it it not woven.  It is made up of  8 linen pannels of various lengths equaling 70 meters long and 50 centimenters wide (229.55293086 feet by 1.6404199475 according to my trusty iPhone Units app). Later in the 18th century, the tapestry was sewn to a course backing with numbered scenes. The story is told in only eight colors that have lasted 9 centuries.  The last few episodes are a forgery in an attempt to restore the end of the tapestry, so what the final scene of the original tapestry looks like is unknown.  The tapestry is thought to have been sewn between the years 1077 to 1080 and was commissioned by Odo of Conteville, half brother of William.  It was saved during the French revolution by a local person and later given to the town of Bayeux by Napoleon and has been housed in its current home since 1983.  Class dismissed!

The work is amazing and the attention to detail, such as smiles, tears, mustaches, and the smaller details of the swords and horses' manes, is unbelievable .  It takes about 30 minutes to view the tapestry.  Afterward, we visit the gift shop and pick out those special memories of the visit.  Mine was a tapesty pillow cover and a statue of William the Conqueror for #1 grandson named William.

 Home of the Tapestry, formerly the Grand Seminary of the Diocese

We have a busy day, so we gather at the bus to head for Mont Saint Michel.  We ride for about an hour and a half.  No picture can prepare us for what we see as we begin to approach the Mont Saint Michel some 15 miles ahead of us.  The approach is composed of flat land hemmed  by the sea.  It is as if the town and catherdral rise out of nowhere.

Mio parks our bus and we prepare to climb to the abby at the very top.  First, we have to make our way through the narrow street that leads upward to the base of the abby.  Once we make it to the base, there are many,. many, many (did I say many?), steps to master before we get to see the beautiful view from the top.  

FYI:  Legend says that the sea covered over the area known as Scissy (not really known if there was such a place) and left 3 rocks sticking out.  It is upon these rocks that Mont Saint Michel was built.  There are 3 different routes up to the Abby, and needless to say we took the one that the guide book says is for "the entergetic or those in a hurry and who do not have a heart condition."  (We left Mary Ruth and Dianne at the bottom.  Just stating a fact.  No judgement at all.)  The sea that surrounds the island is full of quick sand that can fool even the most knowledgble of the tides and the comings and goings of the water.  The causeway that has been built out to the island is scheduled to be destroyed since it is causing the area around the island to silt up.  The tides will be allowed to come in again in their natuaral way, restoring the island nature of the area.

The island fortress reflects the medievil society:  at the bottom were the laborers, in the middle were those who fought, governed and reigned, and at the top were those who prayed, the monks who were first known as canons.They were later ousted for bad behavior and replaced with an order of Benedict monks. Several different churches in different archtectural styles are built on top of one another which make for a majestic building that allows a visitor to have a wonderful view from the top of the island.  Class dismissed!

We tour the various levels of the Abby and then begin our descent.  It is a lot easier going down than going up.  We visit some of the shops as we make our way down and again make those special purchases.  A watercolor here, some linen pieces there, and some china at that other shop.

Saint Mont Michel from several miles out

Karen, Debbie, and me under the sign of Mere Poulard's, a well-known restaurant that has been on the island since the mid 1800s.  They also make a wonderful butter cook that can be bought in stores.  Great with a cup of coffee!

We begin our way up the crowded street

Half way there.  Beautiful view!

At the base of the abby

Finally, at the top

View of the ocean

Our bus is the one at the top on the right.

The cloister of the Abby

We get something to eat and make a bathroom stop before we are to get on the bus for a four  hour ride to Paris.  Here is where we have a bit of a scare.  Brenton and Sara are not at the bus when we are ready to depart.  We are not sure how, but all of us make it back to the bus except them.  No one can quite remember where they were last seen.  Megan Kay panics a bit and goes back to look for them.  Rolando, Elyette and Debbie jump to the rescue and head back up the steep streets to look for them.  After a bit of looking, one of the rescuers recogonizes Brenton's Blues Brother hat, and they are all safe and sound.  We all load the bus and are on our way.

We ride for two hours and take a break.  We get a snack and are on our way again.  We ride for two more hours and enter Paris around 8:00 pm.  The town is lighted in all its glory and is impressive to this country girl.  The Eiffel Tower is lighted, and the miniture version of the statue of liberty holds her tourch high.  We drive through the tunnel where princess Dianna was killed in a fatal car crash.  We also get a view of the Arch de Triumph and the Champs E'lysses.  Just a taste to get us ready for the next day!

We check into our hotel, Hotel du Harve on  Rue Amsterdam at the Saint Laurent subway stop.  We throw our luggage into our rooms and gather to go eat.  Tonight we eat caprese salad, steak with gravy, french fries, and cream brule (yum!).  We stroll back to the hotel and fall into bed.  We are some tired little puppies!

Saturday, March 13: Sadness of War

We get our wake-up call at 6:30 a. m.  I am a bit disoriented and then remember, "Yes, DK, you are not in Mississippi anymore."  A peek out the window shows the day to be cloudy, misty, and cold.  So, we dress for the weather and head to breakfast.  Our choice is warm croissants, hard rolls, ham, bacon, something that looks like grits but can't be, fruit, juices, and coffee.  We fill ourselves for the long day, and then load onto the bus for our drive to Arromanches.

We ride for about 45 minutes through the Normandy countryside.  The area is hilly and the primary crops are apples, canola, grapes, along with cattle.  The morning stays overcast with a misty rain, and the wind picks up the closer we get to the beach.

  Normandy countryside--fields being prepared to plant

More Normandy countryside

We arrive at the museum at Mulberry Harbor on Gold Beach and take pictures and browse through some of the shops before we are to visit to the museum. At the museum we learn about what we have taken pictures of.

Museum at Mullberry Harbor

FYI:  During the attack on Normandy there were four beaches that were to be taken along the Atlantic Wall that was created by the German Army.  The wall was made  of concret defenses, some known as pill boxes, that housed large guns used for assult on incoming ships and troops from the English Channel  to the North Sea.   The Normandy  operation was known as Operation Overlord. The D-Day invasion began with British and American paratroopers dropping inland under the cover of night, and then the assault on the beaches began at 6:30 a.m. or  I should say 7:30 am since there was a huge storm that delayed the invasion.  The beaches assaulted were Utah and Ohmaha (US),  Gold  and Sword (England),  and Juno (Canada).  If you have seen The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan you know how bloody and fatal the assault was on the beaches.  But as history has recorded, the Allies succeded with a great loss of life, and France paid a terrible toll in destruction of the towns in the Normady provience.

One of the most interesting parts of the invasion was the building of a temporary harbor at Arromanches called Mullbery Harbor and nicknamed "Port Winston" after Winston Churchill.  We had the opportunity to listen to a presentation on the building of the harbor and it workings.  It is absolutely amazing what the ingenuity of nations combined for a single purpose could achieve.  The harbor was amazing and remnants still remain of the Allies' accomplishment.  Our guide is very knowledgable and ends her presentation with touching words acknowledging the sacrifice of the allies.

Inside the museum--pictures of those in command of the Normandy invasion

Our group looking at part of the diorama of the floating harbor

"The various parts of the Mulberry harbours were made around Britain in the greatest of secrecy. The many various parts were moved to Normandy immediately after June 6th – D-Day. By June 18th, both harbours were in use. They were meant to stay in use until the capture of Chebourg in the north of the Cotentin Peninsula. However, a violent storm begun on June 19th. By June 22nd, the harbour serving the Americans at Omaha had been wrecked. Parts of it were salvaged to repair the British harbour at Gold which worked for 10 months. In that time this harbour landed 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of goods" ("Mullbery Harbor." Ask.com).  Class dismissed!

Jeffery and me with part of the harbor in the background. Notice in the distance part of the remaining concrete caissons that set the boundry of the floating harbor.

Debbie and Natalie--Can you say "Cold!"?  Notice there are more of the remnants of the caissons in the back.

We finish our tour of the museum on our own and then head back to the bus.  We travel to The Memorial, the museum that commmorates the take over of France by the Germans and the Normandy invasion.  We tour the museum and catch a quick lunch.  We meet our guide Lisa (more on her later).

Mary Ruth standing outside The Memorial

Dresses made from remnants of the troops' parachutes from the night of the landing

We gather at the bus and ride to Longues sur Mer where we  visit several sites of the German pill boxes, some of which still hold rusted guns that shot at the ships and men as they invaded the beaches.  These defensive measures made up part of the Atlantic Wall.

Remains of one of the Greman pill boxes

Pill box with gun

Communication bunker at the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach at Longues sur Mer.  View from the pill box

Close up view of the communication bunker.  There is a scene in The Longest Day in which a German soldier communicates to the gunners in a pillbox the coordinates of incoming ships from a bunker like this.

Our next stop is at the American Cemetery where many of the thousands who did not survive the Normandy invasion are buried.  We first walk through the garden area that leads to the monument that has the statue of Youth Rising flanked by two olive trees.  As we look out from the monument, our eyes are directed down a long path flanked by graves that lead to the chapel at the other end.  Gravesites with Christian crosses and stars of David are as far as the eye can see.  We have a chance to visit the graves of President Teddy Roosevelt's two sons, along with the graves of the Niland brothers, upon whom the story of Saving Private Ryan is based.  Our visit to the cemetery is a very humbling experience and is one I wish every American could have a chance to make.

Entrance to the American Cemetery

Statue of Youth Rising flanked by two olive trees

Some of the gardens throughout the cemetery

Chapel ceiling

Chapel window

Grave sites

Time capsule to be opened on the 100th anniversary of the invasion June 6, 2044

Next, we load up again to travel to Omaha beach to the sight of the landing where so many lives where lost.  Another name for the beach is Bloody Omaha.

Full-size view of the monument directly on the beach

Some of our travelers wandering the beach and taking time for a photo opt

We then load up again to ride to Pointe du Hoc, a promontory that rises 100 feet over a small patch of beach and where the Germans had a major artillery battery.  This spot was the scene where the 2nd Ranger Batallion scaled the steep cliffs and took the battery and held it for two days until reinforcements arrived.  They started with 225 rangers; only 90 were capable of fighting since the others were wounded and unable to fight; 80 lost their lives.

Crater holes left from incoming bombs from invading ships.  It was decided to leave the craters as part of the Pointe du Hoc site instead of filling them and restoring the landscape.

Debbie and Elyette climbing out of one of the craters

Preservation work being done at Pointe du Hoc

Wildflowers at Pointe du Hoc

Even though the day has been one of emotion, it ends on a funny note with Mary Nelson. Many of the houses in theNormandy area are rather small, and Mary Nelson asks our guide why they are so small. He responds that there is a group of Normandy midgets who live in the area and they live in these small homes. And, Mary Nelson believed him, for a few minutes at least. We all have a good laugh to take off the somberness of the day.

We travel back to Caen and and later gather for dinner which is a bit "iffy."  We have salad and some kind of spam-like meat.  Not many us venture a taste.  Then our main course arrives, and we decide that we might should haven eaten the spam.  We have veal that doesn't look like any veal we have ever eaten.  Not many at our table venture to taste it, much less eat it.  Dessert is a choclate torte and spiced ice cream; one out of three isn't bad.  Several of us gather in the bar for a drink, and then we head to our rooms to get ready to travel to Bayeux, Mont Saint Michel,  and on to Paris.  I also make a promise to watch The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, and Band of Brothers once again.

Friday, March 12: "Death on a Cracker"

I can't decide: Is it 2:00 a.m. as in Mississippi time, or is it 10:00 a.m. as in France time?  Either way, I look pretty sad and feel like Debbie's description, "Death on a cracker."  I visit the restroom and wash my face, brush my teeth and hair, not with the same brush.  We land at Charles De Gaulle International Airport and jump through all the hoops we are suppose to when we land in a foreign country.  We claim our baggage and meet our tour guide for our visit to France, Roland Steigleder (more on him later).

We load our baggage on our bus and prepare for our two-hour ride to the town of Caen in the Normandy provience. We arrive two and a half hours later and waste no time seeing the sites.  FYI:  History first mentions Caen in 1025 and comes to promience with the reign of William the Duke of Normandy, a.k.a. William the Conqueror.  The town was made up of four districts and William chose to build his castle here along with a men's abbey.  His Queen Matilda also built one for women.  The city was totally destroyed in World War II except for one church that was left partially standing, Saint Jean.  Caen connects to the Orne River by way of a canal and also houses several museums including The Memorial, a testament to the the destruction of Normandy and France in World War II.  Class dismissed!

Our first site to visit is the L'Abbe de les Hommes built by William and the adjecent church Saint Etienne, where the remains of William the Conqueror are buried.  We then go to visit the remains of the castle of William.  The deep moat that surrounded the castle is still there along with the entrance with the drawbridge rails, and the destroyed walls of the living area of the castle.  We take advantage of the photo opts and then load on the bus to go for our hotel, the Holiday Inn Caen City Center.

 Driving into Caen

Saint Jean

L'Abbe de les Hommes

Tomb of William the Conqueror
It is believed that the only part of William that is buried is a bone from his leg since he was moved several times.

Drawbridge entrance to William castle

Remains of the moat around the castle

Dianne, Debbie, DK, and Elyette on the ruins of the castle outer wall

We get check in and visit in the lobby before going to dinner.  We have now been going on a 24 or more hour day and are running out of gas quickly.  We enjoy our meal of ham quiche and salad, salmon with bearnaise sauce and vegetables and rice, and chocolate mousse with strawberries and cream. Not bad. 

I am rooming again this year with Debbie Woodruff and Natalie Peerler.  We settle into our familiar routine and are in bed fairly quickly after getting our "stuff" ready for a full day tomorrow.

Thursday, March 11: On the Road Again

Our group of students and adults start gathering at the Eastwood Baptist Church parking lot around  8:00 a.m. to begin our trip France 2010.  We make introductions all around, and the adults meet our students we are to be paired with for the count off each time we travel.  I am #18 and my charge is Hannah Moor, daughter of Joel and Darby Moor of Indianola.  We pull out of the parking lot at 8:30 headed to Atlanta.  The morning ride is pleasant as we all catch up on the news of our lives since some of us haven't been together since we traveled to Spain last Spring Break.  We make a lunch stop at at rest area outside Cottonwod, Alabama at 12:30.  We eat our boxed lunches of chicken strips, ham and cheese sanwiches, chips, fruit and a candy bar.  We pull out again at 1:15 and arrive at the airport at 3:00.  We go through baggage check and customs, find our gate E22, and settle in to wait for our 8:30 flight.  Although we know we will be fed on the plane, most of us opt for a bite to eat before we board.  Phones are charged one last time and the "good-bye" phone calls are made.  Boarding startes at 7:45, and we are off the ground by 8:30.  We fly into the night and look forward to landing in Paris.

Our traveling crew includes:

Adults

(Well, we can't seem to find a group pic that includes all of us.  My camera was acting up when we made one that had most of us.  Hopefully, I can get one from a fellow traveler.)

Students

Anna Daniels, Mary Rodgers Brashier, Kat Vetrano, Frances Carroll, Kristen Haladay, Brian Hairston,  Anne Eliza Jordon, Mary Nelson Robertson, Turner Bridgeforth, Megan Kay Donahoe, Elizabeth Daniels, Lauren Sledge, Lelah Bridgeforth, Randi Fagan, Anne Franklin Helton, Lauren Simmons, Rex Allen Morgan, Hannah Moor, Brenton King, and Sara Lang.  Others not included as students and much younger than the adults were Meredith Sledge and Ellen and Caroline Jordon.

The kids are standing in front of a monument known as Les Braves created by Anilore Banon.  It was commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion and was to be dismantled after the celebration;  however, many protested and it still stands today.  i will show a picture of it in total later.