Tag: Normandy

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Quiet Heroes from the Greatest Generation

Aunt Gwen passed away last week.

Upon hearing the news, I paused to reflect on the interactions I had with her those many years ago. She was married to Uncle Hal, my mother’s brother. This somehow led me down the path of thinking about my three uncles. Besides being related to me, they had one thing in common: they all fought in World War II.

Signing of the Japanese surrender on board USS Missouri, 2 September 1945. Photo by U.S. Navy (1945). PD-US Government image. Wikimedia Commons.
Signing of the Japanese surrender on board USS Missouri, 2 September 1945. Photo by U.S. Navy (1945). PD-US Government image. Wikimedia Commons.
P-47D-40 Thunderbolt. Photo by Kogo (2006). PD-GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. Wikimedia Commons
Thunderbolt. Photo by Kogo (2006). PD-GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. Wikimedia Commons

My father’s brothers fought in the Pacific: Uncle Pete was in the army fighting in the Pacific (Burma) while his brother Bill commanded a sub chaser (his ship tied up to the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay to protect it during the formal ceremony ending the war). Uncle Hal was a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot stationed in England and his 97 missions were to attack key German targets over Europe.
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Day Trips Outside Paris

Chateau Gillard
Château-Gaillard (photo – 2006) Philippe Alès. Wikimedia Commons.

If you are adventurous while staying in Paris, go rent a car and take a couple of day trips outside Paris. If you decide to do this, I suggest you purchase and take a GPS system with you. Sandy and I use the Garmin® nüvi 1370T. I’m not sure whether this model still exists but whatever you settle on, make sure it includes France and any other country you decide to visit.

There are 3 destinations pretty much in a straight line from Paris: Giverny, Château Gaillard, and Rouen. The town of Giverny is where you will find the home and studio of one of the greatest French impressionists, Claude Monet. Yes, the gardens are fantastic and the bridge, lilies, and flowers he painted are still there. The city of Rouen, approximately 59 miles from Paris, still maintains much of its medieval flavor. It was here that Joan of Arc was imprisoned (the tower she was tortured in still exists), tried, and burned at the stake.

It is the Château Gaillard that most people miss. It is located midway between Rouen and Giverny. Situated on a hill outside the small town of Les Andelys and overlooking the bend in the river Seine, the fortress was built in 1197 by King Richard the Lionhearted (yes, the king of the Robin Hood fable). Read More Day Trips Outside Paris