Our first excursion is to Normandie. Why? Because all the Americans go here- one student was kidding. In fact, this place is loaded with history and I felt a real honor and gratefulness for being able to visit Normandie of today.
After a 3-hour bus drive from 7am, we arrived at Memorial de Caen. It is a museum where you will be able to get a background on the major military conflicts in Europe during the 20th century: WW1, WW2, D-Day, The Battle of Normandy. The museum was comprehensive and touching. Some time ago, I used to tell my friends that sometimes I wanted to know how it was like to be living in wartime, that if only a war would happen so I know it was like. That was ignorance speaking. After the visit, I was deeply moved and educated that I never never ever want war to ever happen again in any place to anyone. So much injustice and hate and violence. I hope that we are learning to not make the same mistake twice.
gas mask for baby. 1st time witnessing this.
inflation was rampant
ration tickets
Seeing these weapons in real life is 100 times more different than on the screen. They are so so much bigger than they seem on screen in those war movies.
Then we drove to the Pointe du Hoc where the Battle of Normandy took place. For detailed information on the history of this site, I recommend watching the following video: https://youtu.be/G3UGje5INJk. Years after years, the land healed itself. However, one will be immediately struck by how much the ground was ravaged in the past. There are huge, gigantic holes everywhere, the earth’s scars. I could not comprehend how lucky I am to be able to stand here in peacetime, and that years ago, this place was a battlefield where limbs were bombed flying around, so much blood of people my age was shed, so much courage, so much sacrifice and selflessness.
When I was in this pitch dark chamber (photo with flash), I couldn’t help not seeing the image of so many soldiers swarming in this tiny space looking out of that tiny hole. This chamber is the preservation of their lives.
These are the photos from my photo series: The land heals itself after all those years. Here, I want to portray the harmonious coexistence of weapon and groundscape, remnants of war and nature, destruction and growth, the past and the present. Here, nature takes over, transforms weapons of war and heals itself to a harmonious melody.
My new friends. I think they were just trying to be friendly, or more exactly they wanted someone to take their photos in that mellow sunset. I’m a cynic.
On Friday, we had a small French breakfast at the youth hostel before traveling to Bayeux. In the city of Bayeux we visited the Musée de la Tapisserie. To learn more about the tapestry and its history, I recommend the videos and lessons presented here.
After your visit of the museum, we had some free time to explore the town of Bayeux and its cathedral.
The cathedral opposite to our hostel. Very imposing at night, hein?
This tapestry is 70 metres long !
To-do: Do research to figure how people built these huge-ass mind-boggling cathedrals
American Cemetery …
This reminds me of how I learnt history in middle school.
I want to leave you readers with a poem.