a trip to caen

we took a trip to caen recently - which we decided to take because the train tickets were cheap! almost everything we saw and everywhere we went were dominated by the history of world war ii. caen was almost completely destroyed during the war, and was occupied by the nazis. the result is a city rebuilt in utilitarian fashion in the 1950s with a few pieces of historical architecture spread throughout. inspired by the history, we decided to take a day trip to omaha beach and the american cemetery. if you dont know the history, it is the beach in the north of france that the allied forces, led by the americans and british, invaded in order to liberate france from the nazis. it was a solemn visit, and when they played the american national anthem, all the visitors stopped and bowed their heads. there was a strong sentiment of thankfulness to the american and british troops who stood up for a country of people they didnt know. finally, we made a trip to bayeux, a historical town that survived the occupation and that maintains much of its history from the middle ages and even the gallo-roman times! check out some pictures!

caen

the city after a bombardment 

the inner courtyard of the men's abbey

this church leans as a result of the bombardment... it is the church from the first image

bayeux

a medieval mill on the left, a wary traveler on the right

omaha beach, american cemetery and normandy

check back soon for more posts!