Europe So Far

Well I made it to Europe!

I am typing on a French keyboard so sorry in advance for mis-typing. Things have been going well so far, I met up with Brendan Saturday morning at a Paris train station and we headed out to a lunch via grazing in a farmer's market...but in light of the recent E.coli outbreak it was mostly admiring than truly grazing, though we did get some good cherries. Then we bought some quiches and ate them at the park next to the Eiffel Tower.

After some desserts we continued on to the train station to catch a train to Bayuex, which is was our base of operations for our touring of Normandy. It ended up being a nice day so once we arrived we wandered a little ways and then decided on dinner at a little pizzeria. We ended up getting a pitcher of wine, a trio of local cheeses and a delicious pizza that we split. Afterwards it was on to the crepes for dessert....of course.

A house that gives a good idea what the town we stayed in looked like:

The next morning we headed out on our guided tour of Normandy (if you want to see all the major sites you need to get a tour because they are only accessed by driving).

We saw the German cemetery, Utah beach, Sant Louis-Eglais, Omaha beach, Pont du Hoc, the American cemetery as well as an additional spot between Omaha and the British landing where the major guns are still standing.

German cemetery:

American cemetery:

My favorite place was probably Pont du Hoc because it has been untouched since the war and as such you could see all the craters in the Earth from the Naval and Air Force bombings.

This was one of the pictures that showed the craters fairly well. Keep in mind it was at one point mostly flat:

People camping out in preparation for the anniversary celebration:

The next morning we caught an early train back to Paris and Brendan played psuedo tour-guide because we had a little time to kill. We stopped in Notre Dame and some of the sights nearby on the two islands on the Siene River.

We grabbed a to-go lunch from a highly recommended bakery (again with dessert of course...can't pass up on French pastries) and ate next to the river.

One of the bridges near where we were is known for couples putting locks on it and throwing the key into the river for good luck in their relationship. We were joking those who put combination locks on the bridge were not as optimistic as others on their love lasting.

After that it was almost time for us to split up, Brendan to meet Terry for cycling and me to find my hostel, so we grabbed a hot chocolate for the road since it has been so cold/rainy the past two days.

It was sad to say goodbye as I am now on my own for the travelling until Karl can hopefully meet up. Tonight's plan includes grabbing some dinner and an evening stroll on the Siene River. I can't wait to hear what's going on with the apartment back in Chicago! I saw pictures that indicate a successful sailing for Jack and Jules from Larsen's to Burnam Harbor though, Congratulations!! Time to grab some food...

-Marisa