Our final day was a somewhat spontaneous trip to Normandy to see the D-Day battlegrounds and sites.

Taking the high speed rail to Normandy and making a day trip proved to be an easy feat. I think it would have been cheaper to rent a car, but seeing as we’d done no preparation, save download a few podcasts the night before, we opted for the train and a guided tour.

We were actually going to take a day trip to Fontainbleu, but when we went online to recheck train directions, we noticed it was closed on Merdi. This led to a Google search of realizing that Merdi was Tuesday. And it was Tuesday. This prompted a rush to the train station, a purchase of tickets to Normandy, and running to the platform just in time to see the train pull away. So long train!

Luckily, rail tickets in France are good for two months so we could exchange them. There is a discount if you are under 26, proof that I happily showed. With our hearts now set on Normandy, we booked tickets for the next morning for Caen. After all, I was forced to read Steven Ambrose’s D Day in AP European History and have always had a fascination with WWII history, since my grandfather was an Air Force pilot in the war, stationed in Italy. I just never thought a day trip to Normandy was possible – my fault for not looking into it – and when it became doable, I was hooked.

Besides, we’d seen a lot of castles and a lot of art. Husband was not castled-out, but I think I like modern history best.

It is a 2-hour train ride to Caen from Paris. I was excited to ride the high speed rail, I am a public transit nerd after all (think I’m joking, I spent this week at the California Transit Association Conference) but I don’t think it went very fast. It was nice and idyllic to see the French countryside though. From the train station, we crossed the street, took the tram three stops to Bernières, and transferred to the number 2 bus. I was amazed at the public transit the city of 150,000 has.

The number 2 bus ends at Le Memorial, a peace museum. The museum starts, in detail, with the end of World War I and builds to World War II and D-Day. I thought it was remarkably well done – and everything is translated into English. We spent two hours there and didn’t quite manage to see the whole thing.

A tip if you do go – they were charging 22€ for a muffin, croissant and a drink – the same meal should cost 5€. But, we walked directly across the street and found a small sandwich shop at the university (well, I think it was a university) with reasonable prices and got lunch for two for 11€. It reinforced my personal travel motto of “walk the block.” If you think the prices are high, walk a block further away from the crowds.

The museum is 17.50€ each – but we opted for a museum pass and a bus tour of Normandy for 35€ per person. The bus tour was at 1 p.m. – though they have one earlier. I felt like it got us a good taste of the monuments. Our guide was passionate but not over the top.

First, we saw Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument, the battlefield where 300 U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to take out German artillery stations. The whole battlefield is pockmarked with from bombs, and it leaves quite an impression of the gravity of war. I imagine several young German soldiers being scared for their lives as planes dropped bombs overhead – as well as American soldiers climbing a cliff and watching their comrades die into the ocean.

Next was Omaha beach. I tried to take a pebble in memory, but I just couldn’t take anything from the site. I thought of soldiers walking into what they surely knew was gun-filled territory, and yet doing it anyway. The beach was peaceful, but full of children playing. It seemed fitting that children should play freely in a place where freedom had so bravely been won.

We then stopped at the American cemetery. This place was so tourist-filled that it was hard to feel the proper spirit that you hear of getting at the battlefield-turned-cemetery. Yet, I felt happy that so many were coming to pay their respects. I kept wondering about the choice of leaving your family member buried overseas, and couldn’t ever come to a conclusion on what choice I would make – to leave a brother in Normandy, close to the cause he had died for, or bring him home. Either way, it is an breathtaking site to see all of the crosses and stars.

Our next stop was at the temporary harbor. This was impressive. These cement blocks the size of football fields were created in Britain and then floated by boat to the Normandy coast. They were kept upright with balloons and long poles that deterred low-flying aircraft as well. When they reached their destination, the plug was pulled out and they sank. I couldn’t believe the genius. Apparently the same technique was used in Kuwait in the first gulf war. The port was working for only a few days when a storm came and knocked it out – the British were able to repair and the U.S. devised another system – still with the German troops only pushed back 30 miles, they were able to ship in thousands of tons of supplies.

With that, we were dropped off in Caen and jumped on the tram thing to the train station. We easily could have walked, but we were worried about missing the train.

Also of note, Caen honors Joan of Arc, as she was executed nearby. We only passed the site in the tram, but I wish time had permitted stopping. Someday I hope to take my daughter there and say, “this is one amazing women. We can be of the same cloth.”

The last picture and last pastry of Paris.