Today was an emotional day. Well, my emotions were definitely on the surface. The weather played perfect to the emotions that were so prevalently on the surface. We woke up early this morning and packed up our hotel room in Bayeux. We then headed out to Coleville de Mar where the American Cemetery from D-day is.
I knew it was going to be emotional going to a place that so many Americans lost their lives fighting for world freedom. We got to the memorial a little early. The sky was a dreary grey, but it never rained. We were able to walk down to Omaha Beach. There was a ship out there. We could almost envision the mass of battleships, aircrafts, guns and bombs going off while we were standing there. It was very peaceful with no one there. The birds were chirping and the ocean made its wonderful sound. As we walked back up to the memorial the workers were just putting up the American Flag. That’s when the tears started flowing.
We couldn’t get to the actual graves today since the workers were mowing the lawns and getting everything ready for the D-Day anniversary. The cemetery was absolutely beautiful. The museum was hard to get through as well. I was happy to see that I was not the only one with tears running down my face as we watched one of the videos. There were quotes from some of the military who served during the invasion. It was a hard fought battle, but one that needed to be won. I think they knew that and that made them accept the responsibility.
We are so grateful for the men and woman who fought for our country and freedom back then and now. Words never seem adequate for what they do or have done.
After the cemetery we drove to Caen. I was in a somber mood and I think it has stuck with me for the rest of the day. We dropped off our rental car and Fleur and found the train station. We again cut it pretty close and my stress levels rose(sp) and anxiety kicked in. When we got in the room to have our tickets printed up we ran into 2 missionaries from our church. It was almost reassuring to see them. One was from Utah and the other was from Beaverton, Oregon. We had a nice little chat with them. We got to cut some more people in line so we could make our train.
The stress continued after we made our way back to Paris and then had to navigate through the Paris metro which was really crowded. Then we had to navigate through the Paris Nord station, which is huge and the SNFC is having a strike today so there weren’t as many workers. We finally found which way to go and where to get our tickets and then we waited to board our train.
I stayed relatively calm while going through the chunnel. I really thought I was going to be in more of a panic, but I just tried now to think about it. It went by really quick. We finally got to our London hotel after taking the tube, bus and walking. Something was not working on the train we were supposed to get on so we decided to walk. We are but two weary travelers seeking a bed now. I think the two fast days in Normandy were really exhausting.
Tomorrow will be a new day and we will be rested before we take on London.
We arrived at Mont. Saint Michele a little after 10am. I can always tell when Damon is amazed by something. He get very contemplative. I also know when he loves a place because he has to take photos every 5 steps. The only bummer about today was the grey sky. Mont Saint Michele was amazing though. Well worth the drive out to Normandy and the extra two days to the trip. The tour was great. I can't believe how old the building is. It was started in the late 900's. After the tour we strolled down the narrow cobblestone paths, grabbed a panini and went back to the car. 
We drove to Bayeux next. There were two reasons for coming here. 1-it's near the D-Day beaches, 2-the Bayeux tapestry is here. For those who don't know what that is, may I suggest watching "Robin Hood, Prince of Theives" opening credits. They show it there. In this tapestry, that was made in the late 1000's, a story of the Duke of Normandy is told. William wants to be King of England after his cousin, King Edward dies. The story goes on to tell of William's domination over the Anglo-Saxon army. He eventual killed his competition and became king. The tapestry is amazing. There are so many small details on it. We couldn't take any pictures of it.
We also walked around this medieval town and visited the Cathedrel of Bayeux. It was very beautiful.
We just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Our hotel was a little weird. Glad it is only for one night. Tomorrow we are going to the American Cemetary and then to Caen to catch the train for London. I am excited to be in the same city for more than 3 days. 
Damon said this was his favorite picture of the day. So I put it in.
We went to the pool area in Olympic park for obvious reasons. It was fun seeing the place were some history occurred in the Olympics.
We had quite the busy day today. It’s 10pm and we are just now getting in. It really was the most fun day. I enjoyed it and I think Damon did too. One of these days he will do a blog entry so everyone can hear is opinion of the trip.
This morning started out kind of frantic. It is a holiday so we were told by our hotel staff that everywhere would be closed. That made me a little nervous because I really wanted to rent a car today and go out to Neushwanstein. Our hotel staff told us yesterday that the car rental place next door was going to be closed. We found one downtown that was open, but wouldn’t be until 10am. That was a bit frustrating because we wanted to get an early start on the day. When we were leaving at 9:15am Damon suggested that we walk by the rental agency by the hotel. So we did and they just happened to be open. We got an Audi A6 wagon. Damon fell in love instantaneously. It had a Nav system in it and I think that made all the difference. After we figured out how to make her talk Enlish, we named her Helga.
We finally found Mad King Ludwig’s Castle. It lived up to everything that I read about it. The views were stunning. The lake was gorgeous and huge. The hike to get to the castle was invigorating. After the castle we headed to the Marion Bridge. I think that is where the best view of the castle came from. The bridge would move a little and that made me nervous. We hiked back down the mountain in 12 minutes even though it said 30. There was another castle that was across the street, but not quite as impressive. I believe my mother put it best when she said, “It’s amazing what one can do with unlimited credit and no responsibility.”
Tomorrow is a day of traveling. I am already dreading it. 
Today was a fun and relaxing day. We didn't do to many crazy things. We got to talk to the kids and my parents and that was nice. I think Damon really misses them.
Tomorrow we are going to Fussen, Obergaumu and Neuschwanstein. I would love to add Salzburg to that list since it is just to the East of us, but Damon glares at me when I bring that up:)
A busy, but unstressful day. Our last morning in Paris was spent packing and going out to breakfast at the little cafe across the street from the hotel. Then we headed towards the airport. Our flight to Germany was short and uneventful. It's still funny to think I can fly across a country fast than I can get from Portland to San Diego. 
Oh. I took some pictures from the bathroom in our hotel in Paris because it was quirky. Just like the one in Samoa. Every bathroom is unique. That big silver thing isn't a tissue box. It is the biggest flush button that I have seen.
Munich is quaint. It is pretty too. It is old mixed with new. We didn't do much today except get our barings and explore the main square. We just happened to arrive at the time of celebration. It started in the subways and continued all evening. The Munich soccer team had a game tonight against an Italy team. Public drunkeness was a must as well as wearing red and burning Italian flags. Even the Police were smiling. It was kind of funny. Damon asked me if I wanted a Swatch when we saw a Swatch Store. I told him I had one when I was 12. We also saw a man in full lederhoisen (sp?). That made me giggle. We came home early and had a quiet evening at home.
This was a hard day. There was a lot of walking. A lot of unsurity and a little confusion. It all makes for some very grumpy travelers. 
We had a difficult trip back to Paris trying to take different metros home and finding out they were trams and such, but we did make it eventually.
Our last night in Paris we took it easy. We walked down the streets and Montparnesse again and found a store that was like Target. We found a cute little crepe restraunt and just had to eat there. 3 days here and Damon hadn't had a crepe yet. Crazy. They were tre bien. It is a nice quiet night. I keep looking out our window to see the Effiel Tower just one more time.
