4 Amazingly Tastefull Days in Normandy

Day 1 We left for France on a Friday night from Chicago O'Hare. The whole trip took about 17 hours including the waiting time at the airport. Despite the long hours everything seamed to go pretty smoothly and the jet lag everyone talked about, did not show up until I returned back home. I guess I was full of excitement and adrenaline!

We arrived at Charles De Gaulle airport on Saturday at 3:25 p.m. (France time) and drove another two hours to our final destination, Bretteville I Orgueilleuse. Marie, our awesome host arranged for us to stay at Home du Monde -- an adorable Bed & Breakfast just a few blocks down the street from her (also adorable) 1800's house. I had my first espresso at the B&B where Phillipe the owner, made every single item in every single meal, from scratch!

Dinner was at Marie's house that evening -- A time to windup, get to know the rest of the group, and break the ice with Mr. Shay. Marie made us feel really welcomed right away inviting us to the kitchen to help with dinner and for my amusement, I discovered French dinners are similar to my Mexican dinners -- served in courses and late in the evening, they can last over an hour, and are filled with conversation!

Day 2 Omaha Beach is beautiful. Its blue skies, hills, and chili breeze enchanted me. Our first full day in Normandy consisted of ceremonies commemorating the 72nd anniversary of D-Day. On this day, Christophe Gosselin joined the group. He is the founder of Heritage Tours and let me tell you, we couldn't have asked for a better guide -- an expert in the subject, always willing to go above and beyond our expectations, and he rocked at taking over the camera or cell phone to snap a photo of Laura and I behind the scenes.

The first ceremony took place at the US Cemetery at Omaha Beach where Charles and Laura were invited to speak. A walk through the cemetery to pay our respects to Charles' comrades followed. It surprised me the amount of people approaching Charles to thank him, take a picture with him, have him sign a book, or simply say hi.

We had lunch at La Crémaillere Restarurant in Courseulles-sur-Mer. Laura and I had to change to our "civilian clothes", so the waitress took us to a cellar in the back of the restaurant, which was pretty awesome. The restaurant was filled with people in WWII attire with many of them being reenactors from Belgium.

We attended a second ceremony at the Bill Millin statue at Colleville-Montgomery. We had the chance to experience an awesome bag pipe parade. I had never seen and listened to so many bag pipes all at once and walking with the people to the beach a few blocks away was an awesome experience as well. I did not get a photo of this (due to my lack of height perhaps, so special thanks to Mimi Locke for allowing me to use her photo here).

We closed the day with an International Ceremony in Port en Bessin followed by a brief cocktail party. Despite the long wait (turns out we somehow got kicked out of the VIP area which prevented us from not only taking photos, but also follow the ceremony along), the pier, the bay, and the sightseeing were absolutely adorable. The blue skies were beautiful despite the thick fog, the smell of seaweed was intense, but the atmosphere was intoxicating.

We were exhausted by the end of the day, but managed to have a splendid dinner at Ferme de Billy - A really nice restaurant that specializes in apple cider and has a brunch-style concept. I loved their branding, the chalk walls, and their decor of course.

Day 3

We woke up at 5am and were on the road by 6am. We managed to avoid traffic and arrived to a very calm and empty beach. It was a pretty chili and unforgettable morning. The video/audio set-up took no time and the team worked wonders when it came to helping with the spectators. Charles performed a brief and beautiful Penobscot Traditional Indian ceremony, touching our hearts even deeper. It was nice to see people's reaction when they were explained what we were doing and realizing they were experiencing a very especial and important event in history. The greatest reward for me was to see teenagers expressing interest in who we were, who Charles was, and U.S. history in general.

We headed back to Marie's for breakfast, stopping at the neighborhood bakery for pan au chocolate and other yummy breads. I had to get a photo of the boucherie right next to it, thinking about how my dad used to be a butcher back in the day.

Lunch took place at Le Moulin de la Galette in Bayeux. The Viking salad I had was probably the freshets, most delicious, and most visually engaging salad I have ever had! The espresso at the end, outstanding as well.

We ended the day with an amazing BBQ dinner at Marie's house. It was an awesome feeling at the end of the day, we truly felt like a family.

Day 4

The last day, Christophe had planned a tour that would follow the "Big Red One's feet", according to Charles map. We visited German bunkers, the Canadian, British, and German cemeteries. Lunch took place in Arromanches-Les-Bains, which I absolutely loved! -- the paella was delicious, I indulged myself with ice cream and bought a souvenir postcard for my mother-in-love who is obsessed with cows.

This day Charles asked me "would you be offended if I asked where you're originally from?" (sipping his white wine). It was quite interesting to see how thoughtful he was when asking. If you read about Charles' story, you would learn the struggles he encountered growing up as a native american in the US. It makes me appreciate the privileges I now have (despite the current state of the country) as an immigrant. And it certainly has put a spin on how I see immigration in the USA today.

We closed the day (and trip) with an awesome dinner at the B&B hosted by the owners. The food, cheeses, and wine were as always, delicious. The conversation was absolutely adorable and the memories I made will always be cherished in my heart. I'm definitely looking forward to go back one day. Hopefully this time I can take an extra day (or two) to explore more. + Read a previous post about my Normandy trip (the assignment)