Returning to victorious World War II sites in Normandy

      After a very smooth sail on the Renaissance R8, we docked at Le Havre where we had the option of a full day shore excursion to the Normandy Landing Beaches at Arromanches. These beaches were an important part of the D-Day events on June 6, 1941. There are many monuments to see extolling the exploits and sacrifices of the allied forces during the war. There is also the Landing Museum with models and films recreating the entire landing operation including the artificial port (Mulberry B). Mulberry B was judged to be an extraordinary industrial and maritime achievement of the war. A heart rendering part of the tour is a visit to the American Cemetery where 9,386 marble crosses and Stars of David are amassed on a cliff above Omaha Beach. Stephen Spielberg used this locale and cemetery setting in his film "Saving Private Ryan." There is also a garden and the Tablets of the Missing. At the monument, a map of the operations gives an interactive opportunity to relive the battle of the Normandy Beaches. The tour also includes the cliff of Pointed du Hoc, a little to the west of Omaha Beach where American Rangers endured intense enemy fire and rolling grenades to gain strategic advantage during the D-Day invasion. This was a very emotional day for the Renaissance Cruise passengers who had personal memories of this theater of operation.
      Another full day land excursion is a tour of Paris which is excellent for a novice Paris tourist. An overview of the wonders of this beautiful city including the magnificent Louvre, the Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Musee d'Orsay on the Left Bank, the Place de I'Opera and the Notre Dame Cathedral are included. A good deal of territory is covered and I consider it a good deal for people who have never been or have no plans to return to the City of Light.
      My daughter, Jill Wasser, and I decided to take the half-day guided tour to Honfleur, described as "romantic" Honfleur because of the birth of the Impressionist and Romantic art movements in this picturesque town. Famed artists Monet and Boudin painted in the "open air" and painted the colorful skies of Normandy in their masterpieces. On our drive to Honeur through the green farmland of Normandy, we saw horse farms where Arab stallions and British mares are raised to compete in racing as well as trotters for the Deauville race tracks. I also was amazed to see iris flowers growing on thatched roofs. I learned that these plants were used to maintain moisture or humidity in these old buildings.
      Jill and I walked down narrow winding streets along the quays and squares of Honeur. The picturesque View Bassin (Old Harbor) provides shelter for fishing vessels with a very active fish market in its midst as well as yachts and pleasure craft. This harbor was also the starting off point for Champlain and Cartier on their voyages to New France, Canada. We went by the 16th century building which was pointed out as the former residence of the King's Lieutenant, known as the Lieutenance. We also watched repairs being made to the Church of St. Catherine, a rare example of a building made entirely of wood. Chestnut wood shingles cover the separate oak belfry to the church. We also found "crepes avec sucre" (pancakes with sugar) which we just had to have. They were almost as good as the square crepes we found on stands on the sidewalks of Paris. We continued our stroll through this delightful old-world town with stops for some colorful ceramics and the apple brandy called "calvados" produced in this region.
      When we returned from our tour, we set out for the center of Le Havre. It was gratifying to see how well the second largest port of France was restored from the devastation of World War II. Its architecture, particularly the Musee des Beaux -Arts, is acclaimed as one of the best designed art galleries in all of France for a vast collection of 19th and 20th century paintings. I particularly enjoyed finding one of our favorites stores in Paris and Nice in Le Havre, the Monoprix. It is a combination supermarket and novelty store. We found our favorite stationery and stocked up on French Phyto hair products at a fraction of the United States prices. French Dijon mustard was also a great buy as was as apple and orange teas. Our luggage became very heavy but well worth the additional weight.

Copyright by Marcia Abramson
E-mail:mascribe@aol.com.