the present tense: Family in France! Day 3

Today was a really special day. We went to Bayeux in Normandy, where we got to pay our respect to a family member who was killed in WWII – Alphonse Colpaert. We did this at the American Cemetery and then walked along Omaha Beach. It was my second time doing these things, but it may as well have been a completely different experience. Being with family (or anyone, especially those we care about) can change any experience, no matter how many times you've done or seen something before. And as this was a very special event for all of us, I could not have been happier to have had this opportunity to be there with everyone.

But let's back up. We started with our first real train ride together, cozy in a big compartment where we shared coffee and some conversation:

When we arrived in town, it was interesting for me to see everyone's reactions to just how different it is from Paris – much smaller, much quieter.

Dad and Pipi in Bayeux

We got from fresh baguettes from a little bakery and found a stone wall to sit on while we ate them with some jam we brought. It's one of my favorite little corners in all of France, with cobblestone streets and a tiny river that cuts through it and this thing I simply cannot remember the name of... Do we say watermill???

Dad being goofy

Not entirely satisfied, we found a little cafe in the tiny, quiet street and had breakfast, part two.

We had time before our bus left for the cemetery, so we took a tour of the Bayeux Tapestry – almost a thousand years old! I had been to Bayeux before and I simply don't know how I missed this. It's a small museum, where literally the only thing in it is this tapestry (which is technically not even a tapestry...) It's about 240 feet long and in great shape. It winds along a wall behind a protective glass in a dark room and dimly lit (to keep it from fading) and it's simply fascinating.

Why is a long cotton cloth cool, you ask? Because the audio guides we listened to as we walked around us took us step by step through the story of it. It was divided into sections and the audio guide explained every scene. It allowed you to see the tapestry for what is was and not some long, unintelligible image. It's really quite brilliant. It's broken into scenes that tell the story of the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, and they say the purpose of the tapestry was to tell the story to the people since most of them were illiterate at the time. Got no pictures of it though (click here to see the official website with the story and pictures if you'd like).

The rest of the trip I'll leave to Pipi and Anica – I wasn't able to catch Dad and Donna before they fell asleep.

Pipi

"Normandy – that made my day – that was the whole purpose of this trip. It was a chance to pay respect to Alphonse. It's like that priest said [whom we stumbled upon while walking down to the beach], “It's because of him, for his sacrifice, that we're here. I'll pray for him.” People realize that they've got their freedom because others gave up their lives. Seeing the beach, the cemetery, the exhibits – so immaculate and realistic. It was so real, there was nothing fake about it. It was the highlight of the trip.

Seeing Alphono's name on the cross....seeing your uncle's name on the cross, it's kinda unbelieveavle, it's unreal.

Here a piece of our family on a hill 1400 (? that right?) miles away. It brings Normandy to real life. It's emotional to see his name on the grave.

I've got few memories of him but I can remember seeing him at the house, playing games, running down the stairs...But the big thing was when he was in England and wrote me and asked how everyone was, and he asked me to write him, so I wrote him back – he sent me a picture of him... Saw an insignia on his shoulder and wrote back to ask him to send me one – and the one after that said “We're just waiting to go to Normandy,” and he told me he didn't have a patch for me...But he sent me that letter just before June 6th and then I never heard from him after that. He died on the 28th.

Each cross has a name on it, it made it so personal [and some say "Here rests a soldier known only to God"].

What a contrast from 1944 and today. The location is so beautiful.”

Pipi walking along Omaha Beach

Anica

“I knew how the cemetery looked from pictures but when you're there...it's completely different.

It's incredible that no matter where you look, all the crosses are lined up perfectly, no matter what angle you look at. It's a beautiful place, they couldn't have found a more beautiful place to put the cemetery, looking over the ocean, with that breeze...

It was very emotional for me – I wanted to go grave to grave. I wondered if anybody had gone to visit every grave, there are some unknown soldiers, I wondered if anyone had every visited those ones, at least somebody...”

Walking down to the beach

Katie again:

When we arrived to the cemetery, a staff member took us to Alphonse's grave in a golf-cart-like vehicle. She spread sand from the beach over the letters in his name so they'd stand out, and put a French and American flag on either side. Anica had lain down some flowers.