A very old comic book?

June 17, 2008

We had planned to head out to Mt. Saint Michel this morning, but we were so close to Bayeux we just had to stop in the see the tapestry. Again, I had seen it once before, but Becky never had. We didn’t know how much the kids would like it, but I told them it was like seeing the world’s first comic book. They have added a lot to the display since I saw it nine years ago. You actually listen to the narrative of the tapestry as you walk by each scene, and they have a version especially for kids. They also have added a video and display of life-sized replicas of William and his army. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Bayeux Tapestry chronicles the story of William the Conqueror and his successful invasion of England from Normandy, France in 1066.

Afterward, we ate lunch crepes with ham, egg and cheese from a little sidewalk stand, and then we topped it off with des crepes au Nutella. I think the kids loved that much more than the Tapestry, and I have to admit that lunch was pretty good.

Then we drove to a campground near Mont Saint Michel. Instead of setting up the tent, I sprang for a little mobile home that they rent at the campground. I was kinda trying to make up for the night in the car. It was actually really nice. It cost more than staying in a tent but less than a hotel room, and we had a kitchen and two bedrooms. I’m going to look into these at other campgrounds.

We went and saw Mont Saint Michel at night which was really cool, but we had to stay up because it doesn’t get dark until about 11:00. Again, for informational purposes, Mont Saint Michel is an abbey / fortress built on a high outcropping of rock that during high tide at certain times of the year is an island off the Atlantic coast. When we went though it was just surrounded by sandy marshes dotted with quicksand. Needless to say, we’re sticking to the main trail.

Storming the beach at Normandy

June 16, 2008

Like I said yesterday (actually, today, but it was yesterday’s entry) we had a fairly short driving day. All told, we were in Caen in less than an hour. We found a grocery store and stocked up on picnic stuff for the day – Becky loves the yogurt here. That’s one thing I just don’t get. It doesn’t seem all that hard to use the same ingredients. Why is the yogurt, bread and chocolate so much better in Europe? Now don’t get me wrong; I love America, and I couldn’t last without Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups and A&W Root Beer, but still you think that Yoplait could sell the same yogurt to us in the United States as they do in Europe.

We made a cool discovery too. Apparently, the McDonalds in Europe have free WIFI – they have it in the states but you have to pay. However, the prices are more expensive – no dollar menu. We were able to check our email this morning, but we didn’t have time to post a blog entry because we needed to get back on the road.

We drove out to the American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach, and that was a very moving experience. I had been there once before, but it was the first time for Becky (and obviously for the kids). We visited the memorial and the gravesites, and we walked down and had a picnic lunch on Omaha Beach. It was a little windy, but the kids still played in the water and found crabs.

We tried to explain to the kids about D-Day and World War II as much as they could understand. Unfortunately, I think that Zac (and even Alex a little) are afraid of Nazis (not a bad thing, I guess).

We found a place to camp for the night (Thank you, Franco and Emily for lending us your tent and sleeping bags), and then we went over to visit Pointe du Hoc. At this site on D-Day, the US 2nd Ranger Battalion was given the job of scaling the cliffs and taking out huge cannons that could threaten the landings at Omaha and Utah Beaches. After bombardment from the Allied ships, the Rangers captured the site after suffering heavy casualties only to find out that the cannons weren’t even in place. Still, there were many fortifications and artillery that the Rangers were able to capture and secure the high ground overlooking the two beaches.

At the site today, many of the fortifications have been left along with huge craters caused by the D-Day shelling. The kids really enjoyed running up and down the shell holes and looking for long-forgotten Nazis in the maze of old concrete pillboxes. Although it was over their heads somewhat, I think they gained some appreciation of the people who gave their lives in the service of our country and freedom in the world.

More cheese and less sleep

June 15, 2008

Today was long and ended with us sleeping in the car, but I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. The kids got a chance to experience church in French which was kind of cool, but I’m sure a little frustrating also. I tried to translate some of the meeting for Becky, but with Katie wiggily and making noise, it was kind of tough. In fact, that’s the way she is when we go to church in California too so we probably caught about as much as we normally would of the message.

After church Alex and Zac once again thought they had died and gone to heaven. Maria made an awesome cheese fondue so we got to eat real fondue in Switzerland. It doesn’t get any more authentic than that. Again, still not helping my waistline though.

Franco’s daughter Marie had a harp recital so Alex and Zac went with their family and Maria and Memo to watch her play while Becky and I used the time to pack the car as we’re leaving for France tonight. Once they returned we had a pasta dinner and we hit the road. It was kind of hard to leave because we’ve had such a good time. It’s been like home so now the real adventures of traveling begin.

We had about an eight-hour drive in order to cross all of France and get to the Normandy coast. The plan was that I would drive until about midnight and get a hotel room about half way in order to break up the trip. When Becky and I came eleven years ago, the hotel chain we used had an automated check-in for late-night arrivals. When we got there however, this one had a night person on duty, and she wouldn’t let us all stay in the same room because we exceeded the maximum occupancy. Not wanting to pay for two rooms, I continued on as I had another hotel in mind about an hour up the road. By the time we got there though, we had less than hour to go to get to Paris. At that point I figured that it would be better to press ahead so that we could pass through the capital at night instead of during the morning rush hour.

We made it through Paris without any traffic, and by the time I stopped driving it was five in the morning. Becky and the kids had slept a good part of the drive, and then we all slept for about three hours in the car at a rest area. Becky was not thrilled that we slept in the car, but we did have less than a two-hour drive the next day. It’s all part of the adventure, right?

Zac & the Chocolate Factory

June 14, 2008

Chocolate, cheese and castles – today was our day to experience the best of Switzerland (or at least the typical American vision of Switzerland). We went for a day trip to the area around Gruyere; yes, that’s right the very same city where they make the world famous cheese. We took a tour of the factory where we saw a worker making 35 kilo rounds of gruyere cheese, and we got to smell all of the aromas associated with the cows and the cheese process.

From there, we hopped a short distance over to the town of Broc where the Calliers Chocolate factory is found. Yes, Broc, we did get you a postcard of the town that we’ll send soon. For anyone who doesn’t know, Calliers Branches are my favorite kind of chocolate, and they’re something that I have never found outside of Switzerland. The factory was cool, but the end was the best. They put you in a room with every kind of chocolate they make and let you try everything. You can stay and eat all you want, but you can’t take anything with you. WE ATE A LOT OF CHOCOLATE!!! And then a little man with a goatie offered the whole factory to Zac, but Alex stole fizzy lifting drink so he kicked us out on derrieres. I think he still would have caved in, but Katie had already finished off the everlasting gobstopper. Oh well, maybe next time.

After that we visited the Chateau de Gruyere, and the kids loved the idea of running around where knights used to fight. We also saw men in traditional outfits blowing on the long mountain horns. ( Think REE-CO-LA) Our friends said that was real treat because that’s not something you get to see every time you go. It was a lot of fun.

For dinner this evening we were invited over to Noemi and Ivan’s home. The last time I had been to Europe before now was for their wedding so it was nice to get a chance to visit with them. The kids all played together well, and we had a good time.

*** Obviously, I’m way behind because we’ve been traveling in France and haven’t had Internet access for a few days. We’ve been to the Normandy region and Mt. Saint Michel so far, but I’ll catch up with all the details once we get back to Switzerland if I don’t get a chance sooner.

Also, more pics to follow for this fun day, but I gotta go now.

Pardon me, where's the real bathroom?

June 13, 2008

Today we started getting out and seeing more things. Even I slept through the night so I think that we’ve now all adjusted to the time. We went into Lausanne today (a city right next to Lac Leman – or Lake Geneva as some people call it) and visited a park there that has many of the traditional animals of Switzerland. Memo, Maria, and their grandkids Moira and Ezra went with us. We saw cows with bells, billy goats and long-haired pigs. There was also a play area for the kids and they had a ball. Then we climbed to the top of the Tour de Sauvabelin, a 35-meter wooden tower. We were a 328 meters above the lake, and it was a beautiful view of the lake, the Alps and the entire region.

Although the park and tower were great, the best part of the trip was the true European experience that the kids were able to participate in firsthand. The bathroom only had squatters for the girls, and Alex needed a little help. Unfortunately, Becky, who had to help her out, didn’t fare much better. Let’s just say that Becky wouldn’t be able to take her sandals back to the store even if she wanted to. Oh well, it’s all part of the European adventure.

Just relaxing

June 12, 2008

Happy birthday, Kaye! (I know it will be after your birthday by the time you read this, but we are thinking about you.)

Today was a rest and play day. Becky and Katie actually slept through most of the night, and the other two kids and I got a fair amount of sleep. I was up at about 3:30 when Katie woke me up (of course, she fell back asleep, but I didn’t), and Alex and Zac got up around 5. We went for an early morning walk so we wouldn’t wake up the rest of the house. Our friends live in a picture-perfect little valley, and their house is terraced into one side of the hills that surrounds the valley. One of the pictures from yesterday is the view from their front porch. I’ll post a picture of the house when I have the camera on the other side of the valley sometime.

Anyway, the kids got a chance to play a lot today. Memo and Maria have their house all set up for grandkids with swings, a sand box, etc. Their daughter Noemi came over with her two kids, Moria (age 5) and Ezra (age 2). Noemi is also almost ready to have her third baby; the due date was originally supposed to be in early July, but she’s been early with first two so she’s confident that she won’t have to miss any of her brother’s wedding celebration.

Maria, of course, made a huge lunch. The kids all played together for a while, and then we went over to Franco and Emily’s house. Since they lived in the California for three years all of their kids speak English so the kids get along great. They have a 15-year old daughter named Ashley, a 11-year old son Joshua, a 9-year old daughter Marie (2 months younger than Alex) and a 5-year old son Benjamin. The kids played at a park for a while, and then we all had another huge dinner at Maria’s house. I’m afraid that I will probably be gaining some weight on this trip.

Coming home

June 11, 2008

I can’t even tell you how good it was to see our friends when we arrived. Maria was here with her grandsons Benjamin and Joshua, and Dominico (aka Memo) got home from coaching youth soccer shortly after we made it there. Even though I talk to them fairly regularly, I haven’t seen them since my mom’s funeral over four years ago. I haven’t been to their house for nine years, and it’s been eleven for Becky, but it immediately felt like home again. Memo and Maria are awesome.

After a little while, their son Franco stopped by to pick up his sons so we got a chance to visit with him for a little while. It’s good to see him, and we are excited to spend time with his family. He’s got a pretty busy schedule, and his kids are still in school, but they’ve always been great about making time to spend with us when we’ve seen them either here or in California.

It was a good evening. The kids were just happy playing and not traveling. Becky loves it here even though I have to translate for her a lot. Maria’s English is getting better though. Memo and I watched soccer, and it was fun even though Switzerland lost to Turkey at the last minute. And, of course, Maria prepared a wonderful dinner. Homemade pizza made by a real Italian chef from Naples. We were in heaven. It’s great to be here.