History came to life for all of us in Caen, Normandie. No more reading stories or event time lines from the history books. Nick's been preparing the kids (and me) for this very trip all these years by feeding us war stories and background information. It was all too remote, out of context and hard to comprehend until we came to Caen. It was extremely windy and rainy during our 4 days there, with occasional sunny breaks, but quite fitting considering the purpose of our visit.
We visited Mémorial de Caen where World War I, World War II and the Cold War were presented in great deal, from the background information, the motives, the triggering events, military weaponry to the aftermath of each war. We spent a good 6 hours at the museum (took a short lunch break), and had to pick and choose which sections to cover. One could easily dedicate a couple of days to the museum and not get bored. So much information to absorb, and too many lessons to learn, but so little time for them all.
Love seeing our Canada flag waving in the wind
There was a plaque for each country in an enclosed glass display
outside the museum.
Here's the Canadian one.
Nick and I were a bit concerned with the girls' attention span on this subject.
But to our surprise, they got into it right from the get-go. Levina took the time
reading everything along with the pictorial presentations.
German's Enigma Machine. It took allies years to decode this machine.
Nick explains the kids the war strategies on the map
Kids studying the timeline of Day D
Nick explaining the Fall of Berlin Wall
We visited rhe Canadian War Cemetery in Bény-sur-Mer.
On the way to the Canadian War Cemetery, located just 25 min North of Caen
Passing through Bény-sur-Mer, a quiet little town,
but it surely would be a different sight over 80 years ago.
Before entering the cemetery
Both countries' flags standing tall side by side in front of the cemetery
The monument dedicated to the World War II cemetery
Not an easy walk through these rows of monuments. Nine sets of Canadian brothers
lost their lives in World War II. One particular family, the Westlake family, lost all three boys.
They were all buried here.
We proceeded to drive another 10 mins to visit the
Juno Beach Centre, a museum dedicated to the Canadian soldiers' involvement and effort during the wars.
Nick and the kids standing on top of a bunker from World War II
The once upon-a-time sandy beaches are no longer visible.
Vegetation has spread all over the dunes over the years
We took a guided tour down to the bunkers.
Imaging the German soliders living and breathing in these
wasn't distant any more.
Some of these bunkers had to be dug out due to the ever changing landscape
The Germans constructed and placed these objects everywhere on the beach.
The particular shape was designed for a couple of reasons. I won't disclose them here.
Our tour guide, originally from Quebec, gave us an excellent tour to the bunkers.
Driving through Courseulles-sur-Mer, the small town where Juno Beach Centre is located.
We had never seen so many Canadian flags in the streets in a foreign country.
Definitely nice to see our Canadian boys sacrifices are remembered in many different ways.
We took a quick stop to visit the Omaha Beach Memorial for one of the major allies during WWII.
This is what the beach looks like today
We had to remember the fact that we were able to enjoy playing football
on this very beach came with a hefty price.
If you ever visit Paris and want to get away from the crowds, I'd recommend taking a detour to Caen, and spending a couple of days there. It'll be a trip to remember for years to come. We enjoyed every minute of our time in Caen.
