Victory and a Veteran

We were certainly ready to celebrate America today as we remembered those who fought in WWII, especially those who were a part of the D-day Invasion.

We began our day at the National Peace Memorial, a museum dedicated to educating about every aspect of the World Wars, especially WWII.

In one sense it was depressing, to see so many instruments of war and violence. What pain and sorrow a world at war causes. I was especially touched by the many letters written by soldiers to their loved ones and the prayer books and hymnals that were on display.

As we walked through the museum, it was hard for any of us to grasp the difficulites - the harshness of life for the soldiers of WWII. My grandfather hasn’t told me much about his time in WWII and his involvement at Omaha, but he’s said enough for me to know that thinking and talking about events that happened almost 60 years ago are still a burden. Knowing that he was right here, and being surrounded by such vivid pictures of the sacrifices he and his friends made for our country made the day’s experiences even more emotional and real for me. How blessed we are in America!

In the afternoon, we visited the American cemetery at Omaha. Mrs. Campbell always reminds CCVA travelers that we wouldn’t really appreciate the significance of what we’ve seen until we get home and “absorb” it all. I have to admit that something felt much different when I stepped onto the grounds of the cemetery for a second time. I was incredibly moved by the endless rows of crosses that marked the burial places of thousands of brave men who died in service of their country and the stories that accompanied them.

After our tour of the grounds was over, we convened at the central memorial for our brief outdoor concert of American music. During the concert, we were interrupted by the cemetery superintendent. As it turned out, it was his day off, and he had been woken from a nap by our singing.

During our chat with him, he asked if we could do him a favor and turn ourselves to face both the cemetery and the wall behind us. He explained that while it was wonderful that we were singing towards those buried at Omaha, he would also like for us to sing to the memorial of names behind us: names of those soldiers who are still missing in action. It was a beautiful request.

I felt so blessed to be able to sing Amazing Grace in the place where my grandfather and so many others fought, and was even more honored to assist eleven other choir members, who were selected to participate in the flag lowering ceremony.

Just before the ceremony began, however, we learned that one more person would be joining us: a WWII veteran. He told us his story about his time serving in Germany and his subsequent careers as a teacher, principal, and superintendant of schools in California. What was so much more striking, most impressive to me, was the way his eyes seemed to shine when he talked about America and how lucky we are to live there. What courage. What loyality. Truely, the Greatest Generation.

And what of those serving right now in Iraq and Afganastan? Isn't their sacrifice as great? Greater, at a time when service is more likely to mean working in a soup kitchen or building a house in an inner city neighborhood, where love and honor of country seems harder to find? This place gives all who visit a deeper appreciation for all those capable of the Greatest Sacrifice.

We lowered the two flags on the grounds and then sang once again for our new veteran friend. He sang right along with us, with joy and gusto, and thanked us profusely for making his trip to visit his fallen brothers even more significant. His thanks was the greatest gift we could have been given that day.

We made a quick trip to Omaha beach to collect sand before going back to the hotel for dinner and an evening in. As we had been anticipating, Lisa and I took advantage of our “privileged room”, relaxing, journaling, and reflecting on the trip so far with our robes, slippers, and free sodas of our choosing. What a wonderful end to a powerful and emotional day!

Monastery and Mass

This morning we woke up early, but promptly slept for practically the entire bus ride to Mont Saint Michel. Even though our exhaustion meters were registering at their highest levels, I was thrilled to see the island monastery again. It was great to see the looks on everyone’s faces as we approached this fascinating structure; it really is one of the most remarkable sights I’ve seen in Europe - especially on a day as beautiful as this. (In case you haven't noticed, the weather has been spectacular!)

The town built up on the island is an imposing figure on the otherwise vacant landscape. It would be fascinating to see it entirely surrounded by water when the tide comes back, but it would certainly be much harder to reach! Instead, sand stretched for miles on all sides. We were warned not to walk to far out on it, since there are many areas of quick sand!

After our arrival, we had free time to walk around and get lunch. Navigating the lower levels of the medieval city felt like being in some sort of fantasy setting like Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter flims or Pirates of the Caribbean’s Tortuga. I think it would be wonderful to live in a place like this, but I wonder if the residents of Mont Saint Michel find it exciting? For sure, a leisurely walk here is called a hike back in the States.

Soon, we began our trek up the many, many steps to the monastery chapel at the top of the mountain. From the previous trip, I remembered the walk being an almost impossible "feat," but this year, I hardly seemed to break a sweat. Regardless, even the most difficult climb would be worth the view from this lovely, high vantage point.

After taking some pictures, our tour guide took us through the other levels of the monastery, explaining some of the many religious symbols embedded in the building’s architecture. What a beautiful and inspiring place in which to live and pray! I especially enjoyed hearing the story of one monk who, when creating a manuscript of the Bible, inserted a short “hello to whoever is reading this” message into one of the calligraphy designs. It was only recently discovered by high-power microscopes, and we were all amazed that someone could write something so small!


After walking back down the mountain, we stopped at a cookie factory renowned for its butter cookies. Of course, I could not miss an opportunity to buy some extra special cookies that were filled with chocolate and caramel to take back home! The whole bag didn’t survive, however. Lisa and I liked them way too much!

Finishing up at Mont Saint Michel, we drove directly to the Church in Bayeux where we would sing for Mass and give our second concert.

L'Eglise St. Patrice was small and beautiful, as was Mass. We sang three songs during the liturgy, but the best part for me was the times during which we were not singing.

Practically the entire congregation joined in singing with the cantor, and it was clear that the small parish was a close-knit community. It was also exciting for me to be able to understand so much of what was being said during the Mass. It’s nice to know that four years of French class have indeed, come in handy.

After the Mass, we got ready for the evening’s concert. Many of the people from the earlier Mass came back and the audience was even more enthusiastic than that of the previous evening. Despite only having a short time for rehearsal, the concert went very well, and we were surprised to receive another request for an encore!

After the concert, the parish priest asked to take the group’s picture outside and, with some help translating, told us how our performance touched him.

Citizens of the Normandy region of France have an appreciation and love for Americans that differs from the rest of the country, a result no doubt of having been directly liberated by American troops after the WWII D-Day Invasions. He wanted us to know how much the parish appreciated the beautiful music we made, but more than that he stressed that we were continuing the friendship between the French and the Americans that was forged by generations before us. It was nice for the group to hear. Though we have been received warmly since our arrival, here was real proof that our visit reinforced the best among people and in this case validated a long-standing relationship more than sixty years old. Now that's living history!

We checked in at our new hotel and had a late dinner at 10:30 p.m.. Although Lisa and I went to our room wishing for more sleep than could be had before wake up, our spirits were lifted as we discovered that we were somehow assigned one of the hotel’s “privileged rooms.” Robes and slippers were laid out for us on our beds, and better yet, we discovered that everything in our room’s mini-bar was free! Too tired to take advantage of it that evening, we collapsed into a comfortable sleep, dreaming of the free Cokes we would enjoy the next evening!