5:30 AM - Just woke up. Big day ahead, and wanted to get an early start. Too early to get breakfast at the buffet (doesn't open until 6:30) so hopefully I can find something to eat before too long.
6:07 AM - Just heading out the door. I'm taking the Metro to the Cityrama office at 2 rue des Pyramides, a 2 minutes walk off the Tuileires station -which is right at end of Louvre and before the Jardin de Tuileries.
6:18 - when I got to the train station, I had to buy a ticket at a machine, and for some reason they had no English option. Apparently they think anglophones only take the RRT not Metro. I had a big struggle figuring out if I picked the right option, but when the right price came up, I decided to take a chance and bought it.
Lots of very young and very drunk guys on train and around the platform. Isn't it a bit late to still be up and drinking? One was peeing outside in the street when I was coming in the station. His friends must be so proud.
I should gave left earlier and now I'm panicking. I went by the station yesterday on RER but don't see option on the map for RER, which is more of an express train. This train is much slower and stops a lot, so I started to get worried that it may take close to the 21 min the app suggested. If so, I'm going to almost be late, and I won't even know for sure where the office is when I first get there! Thankfully it's not rush hour, train isn't automated and it will only stay at the station long enough for new passengers, so I should be OK.
6:26 AM - Well, there was no reason to worry - I'm at Tuileries station already! I need to be there at 6:45, and apparently it's only a 2 minute walk.
6:39 AM - I found a big gold statue of Joan of Arc (see picture left, click for larger) in a square not far from the station, and saw the Cityrama office, with about 20 people here already. I went outside and took a picture of what I thought was our bus, and driver got out and rudely asked me why I was taking pictures. Duh. I asked if this was not our bus, and he just stormed off! What a jackass. The staff at desk were not friendly either but whatever - not going to let these people get to me today. Just glad this is my last day here.
Bus #3 was ours to Landing Beaches and a relatively friendly French lady took my ticket. This is a really nice luxury coach. I got a seat that had a table in front of it for some reason, behind some stairs that led down to a bathroom.
I wonder if they serve snacks? It must be an hour or two out there and I'm starving - stomach rumbling. Sigh.
6:56 AM - We're leaving in 4 minutes and the bus (see picture right, click for larger) is by no means full - in fact, only 3 couples and 1 Asian family of 4 are on here so far, plus the guide and driver - 12 people on a bus seating 46. This is going to be a good day I think!
7:05 AM - the sun was just coming up when our tour guide, Helene, and the driver got on the bus, started it and we were off. We were told we pick up 13 more people just 2 blocks away, which is a bit weird. Must be a tour group at a hotel or something? Bus thermometer says it's 13C. Bus got a bit noisy as we picked up people so I listened to music.
The guide handed our a nice full color 13-page program on D-Day with their logo on it - nice touch.
We were told we had to make a stop out of town in 45 minutes to change drivers. The tour guide said we are going to Caen first, at around 10:15. It's a long trip out there - 3 hours away. We are visiting a new museum out there and then watching a D-Day movie. Then we have a prepared lunch at noon at the museum. We then go to the Omaha Beach first, then American cemetery (9,300 graves), the British beach at Arromanches where they sunk many ships to build a false harbor, and finally at the end of day we are going to Juno Beach and a Canadian memorial centre after that. We apparently don't go inside, but can get pictures of the beach. We then stop at a gas station at 7 PM to grab sandwiches, and back by about 9:30.
My camera fell on the floor and battery flew down the bus stairs in front of me. Luckily I have extras on my pocket but need it for later. Luckly I spotted it on the floor and grabbed it. Whew. The tour guide said that 80,000 Germans, 50,000 Allies and 40,000 citizens died at Normandy.
Something we never see in North America - lap seatbelts are mandatory on the bus, and we must wear them.
7:25 AM - as we left Paris we drove through a long tunnel the Nazis used to store ammunition. The Allies tried to bomb it - one of few places in the city, but they couldn't destroy it. Paris was one of the only European cities not bombed on either side, so it was virtually untouched. The liberation of Paris happened very quickly - in fact they celebrate August 25 every year as Liberation Day - just 2.5 months after D-Day. That's a lot of territory in only a few weeks - it was a 3 hour drive between D-Day to Paris, with 100,000s (get#) of Germans between. Hitler threw everything remaining in thus battle to avoid losing Western Europe.
The German commander of Paris was ordered by Hitler to destroy the city's monuments after D-Day but he refused. As a result, when war was over, he only served 4 years in prison for saving the city. Many other German generals were executed by the Allies.
The countryside of France was at first dense forest - more than I've seen in many places (see picture left, click for larger) - and then farmland. Still not bright enough outside to get good pictures - all glare from inside the bus.
7:50 AM - We stopped at rest area and changed drivers, who's now with us all day. I was surprised that the freeways look like they do in Canada, with McDonald's along the way, etc. Only the signs are different.
8:01 AM - We just stopped at a toll booth, which looked much like ours in Canada.
8:15 AM - Just discovered we have free Wifi on the bus! I wish I'd brought my laptop now, could have worked on my blog for hours. Oh well, I should sleep too, because I'm so hungry I can't think.
8:26 AM - Just passed a huge digital clock on the freeway overpass - never seen anything like it. What's the point of that?
8:28 AM - We just came up to a second toll booth (see picture right, click for larger)!
9:04 AM - It's starting to rain outside a bit here - much cloudier ahead. Yikes. I'm getting worried - I don't want to be on the beaches with rain.
9:09 AM - Just came up to very heavy rain now. It's only 12C here - glad I brought 2 jackets!
9:13 AM - Thank God the rain ended very quickly, and there's nothing but blue sky ahead. That was a big surprise!
9:16 AM - I can't believe it - a 3rd toll booth
9:18 AM - The guide said we'd be there in 45 min. The tour guide said "Normandy" means 'north man land'. The Vikings used to invade France and ransack it all the time, and the governor of the area decided it was just easier to give them this land than keep losing it in a blood bath anyway - so the people in the area may well be more Norwegian or Danish than French. These people have a long history of capitulating to invaders!
9:37 AM - I can't believe it - a 4th toll booth! I can't even imagine having to drive this all the time. And the tolls were something like 10€ for a car!
We'll be arriving soon in Caen, our first stop at the D-Day beach tour. Stay tuned!
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