Meg and Her Daughters

The welcoming committee, Elsie and friend?

This stone arch railroad bridge was a beautiful sight along the river!

We spent a day walking near Penrith England along the Eden River. Our walk took us across some farms and through some of the farmers fields to find a stone circle known as Meg and Her Daughters. First we had to invade the space of some really big cows and traverse along an abandoned rail line but eventually we found the stone circle. It was a nice August summer day and we enjoyed the beauty and some of the history of our local area.

We came across some man-made caves carved along the banks of the river.

These guys did not like us being in their field but we prevailed!

There are about 1300 stone circles in the British Isles. One of the noteworthy ones is Long Meg and Her Daughters.  It dates back to the Bronze Age and is the sixth largest stone circle of this age found in Northern Europe. Scientists believe this stone circle was constructed and played a part of life within a period that ranged from 3300 to 900 BC, a long time ago. The stone circle has 59 primary stones of which 27 remain upright today. "Long Meg" is the tallest of the stones and is 3.6 meters high. The stones are marked with carvings that include spiral and concentric rings. I wonder what it was all for?

Long Meg ...

… and some of her daughters

Caerlaverock Castle

England and Scotland are dotted with castles, all with magical stories that take you back to the past and capture your imagination. This one in historic Scotland is only a couple of hours drive north of our Whitehaven home and was just right for a weekend visit.

Caerlaverock Castle, or "fort of the skylark", stands on the edge of Scotland and for over 400 years in the Middle Ages guarded the gateway into the kingdom of Scotland. The first castle was built here in 1220 but it was prone to flooding. So after only 50 years in 1270 it was replaced by this castle with it's rather unique triangular architecture. It's proximity to the border between England and Scotland brought this castle into frequent conflict.

Normandy

Some places are important to see as a way of remembering and honoring those that came before us.

This year we observed the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion to liberate Normandy France. We were able to visit Normandy and walk on the beaches and in the fields where so many of our parent's generation gave so much.  This is a place that can not be adequately described by written words. The reality of the challenge met by so many young men and their leaders was reinforced by the stories shared with us at each place we visited.

Operation Overlord brought the allies to Normandy on June 6th 1944. The Americans, British, and Canadians landed over 155,000 men and 20,000 vehicles on Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches on the first day of the invasion, and that day suffered 10,000 casualties. By June 11,  326,547 men and 54,186 vehicles had landed on the beaches. When the battle for Normandy was over the German and Allied casualties were placed at over 425,000 including 209,000 allied forces.

American Memorial at Colleville

Utah Beach

Pointe Du Hoc

Monument to the Rangers: a dagger stabbed into the Atlantic Wall defenses

German firing command post

Notre Dame Cathedral Bayeux

The beautiful Bayeux Cathedral dates from the 13th Century. It is representative of Norman Gothic architecture and is situated on the site of an ancient Roman church. The cathedral is rich in history and was host to the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the story of the Norman conquest of Brittain by William the Conqueror in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. That conflict originated from a broken pledge made in this very Cathedral. British soldiers who were based here during the liberation of Normandy in 1944 found this to be an entertaining bit of irony. 

While in Normandy we visited the town of Sainte Mere Eglise. This town is in an area where paratroopers landed behind enemy lines during the invasion of Normandy by the allies. There is an interesting airborne museum here where much of the strategy of this part of the battle is explained. 

Stained glass window in the Church of Angoville-au-Plain one of the churches we visited depicts
a paratrooper landing. The little church served as a field hospital and demonstrated bravery of two doctors who attended to wounded from both sides in the midst of the battle.

The church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise where paratrooper John Steele landed, snagging his parachute. He hung there for several hours until discovered by Germans on patrol.
They managed to get him down and, briefly, held him as their prisoner.

There was so much to take in during our tour of Normandy. From the determination of the French Resistance, working to support the Allies and free their country, to the bravery of those who landed on the beaches and prevailed in the face of overwhelming odds, the story of Normandy and what happened here is simply incredible.

Bunker and one of the German guns guarding the beach

Omaha Beach

Giverny and Mont Saint Mechelle

Mont Saint Michel

In May we spent a weekend in Dover, England where we learned a lot about Britain's defenses along the English Channel during the wars. Living close enough to France to fly over for a long weekend, it only seemed right to spend a bit of time in Normandy, and in September we were able to get away to this region in the north of France. We landed in Paris, rented a car, and set off into the countryside en route to Bayeux, in Normandy.

Some French friends gave us some great advice for our trip to France that included a visit to the village and ramparts of Mont Saint Michel, a major center for Christian pilgrimage in the middle ages, and to the village of Giverny and the home of Cindy's favorite artist, Claude Monet.  We had a fantastic visit, enjoyed an elegant dinner at the Chateau d'Audrieu near Bayeux, traveled the countryside, explored and walked to the top of Mont Saint Michel and stayed in a wonderful B&B where we visited the home and the famous lily pond of Claude Monet. Then we finished with a visit to the port town of Honfleur. All absolutely fantastic!

The village inside the walls of Mont Saint Michel

Mont Saint Michel can be found on a rock outcrop in the middle of a large tidal bay. At high tide it is completely isolated and sounded by water. At low tide vast sand sholes are exposed and people hike and ride horses around the outside of the compound. Mont Saint Michel was originally settled by a group of Christian monks in the 6th century. What began with a modest settlement and two sanctuaries through time developed into a walled fortress enclosing a village and a monastery and a tremendous abbey church at the top of the rock. This is an incredible place!

The monastery has come under attack throughout history but still stands strong. 

Gothic Choir

The Cloister

Mont Saint Michel

We enjoy art and the works of Claude Monet are definitely one of our favorites. The opportunity to go Giverny and see the places that provided his inspiration was a treat. Below are a few pictures of the town, Monet's gardens, the lily pond, and Claude Monet's home. 

Visiting american artists resided here as they studied under Claude Monet

Monet's Resting Place

This lily pond was subject of Monet paintings.

Monet's home

The Chateau de La Roche-Guyon is just a short drive from Giverny. It is located on a bend in the Seine River. The Chateau adjoins a keep high on the Vexin Plateau behind it and the two are connected by tunnels and stairs. We made the steep climb and explored the many rooms of the Chateau and the caves and tunnels along with the keep. This was a part of the defenses for the King of France in the Middle Ages against Norman attackers and then the English. The Chateau was home to nobility, the Lords of Guyon from the 12th  century. This place was occupied by the German forces during World War II and was headquarters to Field Martial Rommel. Tunnels were excavated into the hillside for storage of munitions and personnel and the keep became a strategic watch post during that war. 

View from the keep of the gardens and the Seine

The Chateau de La Roche-Guyon with the keep looming above.

The port town of Honfleur where we had some really good seafood