Fun fact, it’s Mother’s Day in France today. But hello from Belgium! We made it here after a tough day.

We spent the night in Bayuex and were picked up by our English tour guide, Philip, from our hotel. As I wrote in our previous post, we happen to be in the Normandy region the same weekend as Memorial Day and there are a lot of ceremonies to honor those who served in World War II.

At the American cemetery, there are over 9,300 plots of American soldiers and over 140 of them are identified as Jewish. The headstones are crosses and Jewish stars. Soldiers had to identify on their name tag their religion, so it’s assumed that more were Jewish but given the circumstances chose not to identify as Jewish on their tag in case they were captured. Anyone listed without a religion was buried under a cross. Made of Italian marble no less. Today there was a ceremony to honor those who fought in the war. We were able to watch the military band play a bit before we left. It was very moving to see elderly couples visiting to honor those they fought beside.

Following the cemetery, we visited a German gun battery. At one point, the site housed five guns protected by pillboxes. The site also had bunkers and guarded the coast. The area is surrounded by hedge rows which protect the fields from harsh sea winds and also aimed to keep the farmers from exchanging information. The height of the hedges allowed the Germans to move about and remove the guns without being noticed too much.

The gun battery overlooks Omaha beach. When I think of beach, I usually think of a long stretch of sand and a gradual rise of land. In Normandy, this isn’t always the case. The beaches have sand but are marked by rough, high cliffs. They’re covered in vegetation and rock, requiring grappling hooks to climb.

Philip took us down to Omaha beach and gave us a greater look at the distance the American, Canadian and English armies expected to cover within 48 hours of making landfall. I now understand how this timeline is completely underestimated. The American army, for one, was so young and inexperienced. They were afraid to deviate from orders and use their best judgement. Because of this, their ropes and hooks were weighed down with water and prevented them from effectively climbing the cliffs. In summary, due to German belief that this was solely a distraction and not a real battle, and also orders from Hitler himself to not wake him under any circumstances, the allies were able to gain control of the area.

We went to a second German gun battery. This site was not carpet bombed by the Allies. The guns and pillboxes are very much in tact. We also went in to a lookout bunker, the same one used in the movie, The Longest Day. It was actually cleared out by film crew. Previously it hadn’t been seriously unearthed.

As the day neared to an end, we went to the museum in Arromanche and watched a 360 degree short movie of footage from various countries during the war. The movie was shown on nine screens. It was in black and white, several languages, had radio clips and television clips as well. It was overwhelming and to be honest, I really didn’t like it in the beginning.

I found the viewing experience to be confusing, and a sensory overload. I didn’t know whether to look left or right, or who to listen and who to watch. And that’s the point. War isn’t easy, and I have no military experience, but I can better imagine what the American soldiers were feeling in those moments. They had no idea what to expect and were inexperienced in life. It gave me a new appreciation for those who choose to serve our country.

Thank you to those who served, are serving, and will serve in the future. Thank you for having the courage, strength and mental power to experience the unknown. Thank you for risking your life for a better world. These words inefficiently describe my appreciation for your actions.

I write this blog post from a bed and breakfast in Belgium. It feels like an adult hostel. The family and I are drinking and playing what I can best describe as Belgian corn hole with strangers, now friends. Tomorrow we are going to see a brewery!! I can’t wait to try all the beer.