FRANCE – El Camino Thru My Lens

Sacred Ground. That is a pretty good definition of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. It is a final resting place for the 9,387 U.S. service members , most of whom died on D-Day on June 6, 1944. For some, it is where they come to remember their family member who died that day and for others it may be a pilgrimage to bring closure and healing. Others come to learn and understand. For me, it was our last stop before we wrapped up our trip to the Normandy region and and was the perfect way to end my bucket list trip.

Shortly after the war, France bestowed 172 acres of this beautiful space, just east of the original burial area, to the United States government to create a formal burial area to relocated those killed and immediately buried after the D-Day invasion. This generous act was a token of France’s deep appreciation and thanks to their American liberators for their service and great sacrifice to free their citizens and country.

As we walked along the entrance to the cemetery and memorial, we came across beautiful landscape. It was very pretty but I immediately noticed that it was different from what I had been seeing in the countryside the last few days. There were Pine trees, flowers and foliage I have seen back home. It felt familiar. But why was it here?

Our guide shared with us that in designing this special site, their goal was to create a resting place that would resemble being in the United States. During World War II, the casualties from the D-Day invasion were not returned home and instead were usually interred near where they died. Often families were not able to attend services for their loved one. This was all the more reason that the architects understood the importance and significance of creating a place ” like home” for these service members to be buried at. Utilizing trees, flowers, bushes as well as other greenery native to America, they successfully create a sacred and similar “home” for these allied members to be buried at to rest in peace.

Memorial statue, “Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves”

Coming into the memorial you can not help but notice the large and impressive statue between several tall stone columns, whose arms are open wide as if embracing the sky. Looking more like a work of art, my impression was that it was a tribute to the spirit of the young men who died on D-Day. It was beautiful, strong, and in a way gave a sense of hope. It was a reminder of the huge loss of youth and life on the beaches near by and that their spirit lives on.

At the rear of the memorial was the Wall of the Missing. This garden is home to the names of 1,557 service members who were killed during the D-Day invasions and were missing or could not be identified or accounted for. The garden consist of roses, grass and trees encircled by two large semicircular walls that have the names of these service members engraved into the stone. There were so many names. It made its point. We were told that every so often, the remains of the servicemen would be found and they were able to render honors and properly bury them. When this happened, they would put a small marker next to the name on the wall to indicate that they had been found. Look at the photograph below and you will see a small black marker next to a name of a servicemen they located.

Wall with name of MIA & marker of a servicemember found.

Being on the bluffs above Omaha Beach, you feel the sea breezes and could smell the ocean. From the walkway the view is scenic with pine trees lined along the walkway. Different hues of blue and green blended together in the water and the shore looked smooth and calm. Looking straight out, it’s hard to imagine that thousand of warships were out in those seas and 34,000 plus servicemen stormed the shore below. It is fitting that the cemetery is located where it’s at and so close to where so many met their demise on the beach below.

View of Omaha Beach from above on bluff @ cemetery

Latin Crosses & Star of David Gravemarkers

Just a few feet over on the other side of the walkway was the cemetery. Manicured lawns were filled with white Latin crosses and Star of David gravestones, all perfectly aligned as if they were in formation. It was peaceful and serene and you could sense the historical importance of it all .

Normandy Cemetery ~ resting place for D-Day servicemen killed

Brothers bonded by serving together are buried here. Thirty three sets of biological brothers are buried side by side and another 12 brothers lie in the same cemetery, just different areas. There is even a father and son buried side by side as well as three Medal of Honor recipients, one of which is Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Grave marker for Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Medal of Honor Recipient

Walking around the grounds, there was an air of reverence and visitors were respectful as they made their way through the memorial, gardens and cemetery. The cemetery is also home to the The Normandy Memorial Center. It was good to see this center making an effort to teach current and future generations of the significance of D-Day and the sacrifice that were made by so many during World War II.

After experiencing the cemetery, surrounding grounds and various sites, I left with a better understanding and appreciation for many things. Among them is a greater appreciation for those that participated in the D-Day invasion, the sacrifice that these servicemen and their families made for this great cause and fortunate to be able to travel in person to see and sense where history occurred. Again, traveling proved to be a great teacher.

Wrapping up this “history” segment of our trip, it was time to leave. The Normandy region is a beautiful area with many towns, beaches and things to explore. Everywhere we went, the citizens of the various towns were friendly and willing to share about their small communities and expressed their appreciation for their American liberators, even 80 years later. My only regret is that we didn’t have enough time to see everything, but therein lies a silver lining in that we we just have to come to Normandy again!

Until next time, we’ll keep moving on and see were we go via El Camino Thru My Lens.

Did you ever see the movie “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner? If you didn’t, he plays a farmer who lives in Iowa and is at point in his life where he wonders what he will achieve before he grows old. Then one night as he’s walking through his cornfields, he hears a voice whisper to him, “If you build it, they will come.” Shortly after, he has a vision to tear up his fields and build a baseball field. What would you do if this happen to you? Would you listen to the voice and abide by the vision or would you just ignore it? The movie and Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France, are extremely different, but what if I told you that they both had a very similar storyline?

The story of Mont Saint Michel started in 708 A.D. when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a vision from the Archangel Michael. In his vision, the Bishop was told to build a sanctuary for pilgrims to visit on Mont-Tombe, which would later be re-name Mont Saint Michel (St. Michael’s Mount). Thinking that perhaps this vision was only a dream, the Bishop ignored the request however, Archangel Michael was persistent. The story goes on to explain that the Bishop received two more visions and in the last one, Archangel Michael wanted to make sure the Bishop knew that his vision was true and not a dream and burned a small hole in his head to get his attention and whispered, “build it and they will come”. Sounds like a pretty interesting way for Archangel Michael to get his message across but apparently it worked.

Now this request was very different from any other church, Cathedral or Basilica previously built. The site for Mont Saint Michel was to be built on a small rocky island in Normandy, just off the main land, and had a 264 foot rock perch on the island upon which the church was to be built on top of it. And if that wasn’t challenging enough, the island was cut off from the mainland twice a day by high tide. No doubt Bishop Aubert had his work cut out for him.

Construction of the Romanesque style Abbey at Mont Saint Michel began in 708 AD and continued for over 1300 years, adding Gothic architecture in the process, until it was completed. Perched atop this island, its spires soar 302 feet towards the sky and has a gilded golden statue of Archangel Michael presiding at the highest point. Several crypts and chapels had to be built to form a foundation that would disperse and compensate for the incredible amount of weight created by this structure. Walking through the four crypts I could see various doorways and windows that were 2 or 3 meters (6-10 feet), thick which was a good indication to the amount of support needed to build this immense structure (you’ll see these doorways in the photos below). And while down in the crypts, the thought of this was daunting and had me thinking..”yeah, I think it’s time to go upstairs now.”

Are you wondering why an abbey would need to be so large and heavy? During the 10^th century, Mont Saint Michel had become a renowned Benedictine monastery known for its center of learning. It was subjected to attacks from the King of England, especially during the Hundred Years’ War therefore, needed to create an immense and impenetrable wall that would fortify the island. Powerful tides both exposed and protected this abbey and at times would cut Mont Saint Michel off from the mainland due to high tides, and still does even to this day. To address this issue, a newly designed walkway and road was built on stilts in 2014 and allows continuous access to Mont Saint Michel while allowing water to flow freely around the island.

Needless to say, it is a magnificent and impressive place of worship and history. Being able to walk in the abbey, rooms and halls as well as churches, you can get a sense of what life must have been like in medieval times, which was hard, cold and brutal. Walking up the 350 steps, 200 in the Grande Rue, then around 150 inside the abbey, will definitely give you a workout but the views and ability to see the various areas of Mont Saint Michel and surrounding areas are worth it and 3 million visitors a year proves it.

With its staggering views, it is definitely one of Europe’s most unforgettable and sacred sites and continues to be a place of worship, education, and pilgrimage. It is another monumental and historical place within the gem of Normandy. For myself, Mont Saint Michel was like no other church or basilica that I have been to and its longevity, history and sense of sacredness was majestic. Below is a video link of Mont Saint Michel to provide a visual sample of the magnificence and grandiose of this holy site.

So Archangel Michael was right in his visions to Aubert, Bishop of Avranches. He just had to trust the angel and act on faith: “ Build it and they will come”. Thankfully the archbishop listened to the angel’s request to build Mont Saint Michel and who knows how many more will come to visit or complete their pilgrimage here. But one thing is for certain. If Mont Saint Michel has lasted this long, then perhaps it’ll be here for another 1000 years.

Until next time, we’ll keep moving on and see where we go via El Camino Thru My Lens.

Video of mont saint michel