Day 7, Tuesday July 8, 2014

This morning the kids prepared for their over night ferry to London.  All their luggage is packed and ready to go.

Today their entire day was spent on the study of WWII and the invasion of Normandy.  They will never forget their time spent in this beautiful yet historic area.

Their exploration of the WWII Normandy campaign began at Le Memorial de Caen Museum.  The museum highlights the effects of D-day, but also examines how to learn from the past to achieve a peaceful future.  The museum describes Hitler's rise to power, France's dark years of uncertainty and finally, its emergence with a vision of peace.

They visited the interactive exhibits that introduce the major events and player of the Second World War.  They walked through the timeline of events, and saw unique artifacts on display in the museum. They discovered what sacrifices were made and the bravery needed to bring freedom to a world trapped in war.

They wrote letters to the memory of ancestors to maintain focus on the sacrifices they made nearly 70 years ago.  A selection of those letters were held on permanent display on the Memorial de Caen's website available to be viewed by any visitor.

They had a guided tour of Pointe de Hoc, one of the battle sites during the Normandy invasion.  They saw the cliffs that were climbed by the soldiers who landed on the rocky shores.  They witnessed the damage from assaults on the area as well as the bunkers that housed the German soldiers.

In the afternoon they had the opportunity to visit the Normandy American Cemetery, located in Colleville-sur-Mer, which was the first American cemetery on European soil in WWII.  The American Cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach and contains 9,387 perfectly aligned white  markers representing the American soldiers who died during the landing and ensuing confrontations.

Just before they left the cemetery they participated in a memorial ceremony, laying wreath at the base of the statue "Spirit of American Youth" and observed a minute's silence, Arranged exclusively for P2P ambassadors.

 

Then they bid a fond farewell to France as they boarded the overnight ferry to England.  They also said goodbye to their wonderful bus driver.  Here is a picture of their sleeping cabins.