Paris Vacation - Day 6

Joan of Arc statute

Yesterday was a "low mileage day" in terms of walking: 7.6 miles.  We began the day hitting shops on the Rur de Rivoli in the Marais district before heading out to Giverny in Normandy to visit the home and gardens of impressionist painter, Claude Monet.  We discovered amazing shops where I bought gifts for the grandchildren and a wonderful men's store with a killer sale (we are going back today).  Monet's gardens were gorgeous and worth the motor coach ride - as was getting to see the lush Normandy countryside.  We finished the day visiting Saint Chapelle which has perhaps the most spectacular stain glass windows in Paris.  

After dinner, the husband and I and a gay friend who traveling with us headed to some of the gay bars in the Marais and, among other things, we admired the beautiful men of which Paris has an abundance.

Here are some  photos:

Today will be a leisurely day shopping and merely enjoying the beauty and ambiance of Paris.  The driver picks us all up at 8:00AM tomorrow morning to take us back the the airport for the trip back to Virginia (expect me to be a major funk upon getting back and wishing I was NOT in Hampton Roads).

Remebering D-Day

With today being the anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy I find myself thinking of my father who died three years ago this coming September. As a 22 year old he was in the Army Corps of Engineers and followed the troops ashore as his division was tasked with building pontoon brides and other structures to allow the troops to continue the push inland. Generally, he did not talk a great deal about the combat he witnessed other than as a kid I do recall watching the old TV show Combat which would get him to occasionally talk about friends lost and things he witnessed. He preferred to think of the better experiences such as being Paris, living off the Champs Elysee, or his time as Fire Marshall for Marseilles after hostilities ceased.

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Many of today's younger generation will never know the experience of hearing first hand accounts of those who were there and the horrors they witnessed and the extreme heroism exhibited by so many. I hope everyone will take a moment today to remember the brave men and women who gave their lives to stop the Nazi regime.