Day 30

I am here in Caen! I arrived yesterday shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon. I roomed with a man from Holland, Mike. I just saw my first memorial to the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The site of an American flag almost brought tears to my eyes. I never knew how much I missed and loved America.

While I have a minute (waiting for the shops and museums to open for Sunday business) I will explain my journey. I left from Ostrava -- no problem. I paid Olga back her 400 crowns, plus 100 crowns for her generosity. On the tram, I train I read a lot. I have finished over half of my book on the train ride from Ostrava to Paris. I did not know that I needed to transfer stations from the East station to the West station in Paris. No one told me... Therefore, I had to take a taxi from one end of town to the other. I was in a hurry and I paid handsomely for it. The taxi driver ripped me off. The taxi meeter read 35 Franks, but he charged me an extra 15 Franks for gas! Whatever...

Last night I walked around Caen. it is a nice town, but tomorrow I will take a taxi to St. Lo and walk and bus across the landing beaches. I hope to buy a book or two while I am here that have detailed accounts of the invasion. I am really looking forward to finding a map of the Overlord landings. I also hope that the books are in English.

As I walked around Caen, I see a lot of signs thanking the Liberators. This is mostly the Canadians. They were the force that freed Caen. The U.S. freed St. Lo. Utah and Omaha were the American beaches. Juno, Gold and Sword were the British and Canadian beaches.

The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Orders to his troops for D-Day, June 6, 1944.

When I read this passage I had tears in my eyes and a knot in my throat -- so many men died. So many men died for my freedom.

We must maintain the offensive against the evil in all its forms. We must work, and we must fight to ensure that our children shall have and shall enjoy in peace the inalienable rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Only on those bold terms can this total war result in total victory.

Franklin D. Roosevelt.

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I have wept several times today. The most recent was when I was at the United States Armed Forces Garden. It is behind the Dwight D. Eisenhower Museum in Caen. There are several plaques from each State from the U.S. Each plaque thanks those that gave their lives for our freedom. The waterfall gently falls in the foreground creating a continuous veil of water, as tears, for the memory of those who died. Most of the states are represented: Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri. The quote on the plaque from Nebraska states:

All Hell Can't Stop Us!

Jay Nixon
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I have seen hours of history -- almost to much to remember. This place is centered on history -- not just the invasion. It traced the events of Europe from 1900 through WWI, the global depression in the late 1920's and finally the rise and fall of fascism and finally the fall of communism with the Berlin wall coming down. This museum has shown me more than just the invasion of Normandy by the Allies. It has taught me how each event was tied to another event in history. It showed me how all of these events, taken individually would not be that significant, led to global war. I feel as I did after returning from Auschwitz. I am emotionally exhausted, but hungry to learn more.

From the heart of our land flows the blood of our youth given to you in the name of freedom.

Author Unknown.