Remembrance Day in Normandy

How many people can say that? That they spent Remembrance Day in one of the most famous sites in WWII history, and one one with an explicit connection to Canada? It is without a doubt something I will never ever forget.

Kevin and I managed to get up at a decent hour and caught the 9am bus to Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen. William the Conquerer had it built as penance for marrying his cousin (weird, right?) and is also entombed there. It was a huge and beautiful building. We only spent a short amount of time inside, as the Sunday service was about to start and I'm pretty sure the sanctuary was technically closed to visitors. The time we did spend inside though was quite lovely, and I added yet another beautiful cathedral to my list of beautiful cathedrals from this trip.

Abbaye aux Hommes

After visiting the abbey we caught another bus to the train station in Caen and enjoyed a cup of coffee while waiting for our "bus vert" to Corseulles-sur-Mer. It was about an hour bus ride, during which Kevin napped on my shoulder and I enjoyed the lovely small town scenery unfolding out the widow. We passed through 4 other "Sur-Mer" towns before arriving in Courseulles, so our ride was along the coast and quite picturesque.

When we got off at "Place de 6 Juin" there appeared to be a small Remembrance Day ceremony just ending (we rushed over at the sound of brass instruments), but we knew we were attending one later in the afternoon, so it was ok.

We had lunch at a cute little bistro, again opting for the set menu (13.50€ only) and again receiving delicious dishes. The French know their cuisine man. Kevin went the shellfish route, starting with "whelks" (sea sails) and with Moules Frites as his main. I started with a "salade au marché" and had cod with steamed veggies. For dessert Kev had a "floating island" or meringue and I had something called "crème de vanille" which was just a yummy custard. With the combination of many courses, rich food, and somewhat shawdy service, meals in France seem to take double the time they do at home, and this one was no exception.

We finally got out of the restaurant at about 2:40- giving us just enough time to walk over to the Juno Beach Centre. When we reached the building we saw an area with chairs set up and knew we were in the right place.

The ceremony was quite lovely, with heartfelt speeches (mostly in French, by we picked up bits and pieces) from the director of the June Beach Centre, the Mayor of Courseulles-sur-mer, and the lieutenant governor from the Canadian embassy in Paris. The centre guides read "In Flanders Fields", and then there was a very poignant wreath laying ceremony. There were many wreaths laid by many different individuals and organizations and I was definitely feeling the Canada love. Rather than open with them, the ceremony closed with nation anthems. First the Marseillaise, and then, to my great joy, the Canadian national anthem, en français. Kevin and I were belting with all the patriotism we could muster, and what's even better is that plenty of the French crowd was singing along as well. Following the ceremony we were all invited to a reception in the centre where we physically warmed up with coffee and were figuratively warmed by a gigantic Canadian flag hanging on the wall.

After the reception Kev and I visited the actual museum, after chatting a bit with one of the guides, a McGill history grad, who Kevin had met the first time he went to Juno.

The museum had a really interesting and interactive start, where you were in a dark room designed to feel like a landing craft, and images and sounds projected all around you, to give an idea of how young soldiers heading towards the beach may have been feeling, what they were seeing and hearing. When the short film ended the doors at the far end of the room opened and you went into the rest of the museum. It was pretty typical in terms of displays and info, but I just adored that the focus was entirely Canadian. When we were finished at the museum Kev and I visited the actual beaches, which was kind of a surreal experience. The sun was setting and it was a truly thoughtful time.

Kevin and I had hoped to end our Remembrance Day, albeit oddly, with a round of mini golf, but alas the course we'd eyed was closed for the weekend. So we instead kept each other entertained at the bus stop, eventually heading back to Caen, and then to Paris, where we shared stories of our weekend with Walter and had some rice and went to bed.