Normandy coast

After the Gaillard Castle and Caen we arrived at Arromanches, a coastal village in the heart of the area where the Normandy landings took place on D-Day, 6 June 1944.

Arromanches sits on the coastline that was designated as Gold Beach during the landings. This was the site for one of the two Mulberry harbors, the prefabricated military harbors that were built in England and towed across the English Channel in sections and assembled off the coast after the invasion. They comprised floating roadways and pierheads that went up and down with the tide.

"As we have no harbor at our disposal, we shall bring ours." —Lord Mountbatten

A few sections of the artificial harbor are still sitting on the sand and more can be seen out at sea.

Today Arromanches is mainly a tourist town. There’s a great permanent exhibition with information about the invasion and in particular the amazing Mulberry harbors. This was the first museum to be built in commemoration of the Normandy Campaign. The D-Day museum overlooks the very spot where the Mulberry harbor was set up.

We also visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, and Omaha Beach, where they still have one of the old floating bridge pontoons. Although we've all seen these beaches and cliffs in films and photographs, it's a moving experience to be there in person and relive this incredible part of history.

Quite appropriately, a few days later we saw the 8th of May Celebration of the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany. People danced in the streets that cheerful day in 1945. This year they put on a full show at the Arc de Triomphe, including a review of the troops by outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy, a beautiful rendition of Hans Zimmer's "The Battle," and of course "La Marseillaise."

As we all know, the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor and it was indispensable to the Allies winning the war. A few times I have overheard US Americans in Paris (usually the obnoxious US tourist) brag about how they saved the French during World War II. But few Americans know or recognize how important France (and to a lesser extent Spain) was to the American revolution. The Americans faced impending defeat in the face of the overwhelming military power of the British army and navy. France provided money, troops, armament, gunpowder, military leadership and naval support, which tipped the balance of power in favor of the Continental Army and paved the way for its ultimate victory. When British General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in 1781, his defeated troops marched through a corridor formed by the victorious forces. On the right side stood the Americans; on the left, the French (this scene was depicted in John Trumbull's 1820 painting "Surrender of Lord Cornwallis," which is on display in the US Capitol).

Chateau Gaillard and Caen

After our trip to Provence we returned to Paris for a couple of days and then did a short trip to Normandy, whose name comes from the Northmen (Vikings) who started settling in the area in the 9th century. 

On the way there we did a quick stop at Caen, the city of William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy who in 1066, upon the Norman conquest of England, became King of England. Caen is also known for the Battle for Caen, the heavy fighting that took place during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, which destroyed much of the city. We saw the Chateau de Caen, built in 1060 by William the Conqueror, and visited the Abbaye aux Hommes (the Men's Abbey), which was completed in 1063 and is dedicated to Saint Stephen. William the Conqueror is buried there.

We also stopped at the Chateau Gaillard, a medieval castle overlooking the Seine that was built in 1198 by Richard the Lionheart (William the Conqueror’s great-great-grandson). It was intended to prevent King Philip II of France from invading the Duchy of Normandy. The site was chosen because the Seine curves sharply and there’s a cliff about 100 meters high over the river, so the castle had a strategic position over potential invaders coming down the Seine from France. In the end, however, the effort was in vain: King Philip launched the conquest of Normandy and after a long siege, Chateau Gaillard fell. In 1204, mainland Normandy became part of the Kingdom of France.

The fortress consisted of three enclosures separated by dry moats, with a fortified tower within the inner enclosure. It's pretty ruined, but the following picture shows what it would've looked like.

Roussillon

After visiting Gordes we went to Roussillon, possibly the prettiest village we saw. But it’s not just me, it’s actually on the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’ list. Along with Gordes, it's the most visited village in the Luberon. Roussillon is tiny, very picturesque, and it's also at the top of a steep hill, although the highest point actually seems to be the parking lot, from where you stop to take some pictures of the village and then descend to the base of the town.

A few in our group stayed in the café at the bottom while the rest of us walked up the winding streets to the summit. At the top, after passing under the old clock and bell tower, topped by a unique wrought-iron belfry, is the Saint Michel church, with its beautiful 17th century gold ochre façade. On the way down we passed the biggest vine I've ever seen, which according to the sign on it is 150 years old. 

But what’s really special about this village is its many shades of red.

Roussillon is famous for the rich deposits of ochre pigments found in the clay near the village, which were mined for pigments used in the textile industry. The old quarry can be visited via the Ochre Path, a beautiful walk through the old workings.

Gordes

Built on the edge of a plateau on the hills of Vaucluse is Gordes, a small village where everything seems to be built in stone, giving the village a tough, even austere appearance. At the very top is the Saint Fermin church and the ancient castle, which existed in the 11th century but was rebuilt in the 1500s and which just seems to dominate the village. Today the castle functions as both Town Hall and a museum.

We spent time strolling around the narrow, cobbled streets and viewing the bucolic Luberon valley, and then enjoyed a local lunch at Le Provençal, one of the restaurants on the main square.

Very close by, hidden in the green valley behind Gordes, is the Abbaye de Senanque. A community of enclosed monks lives there and makes a living producing honey, and growing lavender, which unfortunately was not in season.