Wiping the Mud off their Hearts

Martin did the research on booking our tour to Normandy, and he absolutely went the perfect route in choosing Oliver with Normandy44 Tours. We were traveling with our two boys- 10 and 14 and they will tell you this was their favorite part of our whole trip to Paris and France; and I agree. You can read my full review of the tour HERE.

We took the train from Paris, which I believe would be much better than traveling in a van full of strangers, and Oliver met us at the station- perfectly on time. As we arrived, Oliver mentioned that the gray, misty and muddy day was very much like the weather on that day in June, 1944. It was damp, wet, a bit chilly, and definitely muddy from the previous days’ rain.

He wasted no time getting the tour started- we boarded the van and began the drive down the small streets of that little town. Oliver talked as he drove, and we just tried to take it all in. We made our way to our first stop by way of a small one-way farm road, and Oliver remarked that we were lucky there wasn’t a tour bus coming the opposite direction to share that little road. I was thankful for that.

The first stop was a group of German bunkers, known as Longues Sur Mer, still housing disabled cannons- set remotely away from the sea with a large field in front of it. Not where I thought we’d start, or even what I expected- so far from the actual sea. But it became immediately obvious that Oliver would take us off the beaten paths that we saw the other tours exploring. He explained that this area housed anything but the “top brass” of the German artillery. These guys were the youngest, oldest and least shiny of the bunch. This was important, because actually, this was one of the first lines of the defense against the allies, these cannons could fire far enough into the ocean to attack the incoming fleet.

We were given time to explore these areas; and this was the moment we realized we had NOT come with adequate footwear for this task. We slipped and slid down the top of the green, grassy hills built around the cannons, and I just prayed prayers I wouldn’t end up fanny down in the mud. Of course, this was a kid’s dream, and we left our first stop with tennis shoes covered in mud (I should add- one kid had brand new, fancy kicks covered in mud).


We drove on through the village- and as we wound through the little town, I asked how many civilians were killed during these battles- approx. 25,000 was the number he gave. I marveled at the idea of having your homes centered in the middle of this awe-inspiring conflict. The town has stayed much as it was- the locals have left it as both a tourist sight, but also to remember. It’s amazing to me how you can sense the rich reverence of the War, of the people in Europe. We have no clue here in the US. I suppose there’s no point of reference when it’s not in your own backyard.


Our next stop was Omaha Beach. Shortly thereafter, a group of US plain clothes soldiers arrived on the beach, lighting cigars. I think this is a rite of passage for them- to come here and remember the sacrifices. Our guide, while great- was apparently allergic to cigar smoke and shooed them away, and I immediately bristled. No one has more right to be there than they.


Nothing can really prepare you for the vast expanse of exposed beach that these men had to cross. The best I can describe it- would be if you’ve ever been to California’s Santa Monica Pier. I remember visiting that beach on our honeymoon, and I laughed and laughed because it took me so long to cross it from the parking lot to reach actual water. I was used to warm, North Carolina Atlantic beaches that are eroding by the moment- and you’re pretty much there when you step out of the car. So, this beach, at low tides was pretty much not that. Oliver explained that the German cannons were not facing directly out to sea, but pointing left and right on the diagonal along the sea line. So as these guys were coming up the beach- they could not look into the barrel of the cannons and know where fire was coming from- no- the cannons were strategically placed so that no matter where a man entered the beach- he was immediately in the cross fire, coming from left and right.

The men on those boats entering Normandy were not necessarily Marines, either. One such boat had National Guardsmen- not trained or skilled or even knowledgeable of “Sea legs” so they exited those boats- sick as could be; fighting against the sea, fighting to stay alive before they even got their socks wet; only to face one of the most bare, expansive beaches I’ve ever seen- with just small concrete x’s (used to keep enemies away at high tide) as barriers.



It was fitting that after that visit- we toured the American cemetery. My kids have never been to Arlington National Cemetery, so they were not prepared for, but were awed by how the crosses and Stars of David went on for rows, and rows and rows. We walked among them, and I noticed how the dates went on for months, and months- it didn’t stop at D-Day. The fighting went on, and on, and on. Brothers, buried side by side; rich families and poor- but all equal in their ultimate sacrifice.




The next stop was Pont du Hoc. This one was even more terrifying to me. These soldiers had to scale the side of a sea cliff, under fire- to overcome their enemies. As I walked along this sea wall, I marveled to Martin that it was absolute, concrete miracle that the Allies won this day. The odds, the overwhelming obstacles were so many. The bravery and courage that it must’ve taken these men to knowingly charge in, and win- I am still at a loss for words.






Our next visit was one of my favorite stops. Angoville au Plain was a little church where two medic paratroopers, realizing they had landed in the wrong location, rallied to set up a “hospital” for wounded Allies, Germans, and citizens of the town. They saved 85 lives there; and it is now covered in stained glass honoring the US Paratroopers from that day. I could write a whole blog about this little church, and my feelings there.





We also toured Utah Beach, Sainte Mere Englaise, and finally the German Cemetery. We toured the last because my husband is German, and war takes lives of many- both willing and unwilling. They are all brothers, husbands, sons and fathers.

We returned to Paris that evening, by train. Tired, worn out, completely muddy, and completely changed by what we had seen that day. My kids will talk about it for years to come. I learned that day that war is an art, even a grisly science; but that you also need a bit of luck and a lot of God’s face shining on you.

My kids stripped off their shoes, as did I; and I grabbed paper towels to begin peeling off the mud of the day. As I wiped it off, tears came to my eyes. I thought about how those survivors must have felt- maybe wiping mud, and sand, and blood from the day off their shoes, their clothes, their faces; and trying to wipe it off their hearts. We threw our shoes in the washing machine, and they came out almost as good as new. That would not happen for them. I know now why they call them the Greatest Generation.

Every living veteran I know would implore you to not thank them, the living, this Memorial Day. They would simply ask that you remember the ones that are not here- this is their day to be remembered. There’s another group of men and women out there fighting a war that has gone on for many years. I heard last night, it’s the longest war in the history of the US. Let’s not forget them this year. Let’s remember the fallen this Memorial Day; and on Veteran’s Day- please remember the ones who are wiping the mud of the day off their hearts.

With respect to the fallen, and love to the survivors,

The Hueneke Family

Pack a suitcase

Here's a great little packing tip that I found on facebook. Putting it here for future reference. :)

Pack a suitcase

Day 3- Rameses? Like Gordon Ramsey? Our tour of Louvre, Notre Dame, and St. Chappelle

This day was particularly hard to get started, after the 20,000 step day before. It was no joke getting out of bed, but thankfully, the construction guys started bright and early at 7:50 and ensured that we got the day started. After a breakfast at the apartment we set out to conquer our pre-determined itinerary:

·        Louvre

·        Lunch

·        Notre Dame

·        St. Chappelle

·        Seine River Cruise for belated anniversary dinner

Louvre Museum: Closed on Tuesdays; hours on other days range from 9am-6pm; with late nights on Fridays until 9:45pm (*See note on Metro in notes). First Sundays are free, but I’ve heard busy; otherwise 15 euros for adults and under 18 are free. We used Museum Pass.

So, everything I had read on the Louvre said, plan, plan, plan. Every source said that if you went in there without a plan, you’d get lost, not see all the best pieces, and be there for days. The problem was, for me- how to plan. I found the website to be user unfriendly, and couldn’t seem to find a good way to find the Mona Lisa quickly, much less figure out which pieces were highlights. This museum is HUGE. I mean, there’s really no way to describe it until you see it for yourself. On the morning we woke up, it occurred to me to check and see if they had an app I could download. I kinda struck out with that- because I did want one that would work offline so I wouldn’t have to turn my out of country data on for the day. HOWEVER, I hit the jackpot on the $5.99 bundle app- Paris Museums Bundle by Museum Tour Guides LTD. This app bundle included the Louvre, Rodin (too late for us), Musee D’Orsay and Musee de L’Orangerie. I 100% feel this was money well spent. The apps include a map, tour options, and find art, art descriptions and notes, as well as information like hours and ticket prices for the museums.

For the Louvre, this app allows you to choose the 4 hour, 1 day or 2 day tour. We previewed the pieces and decided that the 4 hour tour covered the pieces we most wanted to visit. The 4 hour tour covers 50 pieces, and we hit them all with the exception of about 5-6; and then previewed the 1 and 2 day tours to see if there were any additional pieces that we wanted to see. I will say, the downside to this app, is that it appears to not be updated to reflect parts of the museum that are closed for renovations, or pieces that may be on loan to another museum.  

We took the Metro down to the museum, and it dumps you out into a jam packed, crowded mall. You may see signs that point to purchasing Museum passes in little shops, but if you already have yours, just skip that and go straight up the escalators to the road level. Security was pretty tight, but I will admit that I was a bit unnerved that they missed checking my bag, but checked everyone else’s. So, tight, but maybe not so thorough, which is unnerving considering recent events. Anyhoo, after you go through security (we entered at the pyramid), you go down some escalators to the actual museum lobby. It will be packed. We immediately briefed the kids on what to do if they got separated, since their cell phones were not in use. There is a rendezvous point there in the lobby, but we showed them the uniforms on the staff, etc. There is a “locker room” of sorts, where you can “rent” a locker to store coats and bags, and an umbrella stash- you just follow the directions on the wall and enter a code. Just remember to take a picture or write down/remember your locker number because there are a lot of them.

After settling the “housekeeping” options, we grabbed an actual, physical paper map, and I will say, Martin and I both agree that their map is also not very user friendly. Or, maybe it was just us. I’m not sure. Even though we were going to follow a tour guide, the boys all wanted to start at the big ML, and then backtrack through. Okay, c’est la vie. You’re messing with my plan. But, whatevs, go with it Mom.

We got seriously sidetracked by the shiny objects in what I would say was MY favorite- and for lack of the official name, I’ll call it the French Bling Room. I’m talking emeralds, diamonds, crowns, precious jewels, ridiculous grooming items- I was in my element; and ladies- you shouldn’t miss it. The boys tore me away, though- and had to press on for the search for DaVinci’s greatest.

This was the point where we realized, we pretty much had no clue how to read that map, and were grumbling about it when oldest Boy Scout son says, “Let me see it” in a bored, exasperated voice. And voila. The kid has insane navigating skills. I mean, I can’t even describe the looks on our faces as he manipulated that building like no body’s business. Time after time, we were doubting him, and he would lead us up and down stairs, around the corners, and there it would be…. But, I digress….

We finally found the Mona Lisa, and pressed in among the flocks of tourists who were taking selfies like they were on the front row at a rock concert. This is the number one thing that has been on C’s bucket list for years, and poor little guy- his little ten year old frame was not packing enough punch, so I played that card, and kept saying, “I know you’re so excited about this” as I pushed him through the crowd (which was probably about 10 people deep). I kept using that line, and people tend to let kids through with a little more niceness, and he was able to get right in front of it, and take some pictures. M and I scooted off to the side and, yes, we took a selfie. Since so many people had told me that it was small, and underwhelming, I was pleasantly surprised by the size. And yes, it’s a great painting, but there are so many others….. M actually said that this floor has so many other good paintings in addition to the the Mona Lisa; with Delacroix’s Liberte Leading the People being his favorite.

Liberte Leading the People

Favorite highlights- the French Bling Room, the Mona Lisa (and DaVinci’s other works across the hall, which I actually liked more, and M agreed), the Moat part of the museum from the original building, and the Egyptian mummy, sphinx and relics. This was the part of the museum where I said, “Hey, look- this stuff was Rameses’!” and C replied, “Gordon Ramsey’s?” Insert history lesson here…. Also, our tour took us down into an area with amazing wood carvings, and we felt like we’d hit the jackpot because we were literally the only people there. It’s a shame that so many pieces are overlooked for the bigger ones.

This is the moat that the Louvre was built on. Who knew? 

The wood carving room

This museum was the great bulk of our day, and I highly recommend it, but I wouldn’t do it without the app and the map. We completed the 4 hour tour and a few other highlights in about 3 hours, because hey, we have a short attention span. But I will tell you that the walking is BRUTAL.

 There are a lot of stairs, and the elevators will be packed to maximum weight, and the one we rode had us holding our breaths because of it- M was doing a headcount, and said we exceeded the recommended number of people on board. They’re not shy about crowding in Europe.

After touring the Louvre, we were beat, and I mean, beat. The day, plus the one before had killed our feet. We knew we needed a quick lunch, somewhere close by. At this point, we didn’t have the mental capacity to pull out trip advisor for recommendations, so we spied a McDonalds across the street, and off we went. Do not judge me for eating at McDonald’s in Paris. We were at the point of hangry, and it was there, ok? 

Now I haven’t eaten anything but breakfast at McDonalds in probably 10 years, but this McDonalds has machines that you walk up and order from, and then pick up at the counter. Maybe that’s the new norm, I don’t know. But it ended up being a pain because you had to figure out where everything on the menu was; the machine ended up declining our credit card twice, and a different card once, and we ended up having to go up and pay at the counter. The declined credit card in Europe thing gave us near heart attacks, and since we were all hangry and tired, let’s just say, things got a little testy with the family at this point. We forced our way through the throngs of people to get our food, and then went upstairs to find a non-existent table. We came back downstairs to look for another non-existent table. We ended up eating outside in the cold rain (at least it was covered), and quickly discovered they’d left something off our tray and sent M back inside to figure it out in French (HAHA!). All in all, between finding out that our card was indeed fine, and they had 2 pending charges in addition to our actual charge- it ended up being a bit of a tense lunch. C lightened it up by feeding the birds and M by saying he “had to have the Paris chef’s hat” from the souvenir store next door. Side note- the food was better than expected.

I say all this, because I want to express that our mood was less than stellar for our next attraction; and I don't feel like we gave it a fair shake. 

Notre Dame: hours: 7:45am - 6:45pm; free entry for church, but not to go to top. Long security lines move quickly. 

I mean, the faces kind of say it all...

Now, I can’t say for certain if that was the reason, or the fact that we had purchased a toboggan hat for C at the souvenir shop (since he was freezing, apparently) and he promptly lost it as soon as we walked into Notre Dame (we’re talking mere minutes people); or if we have been jaded by the grandeur of Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral, but I felt like we rushed through this attraction, and I’ll be very honest- I don’t have much to write about here. (Hello, run-on sentence that feels like my feet felt at this point). At Westminster, we did the audio tour; but here we did not, and I regret that. I feel like I would have appreciated it more if we had. The church is beautiful- as you’d expect, and there are some really cool drawings and such to show how long it took to build. But I feel like I spent the majority of the time trying to catch up to Martin’s back- we’ve tested it and he takes about 1.4 steps to every one of mine.

By the time we finished, we did not have the fortitude to even think about climbing the steps to the top. I’m talking- feet were dying; not to mention it was so cold and rainy and we knew it would be worse at the top.

So, right across the street was St. Chappelle (hours 9:30-6pm; 10 euros for adults, free for kids under 18) and let me tell you- do this one. You will enter on the bottom floor. Use the museum pass- we waltzed right in (well, as much as one can with security these days), much to the chagrin of the people in line. I was prepared to walk in and see the most amazing stained glass in the world, and when we walked in, I was all, Meh.

Downstairs chapel

It was a small chapel- and I’d seen better. I mean, not to be snotty or anything…. But then I realized….. crap, stairs. Really narrow ones. And we all wanted to cry. Apparently, this chapel is attached to what was formerly the royal palace, and the King would enter from his terrace- so the real show is upstairs. If you go, grab one of the brochures that explain the stained glass when you go up, and be prepared to have your socks blown off. It is gorgeous and beautiful and it tells a story, and it is worth the climb. We spent more time here than we did at ND, I think. It was amazing. I wish I could’ve come back several times with different times of day for different lighting.

St. Chappelle

At this point, we were approaching the 4:00 something hour, and Martin and I still had the anniversary dinner cruise on the Seine to go. So we jetted back to the apartment, took off our shoes, took a little nap, and then the day continues….

This has been a really long post, so I will have to split the dinner cruise into it’s own blog. Talk to me though…. If you’ve been to Notre Dame, what did you love about it? I feel like a loser for not giving it the time it deserved….