We bid fond farewell to Mont St. Michel this morning and headed our little red Fiat northward towards Tourlaville, our next stop. I must say that Chuck has shown great improvement in his manual transmission driving skills and seldom starts out from a stop sign in 3rd gear anymore.
On the way to Tourlaville we stopped to visit the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, the site of the massive Allied assault on the Normandy coastline on June 6, 1944. It poured down rain the entire time we were there which gave an extra solemnity to the area and the reminders of its past. The Cemetery is one of 14 permanent American World war II military cemeteries on foreign soil. The government of France granted use of this land, in perpetuity, as a permanent burial ground without charge or taxation.
Entrance to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Eisenhower quote at the entrance to the visitor center.
Map showing the invasion routes for the various troops.
Looking through the Garden of the Missing at the Memorial featuring a 22-foot statue, “The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.”
Robert E Jurca, Pvt 119 Inf 30 Div, Pennsylvania, July 31, 1944. He is not forgotten.
Over 9,000 servicemen and women are buried at the Normandy American Cemetery.
Looking out over Omaha Beach towards the English Channel.
After visiting the cemetery at Normandy, we drove over to Tourlaville to check in at our next “hotel.” What a pleasant surprise we had! This “hotel” is a B&B in the form of a chateau – the Chateau de Flottemanville. Our two previous lodging places have been very good but this one is over the top so I just have to share it.
We were driving down a country road when “Mate,” our Austrailian-voiced GPS, said to turn left and we had arrived. We laughed because on our left was a Medieval church with an ancient cemetery between the church and the street and we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But then we saw a sign for a chateau at the entrance to this driveway across the street from the church and we figured Mate was just a little dyslexic.
About half way down the lane, we saw this Unicorn in the woods next to the road. I’m positive it was a unicorn. I just knew that was a really good sign.
At the end of the driveway, this is what we saw. Cool!
We have a small suite and it’s fabulous! It is filled with antiques and even has an antique piano. There’s a fireplace and antique tiles on the floor. There’s even a book that talks about the Ravalet Chateau that we’re going to see tomorrow.
The Inn Keeper mentioned that our room has a secret window and he showed Chuck how to remove the panel from it. Our room is next to a small chapel. Our room was inhabited by an elderly person and when the panel was removed to expose the window, the room’s occupant could hear and see the service in the chapel through the hole.
This is what you see when the panel has been removed. There’s now a Madonna and Child statue in the hole but you can see a stained glass window behind them.
The Inn Keeper let us peak into the chapel even though it’s undergoing renovation so it not currently used. This is what that beautiful window actually looks like. The tiny chapel has 4 or 5 beautiful windows like this one.
Tomorrow we’re going to visit the Chateau de Ravalet.
2 thoughts on “Travel Day: The American Cemetery at Normandy and Chateau de Flottemanville”
bonsoir!….oooh!! what an absolutely fabulous room…..just so ooh la la!!…..this is a most splendid blog….my favorite so far!…..my question to france would be,”where have you hidden the ugliness?”….and of course the reply would be “ugliness?…what is ugliness?”….the chateaux are just gorgeous….each one has its own uniqueness……and the gardens are breathtaking…..i can’t help but be curious about what that lady saw that made her scream……what a shame that we’ll never know…..i LOVED the hounds!….they’re so pretty and disciplined…..suzy and beatrice wouldn’t go for that one bit….when the food is in their sight, they’re gobbling and i can scream demands to the walls until my voice gives out!…..oh, btw, emmatina would like to know why there are no photos of cats…especially black ones….i told her that you are touring upper crust chateaux and that most cats hang out in alleys and dilapidated barns……unfortunately, i must have hurt her feelings badly because she gave me such a hurtful look and walked away slowly with her head hanging ever so low……so hopefully a “chat” will come into view soon and you can snap its photo…..well it’s almost 7pm here and i guess it’s the midnight hour there……how will you be able to sleep in that beautiful room?……i would be too excited……take care and happy french dreams to you both……..au revoir!
Thanks for your nice note, Carol. We are enjoying our new digs – we have one more night here so I may post a few more photos before we leave. We explored this morning – this place is so fascinating! I agree with Emmatina. I told Chuck in the beginning that I was going to look for French cats and do a post just on cats. Unfortunately, after a week of looking I have only 4 photos of cats – and one of them is just a framed drawing! Unlike Greece where hoards of photogenic cats think they own the place, here cats are scarce and very timid. (But if you’d like to see a separate post on seagulls and pigeons, I’m in good shape there!) Tell Emmatina not to worry, I’ll keep looking for her feline friends. Maybe we’ll see more of them in Paris. It may be a short post but I promise I’ll do one sometime before we go home – just for her.
Springtime in France 
bonsoir!….oooh!! what an absolutely fabulous room…..just so ooh la la!!…..this is a most splendid blog….my favorite so far!…..my question to france would be,”where have you hidden the ugliness?”….and of course the reply would be “ugliness?…what is ugliness?”….the chateaux are just gorgeous….each one has its own uniqueness……and the gardens are breathtaking…..i can’t help but be curious about what that lady saw that made her scream……what a shame that we’ll never know…..i LOVED the hounds!….they’re so pretty and disciplined…..suzy and beatrice wouldn’t go for that one bit….when the food is in their sight, they’re gobbling and i can scream demands to the walls until my voice gives out!…..oh, btw, emmatina would like to know why there are no photos of cats…especially black ones….i told her that you are touring upper crust chateaux and that most cats hang out in alleys and dilapidated barns……unfortunately, i must have hurt her feelings badly because she gave me such a hurtful look and walked away slowly with her head hanging ever so low……so hopefully a “chat” will come into view soon and you can snap its photo…..well it’s almost 7pm here and i guess it’s the midnight hour there……how will you be able to sleep in that beautiful room?……i would be too excited……take care and happy french dreams to you both……..au revoir!
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Thanks for your nice note, Carol. We are enjoying our new digs – we have one more night here so I may post a few more photos before we leave. We explored this morning – this place is so fascinating! I agree with Emmatina. I told Chuck in the beginning that I was going to look for French cats and do a post just on cats. Unfortunately, after a week of looking I have only 4 photos of cats – and one of them is just a framed drawing! Unlike Greece where hoards of photogenic cats think they own the place, here cats are scarce and very timid. (But if you’d like to see a separate post on seagulls and pigeons, I’m in good shape there!) Tell Emmatina not to worry, I’ll keep looking for her feline friends. Maybe we’ll see more of them in Paris. It may be a short post but I promise I’ll do one sometime before we go home – just for her.
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