June 6, 1944

On May 1st we drove less than an hour from Vauville to the charming town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. A woman that works at Daniel’s site, Christine Bertot, had invited us over to see the town and nearby museum at Utah Beach. Since neither of us had met her we were particularly struck by her generosity of taking a day to introduce us to the special area that is rich in history of D-Day.

In the center of the town square is a towering church (11th century), which we learned changed hands multiple times over the course of the night of June 6th.

All around the square are little signs that tell the personal stories in amazing detail of what happened the night the town was liberated from the Germans.

With the memorials and museums, you begin to realize that what happened 60+ years ago seems forever carved into the identity of the place and the people.It was like stepping back in time, because there is so much that is preserved and the town looks much the same as it did many years ago.

Oh Happy Day!

After four long months apart, with only the telephone line, internet e-mail, and webcam sessions to stay in touch, we finally reunited! Daniel picked me up at the airport on Sunday April 29th in Paris. When I first saw him, he was waiting behind the glass wall with a sign that said “Harper”.

Needless to say, we were and still are very thankful to be together again! Thanks to everyone for their support, care, and prayers for both of us during our time apart. After a nice train and car ride back home, Daniel fixed a delicious traditional Normandy meal for me.

Cap La Hague

The western side of the Cap is to me even more beautiful, with the cliffs and beaches and green (even in the dead of winter) countryside. The gates shown here are famous in the way they are constructed, apparently only found in Normandy. Along the road overlooking the water of La Manche, I stopped to take some pictures (Nez de Jobourg is the outcropping shown here) and happened upon a man exercising his horse on the beach. The island you can see in the background of this picture is probably Alderney.

Cindy's roadtrip

During my visit in December, I took off in the car one day while Daniel was at work to check out the area that we will soon call home. On the furthest edge, at the tip of the peninsula named La Hague, there is a nice little village and lighthouse of Goury. Aparently these waters hold some of the most dangerous currents in the world. There is now a rescue station there. There are beautiful little old stone villages (we moved into one) all over this area, each with their own name and history. Even on a cold, windy, cloudy day it was easy to appreciate the beauty of the area.

Maison de Vauville

We were originally scheduled to see this house first thing in the morning of our first day of house hunting. We talked about it, and without looking at it, we decided we didn't want to live outside the city. For no apparent reason (other than, just for fun?) we later rescheduled to see it after all, and quickly became enamored with the town and the house itself. When we first saw it, it was right at sundown. We stood on the third level terrace and saw a panoramic view of the remnants of the sunset over the English Channel, as off to the side the lights of the coastal village were just beginning to flicker on.. We thought to ourselves, when would we ever get the chance to live in a place like this, again? A little stone house in an old Norman village? Why not?

Apartment in Cherbourg

We ended up at this apartment in the middle of a long day of apartment hunting. It is a beautiful, ancient building that has been renovated for apartment living, in the middle of the city. The entire third floor is a spacious apartment with nice views, lots of light, tall ceilings, a lot of what we wanted in a place to live. We would have signed on it that day, but it was not to be available until at least March. So we kept looking. We are happy with what we did end up finding, which was a far cry from any apartment we could find in any city. But, we still can look back and wonder what it would have been like to live in a museum!

Maison d'hotes : Les Fontaines

Daniel describes the kitchen/common eating area in two words: "Pottery Barn." I especially enjoyed the English tea with delicious local cream of Normandy. Actually, I really especially enjoyed eating breakfast with my sweetie again, after being apart for three long weeks. :)

Maison d'hotes : Les Fontaines

Here you see the "company housing" where Daniel has been staying since the end of November. It is a beautiful old Norman farmhouse that has been refurbished. They added on rooms and so it is a very nice place to stay temporarily! I think his favorite thing about this place is the wonderful food that they serve. The five course meals at night are especially delicious. I think his second favorite thing about this place is that it is less than ten minutes from work!