France, Belgium, Amsterdam 2013

In September 2013, we took a driving trip from the airport in Paris through Normandy, Belgium, and Amsterdam. In ten days, we put over 800 miles on our little Ford B-Max stopping overnight in Giverny, Bayeux, Ghent, Belgium, and finally Amsterdam. This special trip, in honor of our 40th wedding anniversary, allowed us to visit the home of Claude Monet and his waterlillies, the world famous Bayeux Tapestry, Normandy World War II battlefields, Mont Ste. Michel, the Volvo factory in Ghent, and all the sights in Amsterdam. Here is a pictorial version of that journey.

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Saint Mere Eglise was the site of paratrooper landings behind enemy lines at 0140 on June 6. Many paratroopers were shot down as they landed. One, John Steele, landed on the town's Church steeple. He survived the war. In memory of the allied assault, townspeople have kept a replica of Steele on the Church steeple to this day.