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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The following day, we took a field trip to visit the battlegrounds of World War II. Reservations were made in advance with Overlordtour.com, a tour guide that specializes in World War II tours. Our first stop was the Longues-sur-Mer Battery. The Germans built these fortress gun emplacements facing the English Channel with the purpose of attacking Allied warships as they approached the coast of Normandy.