Not more than a half an hour away from Munich, there lies the Dachau concentration camp, which has a recorded intake of 206,206 prisoners and 31,951 deaths. There is an estimated amount of over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries, two-thirds being political prisoners and nearly one-third being that of Jews. 25,613 prisoners who are believed to have died in the camp and another 10,000 in its sub camps from disease, malnutrition and suicide. Not only were these prisoners starved and worked to death, they were also used as scientific experiments, being tested in some of the worst ways possible. Though the gas chambers at the concentration camps weren’t used, the furnaces were used regularly – those furnaces having the purpose to cremating thousands of bodies of those who died from sickness, starvation, and for those who were brutally murdered in some of the worst ways possible. All of these horrible things laid behind a black gate which read, “Work makes you free,” and here we were walking right through them.

Stepping through those gates, everyone could feel the change of atmosphere that we were used to in Munich. Here, it was quiet. Here, all you could do was think and fall into your own thoughts. To think of what happened here, and to experience walking on that very ground years later, you can’t help but to feel all kinds of emotions: anger towards those who could be so inhumane and treat other humans like they did; and sadness for all of those who had to suffer, and who lost their lives here on this very location. Everyone was quiet inside of the concentration camp, all the students mostly breaking up on their own to explore the entire camp from corner to corner. I, myself, took a walk alone, where I took in the whole thing in silence. Walking through the barracks, where wooden beds were placed, I couldn’t even begin to think of how cramped it must’ve been in the small rooms that it had. There were a total of thirty barracks in all, every single one but two having been torn down and to the ground – all that was left were the borders or where they once were on the ground. Large stones numbered which barrack was which, one barrack catching my eye more than others: Barrack 27. Next to the stone number, laid two white roses. I looked at it in silence for a good few minutes, trying to think of a reason for the two roses being laid there. Did a loved one leave it there to commemorate a family member who stayed there? Did they get out alive? I will never know but the symbolism of the rose on the ground was a beautiful one.

I walked around for quite some time around the camp, walking the width of the barb wired fences, and into an area that I wasn’t quite prepared for. I came to the location where the exterminations took place. Walking into the one long building with the large brick pillar coming up the middle, I found myself in one of four rooms. The first was where prisoners were informed of having to take a ‘shower’. This is where they stripped themselves of their clothes and waited to be allowed in. The next room was the ‘showering’ room. There were holes and vents everywhere, numbers to about twenty different vents in the room. This is where gas filled up the room and killed thousands of innocent victims. The third room was completely empty. A sign read that this was where those thousands of bodies were stacked on top of each other after the ‘shower’ was over. The last room was called the furnace room, where four furnace beds laid, and were able to fit at least three or four bodies in at a time. Staying in the building made me feel uncomfortable, a suffocating feeling almost, which drove me to get out of there as quickly as possible. Knowing that the gas chamber wasn’t used, the idea of this happening all over at different concentration camps was very unsettling. Near the death building, there was a trail that I then walked. At different sections of the trail, laid different signs. One showed the exact location where prisoners were murdered and shot, a ditch nearby to allow the blood to flow into it. Another one was an unmarked grave, which is believed to have hundreds of unknown bodies that were killed at the camp. Another grave was nearby, containing ashes of those who were placed in the furnace.

The overall visit at the Dachau concentration camp was…. eye opening. Its terrible to think of what actually happened here and what happened just in general. It was brilliant on the instructor’s behalf to finish the tour at the camp; we discussed World War II and the different aspects of it throughout the two weeks we have been over here, and we end it by learning of the worst causalities of the war. Why there was a war in the first place. Why we needed to step in and fight in the war in the first place. Thousands of innocent people were dying for no reason at all, and it needed to be stop. Its just sad to think that those thousands weren’t able to see the day when American forces seized the concentration camp of Dachau, releasing all prisoners and telling them that they were free at last.

This trip has been nothing but amazing, and I speak for everyone when I say that it was all worthwhile. We learned so much during this trip, able to see things and learn things more clearly by seeing the locations first hand. From Pointe du Hoc and the craters that littered the ground there, to the concentration camp that left a feeling of sadness no matter where you turned, I now understand the reason this course was put together. I also understand how important history is and how crucial it is to know it. Its sad to leave the lands of Europe tomorrow, but no doubt I will be back soon to walk these grounds again.

Thank you to the viewers for reading this blog.

Thank you to Margaret for being one awesome tour guide.

Thank you to Dr Butler and Dr Riggs for opening the eyes of an art major, allowing her to recognize the love of history she never knew she had until now.

Today we woke up early and left Munich around 8:30AM. Today was the day we left to spend the day in beautiful Austria! Being only a couple hours away, me and my fellow classmates used the time to catch a little bit more sleep before being woken up to find ourselves surrounded by the Alps. We were minutes away from Salzburg and already we were amazed by the gorgeous views and atmosphere. It only got better when we got into the city, where we were given about three hours to explore the city on our own. Going in small groups, we all broke in our separate ways and with our own ideas of what to do to spend the time. First thing on my group’s mission was to find the closest chocolate shop. Everyone knows after all that Austria makes some of the best chocolate around. Salzburg is also the home of the classical composer Mozart, another thing we wanted to go and explore. With a map in hand, we found an area of the city called Mozartplatz, which contains many different shops and cafes and so many other things in the area. After finding our chocolates, we then opted to go get some lunch – this took place at Mozart Café, which had some of the best food I have ever tasted. The boys in the group chose to munch on spaghetti, while Lauren and myself chose the daily dish of the day: cauliflower cream soup, and chicken/vegetable skewers. We also each got a cup of cappuccino at a very decent price. We were filled up instantly, and we all decided it was the greatest idea to stop and eat here.

Shortly after leaving the lovely café, we decided to go through some of the shops, picking up little souvenirs along the way to take back to America. It wasn’t until Lauren and I found a shop filled with traditional Austrian and German clothing, something we just HAD to try on. All the dresses were absolutely gorgeous, and it was hard to choose just one to try on, considering we were only allowed to try on one. Also, after spending so much time at the café, we only had about a half an hour left to try on the clothing, take pictures, and hopefully find our way back to where the bus was parked. While Lauren and I picked out our traditional dresses downstairs, Wylie went up to the upper level where they had the traditional clothing for men, a mission he was trying to fulfill the moment he stepped into Germany. In the end, we all tried on clothing and enjoyed the chance to play dress up in such gorgeous (and expensive) clothing. We quickly took pictures and then hightailed it out of the store, backtracking to where we came from to get back to the bus by 3:15PM.

Next on our list was to go to Eagle’s Nest. The Eagle’s Next was a teahouse, and holiday getaway for Adolf Hitler. Located at an extremely high point in the Alps, we gathered back onto our bus and began going up the mountains, where we were struck with even more beautiful views the higher and higher we went. Unable to go any higher with our own bus, we had to transfer onto a different bus, which took extremely sharp turns, and winding roads. The higher we got, the cloudier and foggier it got, the scenery almost giving you an eerie feeling that you were in a horror film. The forecast did clear up every few minutes however, giving us the best view of villages as far as the eye can see from where we were. We went through the Eagles Nest, and went through rooms, which were used for meetings, dining, and lounging.

Though the Eagle’s Nest was a lot smaller than what a lot of us were expecting, it was still fascinating and interesting to actually be there. Still with some free time left on the mountain, the majority of us then decided to do a little bit of mountain climbing, going up a small mountain that had a large cross near the Eagle’s Nest. This cross had nothing to do with the getaway house, but rather it was there to honor those who lost their lives while scaling, exploring, and going up through the Alps. The clouds cleared from where we were and we were again finding ourselves looking down on valleys and towns below. You really had to be there to see it, because it was stunning. Eventually it got a little bit too chilly up in the Alps (there was snow visible on nearby mountains everywhere), so we then headed back down, meeting up with the bus to take us back down to our original one. It was now time to leave Austria, and we all thought it was way too soon. Others believed it would’ve been nice to spend at least a full day there instead of half.

Back in Munich a couple hours later, we found ourselves late to dinner again and having to rush straight there as quickly as possible. We were greeted with a buffet – soup, chicken, noodles, vegetables, etc. Afterwards, we were able to branch out on our own again, a lot of us going to experience some great German culture at the Hofbräuhaus. You know, where there is music and large beers and making new friends! It was also a good tie in to our World War II subject though, considering the very building was where many of the meetings for the Nazi party took place.

Now in bed, we all look forward to what is to come tomorrow – we get a better look at the city of Munich, and one last chance to allow our last full day of Europe to sink it. I still can’t believe it’s coming to an end! Good night, and until next time…

We made a stop four hours into the trip so we could visit Nuremburg, the city where the historic Nuremburg trials took place after World War II ended. We went to see different locations in the city, including the Palace of Justice where those trials took place, and also where Hitler held rallies and made speeches to those in the Nazi party. We even spotted a Burger King, which still had the symbol of an eagle on the side of the building, an icon for the Nazi party.

Pretty much for the rest of the day and after leaving Nuremburg, we continued our journey onward to Munich, reaching the city at about 7:00PM. Already being late to dinner, we went straight there from the highway and enjoyed a delicious German meal. This meal consisted of a soft pretzel, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. They were all very delicious, minus the dessert in which I didn’t know what it was. I have come to the conclusion that Germany likes to keep people guessing. They are fans of the ‘mystery meat’ category, but everything we have eaten so far has been nothing but excellent.

After dinner, we went straight back to the hotel and checked into our last hotel of our European trip. It’s so sad to think that we have to leave and come back to the real world in three days but I think that mostly everyone is ready to get back home. We got settled into the hotel in no time, and quickly headed out on the town so we could find a nice spot to watch the next FIFA World Cup game. Luckily for us, it was the Germany vs Australia game. And considering we are in Germany at the moment…. I think you get the idea! It was absolutely insane, but so much fun at the same time. Germans were everywhere cheering for their team, which shut out Australia at the end with a 4-0 win. Tomorrow is the Denmark vs Netherlands game, which I believe a few of us are planning to watch when we have free time. Munich has already been a blast considering we have only been here a short time, but we still have three more days!

Tomorrow we will be heading out to Austria, which isn’t too far away at all. It’s just another country to add onto the World Traveler’s list! I will let you all know what happens and where we go tomorrow night. Sorry for such a short entry, but there’s not much to say when having to snooze on a coach for many, many hours. Oh, and did you guess the top two largest German cities? If not: Berlin and Hamburg.

The day started out with the group finally getting to sleep in (yay!). It was definitely needed after such a long train ride last night and not getting to the hotel until at least midnight or a little afterwards. The train ride went incredible well, despite the length of time that we spent on it and the constant swaying back and forth as we traveled through Germany. We got to sleep in until 8:15AM (a very late time for all of us lately), where we were greeted with a REAL breakfast that didn’t just include a croissant and coffee, and then we all piled into the new coach in order to greet our tour guide Kevin for the day while taking a bus tour around the city. Kevin was incredibly witty and intelligent, the lot of us unable to stop from laughing at every joke he cracked. The man did know so much however, and we ended up learning so much about Germany today, and Germany during the times of World War II. We stopped to look at the Holocaust monument that was built to memorialize the Jews who died during the time of Nazi Germany, and of course the famous Berlin Wall.

Though most of the Wall is gone now, there still remains a long strip of it, which was created into “The East Berlin Gallery.” The East Berlin Gallery is made up of artists from all around the world who were asked to come and present artwork on one panel of the wall. The art work that we saw was stunning and beautiful, most keeping the subject of unity and peace in mind. It was a solumn moment to look at that Wall, and it was sad that we were only able to walk by it for a few short minutes, mostly due to an illegal parking job that we did to get up close to it. After visiting the Wall, we then traveling across Germany and visited Checkpoint Charlie, a sign showing the actual check point that the Americans used. From there, we went through a museum explaining the escapes that people used to cross the Wall and the casualties that ended along with it.

After everything was said and done on the itinerary, we were all pretty much allowed to do whatever we pleased. The majority of us broke away and decided to explore the city a little more on our own. Some of us went through the streets where many shops were displayed, and others went to look at the historical buildings that still stood from the days of World War II and until now. We passed by vendors selling pretzels and bratwurst and they were always so hard to pass up. We met for dinner shortly afterwards and enjoyed a nice long buffet of mystery meat, mystery soup, bread, and rum rice cake. Again, another meal on the tour that didn’t disappoint. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed Berlin, the thought of going to Germany not really on my ‘most exciting part of the tour’ list. But I was definitely proven wrong by the beauty of the city, how clean it was, and how nice the locals were. It definitely proved to be a place that is worth coming back to in the very near future.

And now for the fun part. As many of you may know, this year is FIFA World Cup 2010. As you may also know, Europe tends to take soccer extremely seriously. So I can speak for the group and say that we were completely excited to learn that we were going to be in Europe during the month of World Cup, AND be here during the famous rivalry game of USA vs England. A lot of us decided that after dinner, we were going to put on our World Cup gear, and head over to the Olympia Stadium to watch the game with all the other diehard footballer fans. And that is actually what we did. Not only were we excited to see the game, but we were stoked to be standing right in front of a piece of American history. Germany hosted the Summer Olympics back in 1936; right at this very stadium that was hosting the World Cup fan fest. Our African American sprinter Jesse Owens ran right past Hitler’s group of Arian runners, winning the gold metal in front of the Germans and Hitler. It was and still is glorious and brings a smile to all of our faces.

The English and Americans were definitely going at it – though in a good way. No fights broke out, thank goodness, however there was plenty of trash talk and many chants of “Lets Go England” and “U-S-A!” It was great to think that we were getting to experience something like this over in Europe, something that we may never get to experience ever again. The game ended up being brilliant, the English and Americans ending up with a 1-1 tie. All the fans wished each other luck and shook hands, making friends with each other after rooting on their own respective teams and speaking their minds. Tomorrow should surely be interesting, where we will be in Munich getting to see Germany play Australia. Though the turn out was pretty nice for the England vs USA game, we were predicting some mad amount of fans tomorrow night. We already can’t wait! And I can’t wait to write tomorrow to fill you all in on more of our adventures. Have a good night friends and parents!

Like I said in my last entry, we stayed the night in a hotel in France. We woke up early in the morning, quickly piling onto our bus (with our troublesome bus driver Mario … more on him later) and left the country. Within a half an hour, we passed into our third country on the trip – Belgium! In my opinion, Belgium is absolutely gorgeous. There are three languages spoken in Belgium: French, German, and Flemish. For the most part however, they speak mostly German. We met up with our tour guide for the day, Robbie, in Bastogne where we went to view the sight of where the Battle of the Bulge was fought. In the area, there is a monument built for the American soldiers who fought there, the monument honoring all 50 States of the US and the troops that participated in the battle. We even climbed the top of it, which showed a gorgeous view of the Belgian countryside, and even the far off distance of Lichtenstein, a very small country surrounded by France, Belgium, and Germany.

Afterwards, we visited many more monuments around the area that honored the American troups that fought in the country. There were many, and we even walked through a forest featured in the film ‘Band of Brothers,’ where they fought in real fox holes that still existed from the battle. Though they were not as deep as they once were, they were still baring the familiar rectangular shape behind many fir trees. Tour guide Robbie stated that veterans from previous groups who had fought in the war confirmed the fox holes, some even saying those were the same exact fox holes that they spent days and weeks and months in at a time. It was pretty amazing stuff, and even though we wished to stay longer and explore more, we were quickly rushed back to the bus to continue our journey to Cologne.

Now lets discuss Mario; Mario is/was our glorious bus driver from Germany. At first Mario seemed like a swell guy, and he kindly drove us around where we wished to go. But then we quickly caught onto his game when we realized how hot it always seemed to be on the bus. See, Mario had a cooler in the front of the bus where he sold ice cold water and soda for 1 Euro each. Each time we asked him to put on the AC (and we really needed it today), he would pretend to turn it on, but in reality, he turned on the heat just to make it even warmer. He was purposely turning the heat on in the bus so that the Americans would buy his frigid cold water! Trying to make a profit on us, see! Mario was also the one who sped up our time with our lovely tour guide Robbie, saying that we had to ‘go, go, go and get to Deutschland.” We sadly had to say goodbye to Robbie, and rejoined with the retched Mario to Cologne. The trip seemed to take forever, most of us sweating and praying for a split second of AC to come out through the vents. That time never came, but Cologne finally did and we were happy to climb off the bus and be greeted with the most refreshing breeze that we have ever felt. We said goodbye (sorta) to Mario, and found ourselves staring up at the gorgeous view of the Cologne Cathedral, which happened to be right in front of the rail station.

The sight was absolutely amazing, the cathedral being one of the buildings I have always wanted to see in person. In shifts, we took turns touring the cathedral, going inside to view priceless stained glass and statues. It is just amazing to me to think that people were able to build buildings like this without the modern tools and machines that we use today… it was absolutely remarkable and engraved in the ground in front of  it, it read, “this location may have some historical importance.” Cute, I thought.

After the lot of us viewed the cathedral and bought our World Cup gear (go England!), we followed Margaret through the rail station and up to the platform where we met our train. And that is where we are here and now, folks. It was another rather chill day, but it was still fun being able to see the gorgeous scenery of Belgium, and Germany. It’s a shame that America doesn’t have such large fields of trees and flowers and meadows like these countries do. It was just peaceful to walk along the buttercups and brush, just thinking of what value it really had. This land is historic and silently tells a story of what happened and what bravery fell against the ground those many years ago.

Not too much was really on the itinerary for today, except for leaving Paris and driving directly to the hotel that we have here on the border of France. This town does have a name, but I don’t know it. There is really nothing in this town, except for a grocery store, a wine store, and this hotel. However, to avoid a full day of doing nothing in this little French town, our lovely tour guide Margaret scheduled a few things for us to do today while on the road towards the hotel.

Of course, it was a huge surprise to us when Margaret announced that we were on our way to a Champagne factory! It was the factory of Mumm’s to be exact, the only champagne making factory that can legally use the word ‘champagne’ on their bottles. That’s right folks, Mumm’s has the copyright of champagne and they know how to make it right! First we got a small tour around the factory, going down in the cellar where they store the aging bottles. This cellar was approximately 40 meters beneath the ground, and it was definitely a little chilly down there. Our guide at Mumm’s also explained to us how champagne is made and exactly what processes it goes through step by step in order to become the champagne we know and love today. Some bottles of champagne age about six or seven years underground to become the ‘premium’ of champagnes, while others can take shorter times such as one to two years. After the tour that we took, we were then able to sample taste the champagnes that we learned about, the group able to choose from dry champagne to sweet Pinot Noir champagne. Needless to say, the men of the group opted for the dry champagne while the ladies quickly went around to the sweet champagne. Properly learning how to taste the champagne, we enjoyed the glasses that were given to us and we went along to the gift store where some students thought of parents and bought them a bottle or two. See, the children are thinking of you, moms and dads!

Once we were finished with Mumm’s, we went back to the bus where we then found ourselves on the road to our destination of who-knows-where France. A few naps were taken once again, and it was lovely to watch the countryside pass us by through the bus windows. We made another stop not too long afterwards at an old World War I battlefield, where craters covered the surface of the earth. Just like Pointe du Hoc a few days previously, the sight left a lot of us speechless. It was extraordinary, and at the same time sad of what went on here those many years ago. Staying on the topic of World War I, we also visited a memorial dedicated to all of those who were killed for the defense of freedom of France. Among the thousands of crosses were Americans, and the thought of the Normandy American Cemetery immediately came to mind. After the two days of being in Paris and wanting to shop and see sights as the Eiffel Tower and Pantheon, the topic of what we came to learn about on this trip was back on our minds, and it was just an honor to walk on those grounds where those many men gave up their lives for others.

Being at the hotel now, we are now relaxing and enjoying our last night in France. Tomorrow is a very early day, where we spend a half-day in Belgium and finally reach the city of Berlin. But that will be discussed in the next couple of days. Good night!

With another jam-packed itinerary for today, the group woke up for a very early breakfast, mostly consisting of delicious French baguettes, and coffee. Thirty minutes later, we were off to take a bus tour of the city of Paris. The tour took us all over the place, we saw famous landmarks such as the Arch de Triumph, and an old Opera House, where the Bastille once stood during the French Revolution, and the Latin district where some of the best French Universities are located. We took many pictures, and found the bus tour to be extremely helpful for later on when we were to have free time to roam the city on our own.

After the bus tour, we then embarked on a journey to Versailles. I remember for a week straight in Art History II, we talked nothing but Versailles, so naturally I was beyond excited to see the real thing up close and personal. For those viewers who aren’t familiar with Versailles, it was the palace that was built by Louie XIV for, well…. Louie XIV. The palace itself is nothing but a commemoration to him – portraits on the walls and statues symbolizing just how ‘great’ he thought he was. To give everyone an idea of just how amazing this palace is, here are some statistics: Versailles contains a floor space of 51,210 m2 (m-squared), 2,153 windows, 700 rooms, 67 staircases, 6,123 paintings, 1,500 drawings, 15,034 engravings, 2,102 sculptures, and 5,210 pieces of furniture. Though it is hard to determine just how much the cost of Versailles is today, it is easy to say that the amount comes close to USD $2 billion. So in simple words, Louie XIV enjoyed the time to have a palace built especially for him, and his family (though mostly him), and didn’t care just how much in debt it would put the country of France. Of course, Louie XVI was the one who would have to worry about that when the time came!

We walked all through the palace of Versailles, finding it to be absolutely stunning and gorgeous in each and every room. The Hall of Mirrors was nothing less than to be expected – boasting and spectacular in each and every way. The famous paintings on the wall and ceilings were still rich in color, and really brought out the beauty of the room along with the golden boarders and hanging chandeliers. The gardens were also a part of our tour, the plants designed and organized so beautifully and ‘in control’ as Louie XIV had wanted it to be. After all, he wanted it to be known that he controlled the people, the sun, and of course nature as well. Versailles was definitely the highlight of the day, a building that everyone should go and visit at least once in their lifetime. Its an opportunity that shouldn’t be given up, and even though some of the students opted out of the trip to do things on their own in Paris…. well, I believe they really missed out.

Once we returned from the Versailles, we ate dinner and pretty much had free time for the rest of the night. Since it was our last day, we all broke into small groups and went our separate ways, ready to see every last location we could before we left it for Bastogne in the morning. While some students walked towards the shops and the famous Louvre, I made it a priority to see the Arc de Triumph up close and personal. This location is very special to me, considering my grandfather (with his unit) marched underneath of it in victory during World War II. I couldn’t stop imagining how amazing it would be to step under it just as he did those many years ago. Needless to say, the building was stunning up close, and the view from the top was even more glorious. This may be my opinion, but it was a much better view than what we saw from atop the Eiffel Tower. Arc de Triumph wins in my book!

After all that walking, its definitely been a long day, which is why I know I am cutting this entry a bit shorter than the rest. But tomorrow will be another day with fun and excitement when we leave France and enter into our third country on the tour – Belgium! The students are all looking forward to the bus ride (yeah, right!), the waffles, and most importantly the chocolate. Come back tomorrow for the next set of adventures!

We didn’t take too much time to explore Bayeux, afterwards, the whole gang then venturing back to the bus so we could travel on to the most exciting part of France: Paris, of course! Though, not before making a quick stop in the city of Rouen, which was equally fascinating. Rouen is the location of where Joan of Arc was buried, the townspeople believing she was a witch at the time for having ‘visions’ from God. We were directed to the exact spot to where she was burned at the stake, the spot now a church and memorial garden to her. After visiting the spot, we were free to roam the town square, which was filled with nothing but food shops for us to choose from for lunch. It was such a hard decision, but most of us went with our choice of a panini. Everyone knows that Europe has perfected the sandwich press! And needless to say, my Tomato and Mozzarella Panini was amazing! During more of our free time, we were able to walk through the Rouen Cathedral, the well known cathedral that famous impressionist painter Monet would paint over and over each day to perfect the sense of texture and value. See, there is some art related on this trip that goes along with my major!

Finally after a good two hours in the city of Rouen, we gathered back on the bus to continue on our journey to Paris. Some sang songs (rather poorly), while others watched the ‘Saving Private Ryan’ movie that was placed in the bus’s DVD player. The majority of everyone else, as well as myself, passed out. Waking up, we were suddenly in Paris. With cameras in hand, all of us were keeping a look out for the Eiffel Tower, those cameras clicking as soon as it came into sight. Our first stop in Paris was at our hotel, a fancy business-based hotel that has free wifi, an Xbox 360 in the lounge, and large iMac screens. It was pretty impressive and from where I am laying now in bed, they are also extremely comfortable. As for all the hotels we have stayed in so far on this trip, France is definitely taking the cake with their cozy beds and limitless, free Internet service. What more could anyone want? Leaving the hotel, we went towards dinner where we had one of the best meals ever, and then went for some touristy pictures beside the original Pantheon, another artsy piece of architecture that brought the art nerd out of me. Unfortunately it was closed, so the group had to swarm the front and pose for the cameras.

Indeed, you couldn’t possibly guess what the last location on our itinerary was for today. I’ll give you a few seconds to guess. ….Right, ready? Eiffel Tower! Leaving straight from the Pantheon, we walked (past Notre Dame, might I add) to the underground metro station, which then took us directly to the Eiffel Tower, saving us from a rather long walk across the city. From the moment we saw the famous Eiffel Tower in person, we were all stunned. Were we really standing in front of this amazing monument; the very landmark and icon of Paris? We wasted no time to pay for our tickets to go up the Tower, the windy weather permitting us only to use the elevators to go up and down instead of the stairs. Maybe people didn’t argue on that bit of information. The view from the top was absolutely gorgeous; the whole city was visible and we were able to point out landmarks such as Arch de Triumph, Notre Dame, and the famous bridges. Despite trying not to think of how high up we were from the ground, the sight made it all worthwhile. Once the clock struck 10 PM, the Tower then lit up brightly, sparking with white lights for five minutes before dimming down once again. It was truly a sight to see.

We have an early day tomorrow, where we will be making our way to the Palace of Versailles as well as getting more free time to ourselves to explore. Tune in tomorrow to hear of what adventures we chose…

We began our day early – an arrival time into Caen around 6AM. We quickly jumped onto our coach not long after and hooked up with our tour guide, a very nice French woman who bought us the most delicious pastries ever. On our way to the Coast, we stopped for a little bite to eat, all forty some of us crowding into a small bread shop so we could munch of legitimate baguettes and croissants. Needless to say, they were amazing! But everyone knows that the original is always better – those French sure do know how to make some good bread! This also gave us a taste and experience of being in a country where English isn’t the primary language. I have already used the few French words that I know, including “Pardon”, “Merci”, “Bonjour” and “Oui.” Luckily for myself and others who aren’t very French savvy, there happens to be a few students on board who have taken French for a few plus years, giving us saves whenever we found ourselves in trouble.

After the pit stop for breakfast, we then found ourselves stumbling through Pointe du Hoc, a cliff top that overlooks the sea, which was a point of attack during D-Day. While walking to the location, I wasn’t prepared for what my eyes laid upon. Craters. Tons and tons of craters where bombs from overhead were dropped. Some of these craters were large, while other ones were gigantic. Rusted up wires and beams stuck from out of the ground where buildings and bunkers used to stand, but were ripped apart and blown up during the fight. I never saw such a sight as Pointe du Hoc, where the view of the sea was open and beautiful. Trying to picture back and imagine being there the day of June 6^th, and experiencing bomb after bomb that was released over top of you… it was all just too surreal. We spent at least a half an hour exploring the land, entering through bunkers that seemed to survive after the assault that they took on during D-Day. Walking past craters, having to watch for your next step into another one was a constant way of getting through the field. While asking questions, Dr Butler had asked whether the French ever thought of digging through the land and renovating it. The answer came to a “no,” the tour guide explaining that it wasn’t allowed because of all the bodies that were buried beneath our very feet. Not only was this battered land a war field, it was also a graveyard for those who had fallen.

Leaving earlier than we really wanted to from Pointe du Hoc, we then trailed off to another mind-blowing section of our tour: The Normandy American Cemetery. This location was probably the most heavy and emotional spots we have stopped, the countless number of marble crosses showing us the exact aftermath of World War II. When we think of D-Day, we immediately think of the soldiers who trekked through a mile of ocean to the sandy beaches of Normandy for victory. What seems to be forgotten sometimes are the causalities who lost their lives for this cause; this cause to bring protection to the people of the United States and for the rest of the world for peace. Some of the dates on the gravestones brought these soldiers to be eighteen and nineteen years old; those who hardly got a chance to live their lives.  Half of these graves were unmarked even, the phrase written on the tombstone read, “Here rests in honored glory a comrade in arms known but to God.” The sights of so many graves, leaving a couple to even break down, impacted many of the students in our group. While we were present in the cemetery, a ceremony was being presented where the National Anthem, as well as Taps was played to honor those who gave up their lives. It was a solemn moment and while walking back to the coach, I couldn’t hear a single word spoken. It left everyone speechless in the end. Quickly following up, we then went to Omaha Beach, given five minutes to take quick pictures and get back on the bus. The students were also excited for this moment to walk on the historic beach, touching the sand with their fingers and reflecting on what happened here those many years ago. Today was one of our more productive days, the students agreeing that it was also the best day that we have had on the tour so far. It’s something to read about the stories of World War II and D-Day, but its far more something else to be able to walk the grounds of where it happened. It only brings you to a whole different level.

Paris is tomorrow. Bonne nuit!

Once getting off of the bus, the gang and myself excitedly entered into the D-Day museum. Considering it was D-Day, admissions were free, and many different activities were taking place at the time. British veterans were among the best parts, who gladly answered our questions on what it was like in be in war and what their experiences and post-thoughts were on the subject. The museum itself was interesting and thought provoking, the exhibits displaying maps and photographs, and other information that explained D-Day and what happened on the spot. Learning that the soldiers never knew exactly where they were the entire time of the fight is beyond mind-blowing, one Veteran explaining that there was no time to worry about what was to the left and right of you. There was also no time to think about what was behind you. The most important bit of it all was for you to continue advancing forward; no matter what. With a grandfather who fought at Normandy, the subject is extremely interesting and remarkable.

After leaving the D-Day museum, the group found themselves with free time to roam the city before we were to meet up again for dinner. This gave everyone the opportunity to explore the city, something that I found was awesome considering I have never been to Portsmouth before. The Marina City was beyond unbelievably gorgeous, the waters a crystal turquoise and the building both historic and modern. One church stands in the middle of the city, bearing a very peculiar characteristic: it had no roof. This church had been bombed during the war, Portsmouth being one of the main hotspots during the war considering they were very navy centric, porting many ships that the Allied forces used. Another interesting spot which myself and few students decided to explore was the Historic Docklands, which had many historic ships docked for us to tour. One ship was King Henry VII’s Mary Rose ship, which unfortunately was under renovation. Another was Nelson’s HMR Victory. This ship was absolutely huge, taking the six of us at least an hour to go through each floor, including the top deck and the brig.

While going through the large ship, I began to think of just how difficult it must’ve been to live on a ship day after day, despite the large size. The stairs were extremely steep, making it nearly impossible for myself to go down them at a normal stepping speed. Each step took two seconds, a hesitation, a gulp, and then another step. The ceilings were extremely low, something that didn’t necessarily bother me considering I myself am a bit short. What was most exciting about the ship was on the top deck, which bared a plaque in which showed exactly where the legendary Nelson was shot down. Needless to say, Dr. Riggs was like a kid in a candy store.

Currently, we are on a ferry that is taking us across the English Channel and into France! We are all so excited to be going to France, especially at Normandy the day after the historic D-Day. We are sure that we are going to have a blast, minus the early wake up time and arrival that is set for 6 AM. With that being said, it is time to depart, and to get some sleep so I can be mentally prepared for tomorrow. We have a full schedule and I cant wait to blog about it tomorrow. Hope you’re all jealous!