Archive | May, 2012

Provence bound!

31 May

We are busy getting ready for our upcoming trip to Provence, making final reservations and planning activities.  With two adults and five kids (two are on loan from their parents), organization is the name of the game.

Domaine du Crestet will be our home for two weeks.  This lovely old wine estate is located 3 km south of Vaison-la-Romaine and consists of five fully-equipped rentals.

With views of Mount Ventoux from the patio plus accommodations for eight, the Murier house will be the perfect home-base for day trips to Avignon, Orange, and Pont du Gard, just to name a few.

Swimming and tennis are available, plus a table d’hôte and wine tasting are offered at a community table in the courtyard during the week.  Count us in!

Our plans include kayaking under Pont du Gard and attending  Les Fééries du Pont, a fantastic fireworks display set to music. We will shop the Tuesday market in Vaison, visit the calanques in Cassis, and of course, stop in at wineries.  Les Halles market in Avignon is on the list, as is Gordes.

If anyone has recommendations for us, please share them!  We would love the input!  We leave next Friday, so soon I will be sharing our adventures with you from Provence!

All photos courtesy of Domaine du Crestet.

Normandy: a Memorial Day tribute

28 May

A pictorial tribute to our fallen brave who sacrificed so much so that we enjoy freedom seemed an obvious choice for today.  Normandy is stunning in its beauty, belying the tragedy that took place that June day when very little went according to plan.

When visiting the beaches at Normandy, our first stop was the cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, where rows upon rows of memorials engraved with crosses and stars of David named each private, infantryman, and sergeant who gave his life.

American military cemeteries around the world are considered U.S. territory.

A graphic of the attack plan included troop movements across the region once the beaches had been secured.

Bunkers, or casements, lined the five miles of beachfront, a seemingly non-penetrable force facing the Army troops.

As ships attempted to offload troops, long-range guns did incredible damage.

Every angle of the beach was covered.

Situated overlooking the beach, a map illustrated the scope of the landings.  The arrows bordering the map pointed the way to various cities around the world as well as distances.

Three miles east of Omaha is Pont du Hoc, where the Army Rangers used rope ladders to scale the cliffs in an attack on German fortifications.

The land still bears the scars from air and naval gun attacks.

A loving tribute to the men who have fought so bravely and gave so much.

“(The fallen) should never be forgotten.  Nor should those who lived to carry the day by the slimmest of margins.  Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero.”  –General Omar Bradley

Happy Memorial Day.

 

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