I guess the point is: War changes us.
In 2007 I took the most romantic trip you could imagine. This new man in my life, Dave, and I flew to Paris, then boarded a beautiful small ship for a seven day trip up the Seine River.
We were young (I was not yet 70) and oh, so much in love. (And still are!)
We spent the second day at Claude Monet's home in Giverney. Exquisite beauty everywhere we looked. Our plan was to cruise to LaHavre and then take the train back to Paris to spend a few more days in the world's most romantic city.
And we did. But our last stop on the cruise was Normandy. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything more than a history lesson. But it was a day we will never forget. The beaches and the bomb craters looked exactly as I'd seen them in history books. The most moving part was the cemeteries - with crosses as far as the eye could see. We were both in tears much of the time. We relived the day - D Day - when thousands of young men, boys really, died.
The French and others have done a good job of preserving the area. That's a good thing. But a hard thing to see and experience.
I wasn't surprised when these old vets on television last night remembered that day so clearly. It's all still there.
In 2007 it was a very different day on our most romantic trip ever!
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