They face westward...towards home

9,387. Never was so much owed by so many… to so many.

If you’ve ever needed to feel small in this life, visit here.

-

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

Part Duex: Caen and Bayaeux

Part 2... off to France. If you're ever going London to Paris, definitely do Eurostar. Cheap (well, relatively), easy, and fast. Here we are pre-chunnel.

Then we hop off and go to pick up the car... are you kidding me, we needed something with a little more roar. Now we're talking

With pops behind the wheel, me in the front with some AA maps, and mom in the back with some sedatives, we successfully (minus a slight toll incident) made the 3 hr Paris to Caen drive.

If you're looking for some history, look no further than Caen. Its castle was built circa 1060 by William the Conqueror and is one of the largest medieval fortresses of Western Europe. It is also home to the Eglise de Ste. Etienne and Eglise de la Ste Trinite, the Men's and Women's Abbeys. The Men's Abbey houses the tomb of William the Conqueror. The city was more or less completely destroyed in the War in 1944. In Montgomery's plan, it was the objective of one of the D-Day landing squads to take the city that evening, but it wouldn't be won from the Germans for over four weeks. Ok, some pics...

Here's the view from our Hotel balcony.

Saint-Pierre Cathedral.

Spires were popping up everywhere in this city.
The edge of the walls of the old castle.

Inside the castle.


I've always considered myself a thinker...

...and a Heisman candidate.

William's 'Men's Abbey' - the home of his tomb

Now, moving on to Bayeux. Again, the history is everywhere. The city is best known for its tapestry, made to commemorate the Norman conquest of England in 1066. I have to say, for a piece of cloth, it was pretty amazing. And it's still in good shape after nearly 1,000 years. The town also has a large Norman-Romanesque cathedral (pics below), consecrated in 1077. It was one of the first cities liberated during the Battle of Normandy and amazingly, virtually untouched as German forces defending the town were pulled away to help at Caen.

The Griswold European Vacation: Part One

Clark and Ellen don't have nothin on Elton and Nancy. These two know how to travel!

First, props to pops for surviving his first transatlantic flight. The first stop of course was London, where they stepped off the plane and right onto the hodel walking tour.

It took some time, but with some enlisted help...

I was able to make the London streets safe for my mom:

Just some highlights on the tour:

Quote of the trip No.1:

"Look, that gnarly tree is growing straight up out of the ground!"
The Number 1-4. That's how we roll.
Next up, a little fun with the fam.

And, as they say in Boston, hasta la vista.

After the Easter celebrations it was back to Putney for... The Race. Cambridge vs Oxford. The smart vs. the smarter. The blue vs the bluer. The man vs the river.... and man vs a giant vat of sausages. A man vs a man on stilts. A corona bottle vs a strong gust of wind.

From there it was on to Fulham. They may have lost on the day to Man City, but cheers to the craven cottage boys for avoiding relegation.

And cheers to mom and pops for navigating The Tower, St Pauls and Windsor all on their own!

But man were they tired...

Hey, no rest for the weary... up next, Caen, France.