The National Infantry Museum, Fort Benning, GA - Sunday, March 12, 2015

After a leisurely breakfast, we headed off to visit the National Infantry Museum, which was about 45 miles from our campground, grateful for our GPS!  We traveled along the "Scenic Hometown Highway" which truly lived up to its name.

It is such a "family friendly" museum!

The museum is truly awesome and we enjoyed the movie, many exhibits, and the children's center. 

 Here are a couple of future recruits - 

Notice who's wearing the drill sergeant's hat?  We all know who is REALLY in charge!

Afterwards, we drove over to the Fort Benning Post Exchange, enjoyed lunch, and then shopped for a bit.  Once back in our camper, the rain started, but who cares?  We're snuggled up in our cozy RV!

Wild Animal Safari, Campfire, and S'mores - Saturday, April 11, 2015

It is a short drive to today's destination - Wild Animal Safari.  It is an absolutely beautiful day, and we are VERY excited about our safari!  We board the bus and head off onto the trail.

We're thankful that we arrived fairly early in the day, because the lines are starting to get a bit long and the sun is almost toasty.  Immediately, we spot a mama buffalo with her new baby!

We had purchased food for the animals and a "slobber towel" which proved to be very wise purchases, especially when the giraffe reached inside the bus for a snack!

Our driver, Mike, was VERY knowledgeable, as well as funny, and we all learned SO much!  The ride lasted just over an hour and we saw buffalo, bison, deer, elk, pigs, sheep, lions, donkeys, horses, turtles, emu, llamas, ostriches, geese, ducks, and a rhino.  Afterwards, we enjoyed "The Walk About" where we fed many other animals - sheep and baboons, plus visited with lions, tigers, snakes, hyenas, a peacock, and turtles.

Once back "home",  we had lunch in the camper, and then Zaydie played with Lily and David while Bubbie helped the local economy (shopped) in the cute little town of Pine Mountain.

Our camper was conveniently located next to the playground, so we enjoyed the swings and slides. Later, we hiked around the campground collecting kindling for our campfire.

Thank you, Zaydie, for the campfire, so we could enjoy s'mores - the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Butterflies, Safaris, and Infantry - Pine Mountain, GA - April 10 - 13, 2015

April 10, 2015
It's a rainy Friday morning, but Bubbie, Zaydie, Lily, and David are off for a "glamping" trip to Pine Mountain, GA.  As we're traveling down I-85, the rain stops, the clouds clear, and we arrive at our sunny destinaton!  After Zaydie gets the camper all set up, we decide to let him take a rest while Bubbie, David and Lily head off to Callaway Gardens!

The drive through the gardens is exquisite!  We arrive at the Day Butterfly Center and are captivated by the beautiful flowers and butterflies!

After walking through the indoor center, we decide to make a couple of purchases to help support Callaway Gardens since the sweet man at the entrance to the gardens didn't charge us an entrance fee because we were only going to butterfly center.

Back at the camper, we have a relaxing dinner, and take a walk around the Pine Mountain RV Campground.  After baths, we read a few books, and eventually go to bed excited about tomorrow's adventure!

Last full day in Paris - Wednesday, March 18, 2015

And, we have another magnificent day!  We've made excellent use of our Metro passes, and today we travel to see the Lourve.  As we get off at our stop, we notice the US Embassy.  Security in Paris has been particularly heavy the past couple of days due to the recent incident of tourists being murdered in a Tunisian museum.

Upon seeing the throngs of folks waiting just to purchase tickets to get into the Lourve, Rob decides that he'll skip the experience and just take a picture in front of the famous pyramid.

Time for another coffee break, we do enjoy this delicious French coffee, and then Rob is back to the hotel for his nap.

  Teri, Alan, and I walk across the foot bridge with the many locks!  What an amazing sight!

We decide to head into the Latin Quarter.  On the way, we stopped at a fantastic scarf shop where I made a few purchases.  Then we found a great restaurant, Le Mondiran, in St. Germain,  to dine outside for lunch.  It was, as Judy Meadows always says, "A Chamber of Commerce" weather day!  We roamed the streets to find the famous fountain where many of the university students like to add bubble bath to:

And across the street, Teri found a fabulous French cookbook while I picked up a couple of last "treasures" to take home.

Alan had a restaurant in mind for our last evening, so we walked over to make sure that it was still in business, because several of Alan's favorites on this trip were closed.  Luckily, it was open, so we made reservations, and then headed back to the hotel to freshen up.  Our "last supper" in Paris at de Noble was amazing!  What a way to end our World Wars Tour!  Auvoir for now!

Paris - the city of lights on St. Patrick's Day Tuesday, March, 17, 2015

Another sunny day, and we're off!  First stop - Tombeau De Napoleon or Napoleon's tomb!  After a couple of wrong turns, we finally arrive at the gold domed monument only to discover that we can't seem to find the entrance.

 When we think that we've found the entrance, Rob asks the guards if this is the correct place to enter, and the guard first replies, "Certainly,"  then asks, "Where are you from?"  Rob replies, "Georgia" and the guard states that he has a cousin who also live in Georgia.  We are thinking to ourselves that Georgia is a large state, when the guard says that his cousin lives in Marietta!  We almost fall over when he says that he lives in Kennesaw.  After a conversation about how small the world is, the guard bids us farewell with, "See, we are almost cousins!" in his cute little French accent!
This tomb rivals anything in Vatican City!  We roam from room to room amazed with the beauty.

Even the floor tiles were elegant!

My favorite moment was watching Rob salute Napoleon's tomb!

Next, we're off to Soc re Cuer via the Metro.  As we get off at our stop, we notice an elevator, but it wasn't until several flights later that we remember WHY that elevator was there - it's definitely a stair master workout.  Near the very top, Rob feels fingers in his back pocket.  He quickly turns around and says, "Nice try, Buddy!" to the guy who was trying to pick pocket him! After our trip up the Metro stairs, we opt to take the vernacular up to the Soc re Cuer cathedral.  Rob quietly sits in a pew while the rest of us roam around this gorgeous church.  Lenore would have been SO proud of him.

We enjoy yet another delicious meal in Montmarte, then take the Metro to Arche de Triumph where we stop by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as read all the major battles inscribed on this mammoth monument. 

 Coffee time - so we relax with cappuccino on the street.  We take the train back for Rob to rest, while Teri and Alan go buy pastry. 

 I opted to return to the ultra delicious Belgium candy store, Leonidas, to purchase dark chocolate covered creamy caramel to take home for Easter.  Naturally, I have to sample one - OMG!!!!  Then, I notice a group of people exiting a building so I head over to investigate.  Much to my amazement, I realize that it is dismissal time at an elementary school.  I am totally captivated and watched this scene for quite some time.  My heart smiles.  I start to head back to our hotel when I notice a cute little yarn shop which I'm drawn into.  Inside, I find an assortment of buttons like I have never seen.  I select a few for my "Lily" creations!

It was the PERFECT evening for our Seine River Cruise - temperature, weather, and no crowds!

Afterwards, we head back to our hotel and dine at a cute bistro across from Hotel Du Cadran!  Since we only had to walk across the street, we enjoyed two bottles of French wine!  Cheers!

A Glorious Day in Paris - Monday, March 16, 2015

This balmy, sunny, glorious day was perfect to explore Paris, so we headed off to our  first destination, the Eiffel Tower, which was a short walk from our hotel.

Considering the sunny, warm weather, the crowds were not bad at all, so we lined up to purchase our tickets.

  At that moment, Rob decided that he HAD to go to the bathroom.  While he was away, the rest of us snaked our way to the ticket booth.   Almost there, we spotted Rob at the end of the line. He "excused me, please" through the barriers and many folks, saying "I NEED to get to my wife" which amused the crowd! The view from the top was amazing, and we enjoyed chatting with several other Americans, and of course had the obligatory kiss!

Next, we purchased Metro tickets and took a few subway rides to the Notre Dame.  Rob waited patiently in line to enter because he wanted to light a candle in his friend, Lenore's, memory.  He even said the Hebrew prayer for the dead in her honor.

Afterwards, we walked to Ile St Louis for lunch at Club Med.  By this time, Rob needed his nap, so we packed him off in a cab while Teri, Alan, and I continued our explorations.  While walking to Lafayette Galleries, we managed to get a little lost and wound up on a fabulous street that was primarily wholesale.  We discovered a "purse mecca" and poor Alan patiently waited outside while Teri and I examined purse after purse!  Thank you, boyfriend Alan!  We finally made it to our destination, which is a "can't not" for every tourist.  Suddenly, it was our coffee break time, and we found the perfect coffee house complete with the most succulent eclairs!

We went by a former "Hussy" restaurant to make sure it would be open later that evening and were lucky enough to be there as the manager was walking in.  He gladly accepted our reservations, and the 7 e vins treated us like royalty when we arrived for dinner!  Everyone enjoyed a fabulous meal! It was the perfect evening for our short stroll back to our hotel, ending our perfect day in gay Paris!

On to Paris - Sunday, March 15th

After a scrumptious breakfast of omelettes, croissants, and coffee at the King George III, we began our journey back to Paris.  While driving along the highway, I used my cell phone to arrange a shuttle from Hertz Rental at the CDG Airport to our Hotel du Cadran, I sill marvel at our technology!  Upon returning the rental car, we did have one turn indicator cracked.  Not bad for driving first on the left side of the road, then switching to the right, and driving on EXTREMELY narrow roads!  Very nice job Teri and Alan - many, many thanks for the driving. Our shuttle driver was a sweet Chinese guy who took pleasure in pointing out the many tourist attractions on the way to our hotel.  We enjoyed a great lunch at Cafe Dumond, took Rob back to hotel for his nap, while Teri, Alan, and I strolled around reacquainting ourselves with the area.  Many of the restaurants were closed, because it was Sunday.  We finally ate at a little bistro - Roussion where we enjoyed yet another fabulous French meal.  We decided to get to be early, for tomorrow we planned to see as much of Paris as possible.

Completing our Normandy explorations - Saturday 14, 2015

Sunny skies and we're off to finish on Invasion Beaches explorations, as we drive to the little town of Mere St. Eglise, the site of the first WW II French liberation.  It is here that an Airborne trooper, John Steele, hung, suspended by his tangled parachute, on a church steeple for two hours.  He had been shot in the foot and pretended to be dead.  Eventually, the Germans realized that Steele was very much alive and took him prisoner.  But, not for long!  Steele escaped, managed to rejoin his unit, and continued to fight.

Across the street from the church is the Airborne Museum, which I thought was the coolest museum EVER!  You walk into a simulation of an airborne mission that put chills on my spine!

Afterwards, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch in this awesome little town before heading out to see two of the bridges captured by the Americans during Operation Overlord.  Next, we traveled back to Omaha Beach via Draw E-3. 

 It was a glorious, but very chilly day when we happened to notice several guys para-surfing!  

We also visited the Bayeaux Museum, Operation Overlord, and while it was quite nice, after the Airborne Musuem, it just wasn't as thrilling.

Time for a coffee break in another (aren't they all?) adorable Normandy coastal town!

We add one more battery to check out before ending our tour.  Our tour guide, Gisselle, had warned us that many times "bombs" are still found around Normandy, so we were quite careful to stay on the path!

Back to our little hotel for a quick "freshen up" before dinner at the Partner Manager.  Sigh, we're sad to leave this amazing area.

March 13, 2015 - A Friday the 13th we'll never forget

This is certainly one Friday the 13th that we'll never forget!  We began our day around 9:00 AM with Gisselle, a private tour guide that we shared with the Stewarts and one other couple from TN. Gisselle is an amazing gal from Brazil who came to France to study history, and she eventually married a French fellow and settled in his home town of Bayeaux.  We started our tour at Utah beach, at the 00 KM marker of liberation.

The weather was dismal - dreary, wet, and chilly.  Rob felt that it was perfect because it closely paralleled the weather on D-Day. 

 We listened to interesting story after interesting story of the invasion. Ari, you would be proud of the 4th Infantry Division's role.

The museum was incredible and we could have spent so much more time there.  Eventually, we needed to move on to a delightful place that the WW II troops enjoyed, for lunch.

Just standing on the beaches, looking at the harsh landscape that the men had to confront was staggering.  We toured Pont du Hoc, Omaha, and Gold Beaches.

We spent time touring several of the German bunkers that littered the Normandy coast.

Around 4:00 we arrived at the American Cemetery for the Retreat/Flag lowering ceremony.

This cemetery is pristine! The grounds are immaculate.

Each grave is adopted by a French family who routinely bring flowers and say prayers.
Four Medal of Honor winners are buried here, including General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., a 4th Infantry Division Commander who insisted on landing with his troops on D-Day.

The various memorials within the cemetery are awesome.  Rob particularly liked the one depicting his former unit, Third Army.

It was a day that made this entire journey worthwhile!

Back in Bayeaux, we enjoyed another fabulous dinner at Domesday where we had the BEST dessert of the trip - a crepe with chocolate chip/mint ice cream and chocolate sauce.  WOW!!!!