One of the greatest highlights of this trip would be our visit to Normandy. A bucket list item for sure, we decided that a side trip from Paris to Normandy was a must. Making this experience even more significant was the fact that we would make this journey on VE Day or Victory in Europe Day. This is a public holiday that marks the date that the World War II Allies accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich, thus ending the war in Europe.

We began our tour at the Le Memorial de Caen, a museum and war memorial in Caen Normandy. The main part of the museum features an exhibit which focuses on world events and causes leading to the war and the course of the conflict. We also watched a short yet powerful film on D-Day recounting the Normandy landings on June 4, 1944. This was a meaningful and worthwhile starting point for our day in Normandy.