O Canada

On our third day in Lisieux, Rebecca and I decided to take a day trip to Juno Beach – the landing site of the Canadian troupes on D-Day. Our Canadian-themed day started early as we mat a young couple from Surrey, BC at the bus station in Caen (we heard them struggling to communicate in English so we stepped in to translate). Approaching Juno Beach we started to see Canadian flags, both flying and on the signs pointing towards the Juno beach Centre. We were surprised to find out that the Juno Beach Centre, which featured Canadian Tour Guides (bilingual students, mostly from Ontario and Quebec), has only been open since 2003. It was started by a group on Veterans who, upon returning to Juno Beach, discovered that the only memorial that existed was a tank that had been recovered from the ocean floor in the 1970’s. Now, through the help of the government at various levels, veterans groups and the support of Canadian businesses and individuals, there is a beautiful memorial to the sacrifice paid by Canadian solders in June of 1944. There is a permanent display which teaches a bit about Canadian history and our country’s contribution to the Second World War. This I really liked since my education in Canadian History seems to be fairly limited, and because I have always found the Second World War very interesting to learn about. At the end of the display there is a room in which the names of all the Canadian Soldiers who fell during the Second World War are scrolling on the wall. It includes over 45,000 names and takes more than 13 hours to complete!

After we explored the display we went outside for a guided (English) tour of Juno Beach, which included a visit inside a German bunker (very cool!) It was almost surreal to stand on the beach, in the heavy winds and gloomy dark clouds, and to imagine what it must have been like for those men, 65 years ago, to have landed in almost the same conditions. Some men, unable to swim, drowned before even making it to land, while other were shot down by the Germans or wounded by land mines and obstacles. In the end though, it was a victory for Canada as the majority made it to land and the Germans in the bunker we visited surrendered (due to a malfunctioning machine gun). Rebecca and I continued to explore the beach a bit after our tour and went to see another bunker, stopping to immerse our feet in the English Channel on the way.
The Juno Beach Center was a great last stop for us; almost a transition back into Canada. I think it was a combination of many things that made us feel as if we were already home: the gift shop selling Maple Syrup, the mixture of English and Québécois-French being spoken all around us, the cool, windy weather, the beautiful sandy beach with crashing waves and the many Canadian flags being flown.

We have now left Lisieux and are bound for Paris: our last stop before heading back to Canada. Tonight we will enjoy one last dinner in Europe (and our last one together) before going our separate ways tomorrow morning – me to Saint John and Rebecca to Ottawa(ish). I must be honest, there have been many MANY moments over the course of the last 5 weeks that I have spent lost in daydreams about clean hot showers, my hair straightener, MacBook and cell phone, going to the bathroom without carrying a roll of toilet paper and a 50 cent coin in my purse, and driving my Corolla through the drivethrough at Subway when I need a quick lunch. Although these things will be nice conveniences to come back to, it will be very hard to say goodbye to Rebecca... who knows when we’ll see each other again (or where!) Maybe we’ll have to meet up in Asia or Africa next time.

Tomorrow looks as if it will be very long. I will be heading for the Paris airport at midnight (that’s Toronto time; 6am here), landing in Toronto and driving to Quebec City with my sister. Sunday morning we’ll be up early to drive back to Saint John, which is exciting as I am very anxious to see my sister and my entire family!

I came to Europe five weeks ago with three expectations: liberté, amitié et pauvrété. I certainly accomplished the poverty part (that wasn’t hard) – I’m going home a lot more broke than planned, yet I wouldn’t change a thing! I also made many new friends and met lots of people from ALL over the world. As for “liberté”, I have learned a new meaning of the word. One of the strangest things about this trip for me was learning to trust: in God and in other people. Countless times I ended up simply standing back while others planned hostels, found the right train or chose a site to visit. For me, that’s not an easy thing to do. There were also numerous times when neither Becca nor I would have ANY idea what we would do next, how we would get to the next destination or where we would be sleeping and the right thing also seemed to just come our way.

It will be very tough to say goodbye to adventure, new places and delicious meals, but I know God has many more exciting things planned for my future, which I can’t wait to discover!