When a friend told me he was making his way to visit Normandy to visit the WWII historical sites, the inner history nerd just had to tag along. Made my way from Paris to Caen to meet my friend. From there, we rented a car and checked out the major sites starting with Juno Beach, Omaha Beach, La Cambe (German Cemetery) & Caen Memorial Museum. It was such a humbling experience to soak in all the history and suffering. Highlight of the mini road trip? Witnessing how friendly French people can be! .. Paris can leave a bad impression to tourists. Having in-depth conversations with local about the history of the area enriched the whole experience. Even after a minor car accident, the other party was so nice I thought for a quick second they were going to invite us over for supper that night!
My friend continued on further south to Mont St. Michel while I made my way back to Paris with a quick stop to Rouen and Vernon (to check out the Monet Gardens).