JerrysJourneys

The purpose of this trip was a "scouting mission".  We are coming back over in April, going to Paris and then on to Normandy.  Our friends, Harry and Amanda Kearley and Mickey and Dorothy Andrews will be traveling with us.  We wanted to check out our reservations and get a lay of the land.  We are looking forward to returning home, to share our findings with them and get ready for the next trip.  When we got back to Ramstein we met Jack Harden and another couple that came over with us.  Every one was headed to the US. Our first flight the next day had a show time of 0810.  Alas, there were no seats available.  We then had two choices, 1.  Ramstein to Charleston AFB, overnight, then to Jackson next day.  2nd choice, Ramstein to Andrews AFB, Washington, then Kelley Field, San Antonio, then Jackson.  Linda and I opted for the Charleston flight and Jack took the Andrews flight.  Uneventful to Charleston, 10 hours, 7 passengers.  Not crowded at all.  Next day our plans changed.  D...

We stayed overnight in Bayeux and checked on flights home.  We accomplished our mission and it was time to head out.  There were two flights back to Jackson, ms the next day, so we decided to try for one of those.  We had good weather the last 3 days here and then it started raining.  It rained all across France.  Di I mention the interstate system in France is toll roads?  Well, those tolls came to about 58 euros from one side to the other.  Nice highways, though.  Headed for Ramstein....

We checked out of our B&B and proceeded to Omaha.  Along the route, we saw numerous white signs dedicated to fallen US Soldiers.  We visited the German cemetery and then went to the American cemetery.  There were numerous displays and videos about the individuals and their families.  Telling about their personal lives and the effects their passing had on their families.  It was very moving and emotional. (Both cemetery's). After lunch, we proceeded along the coast passing Juno and Sword Beaches,  where British and Canadians landed.  We went to Bayeux and stayed at the Luxembourg Hotel.  Bayeux was the first major French city liberated after the invasion.  I'll post more pictures.  By the way, the picture of the Chateau that Linda is standing in is of "Castle Vouilly".  Another 10th century structure, surrounded by a moat.  We are coming back here in April and will be staying here.  It was headquarters for General Omar Bradley and our foreign news correspondents, A...

After a delicious French continental breakfast we proceeded to Ste Mere Eglise.  I know every one remembers it from "The Longest day".  Red Buttons (as paratrooper John Steele) landed on the church and his harness snagged on the steeple.  He hung there for 2 days, playing dead, until the Germans cut him down and took him prisoner.  He later escaped and rejoined his unit.  While there, we had a delightful lunch at the "Auberge-lejohnsteele"  I was a 5 course French meal.  It started off with a sardine mousse, topped with caviar.  Then I had lamb salad and Linda had fish soup.  We both had a steak with escalloped potatoes and steamed vegetables.  Then to cleanse the pallet before dessert, we had assorted cheeses.  Afterwards, we both had "creme broulee".  I feel the need to learn more of the French language before I return, so as to know what I am ordering to eat.  We went over to Utah Beach and then returned to our B&B in Creance.  Tomorrow is Omaha Bea...

We stayed last night in a medieval village of Laon.  Our hotel was was old, everything was old.  We left the next morning around 0900 for Normandy.  We had reservations at another old place in the village of Creance.  It was built around the 11th century.  Our landlord was a Brit named Dave Tarbuck.  Retired from Scotland Yard.  It was a cold, windy, drizzly, blustery day.  The temps were 40 to 50.  We stopped at a rest area and bought salads, drinks and crackers and ate on the way.  It was Sunday evening when we got there.  The restaurants were closed.  We went to a local grocery store and bought bread, cheese, wine and meats and returned to our B&B for dinner.  Our travels took us right through some areas of the worst fighting in WWI.  The Somme and the Argonne Forest.  It has been a long day.  Tomorrow is one of exploration.  Until then.... By the way my computer had not been working..I suspect it was an "operator virus".

This post is a day late.  We have been afoot on the information highway since last night.  We checked in to our hotel. I asked if Wi-Fi was available...he said some times it is, sometimes no..this was a no. Back to the trip.   We were met at the BOQ on Friday morning at 0900 by  the AMCR Car Rental agency and they took us in to Ramstein Village to pick up our car.  We were met with coffee and pastries, very nice.  As we left, they gave us some German chocolates for the trip.  We headed for France.  The weather was nice and the roads were good.  We drove to Verdun, a city about 85%destroyed in WWI. many of the buildins still had battle damage from WWI.   We traveled through the length of many WWI battlegrounds on our journey.  We stopped in Verdun at the Alberge de la Tour for a meal of Quiche Loraine.  Very good.  The Euro is swinging in favor of the Americans, so it really helps out on the trip.  We stopped for the night at a medieval city, Laon.  located on a mountaintop, surrounded ...

We got up Wed. morning, fully planning to head for Charleston AFB to catch the Thursday PM flight to Ramstein.  When checking the computer, I saw that Andrews AFB had a flight to Ramstein leaving on Wed. night on a C-17.  There was a flight to Andrews from Jackson, Ms, with a show time of 1430.  I always heard, when traveling "Space A" sometimes you need to go west in order to head east.  I called the MS Air Guard.  They had 53 seats available on a C-17.  So we headed for Mississippi.  We boarded the flight.  It was a Med-e-Vac flight to Germany to bring home wounded soldiers to San Antonio to the hospital.  We went to Washington, ground time about 2 hours and then on to Germany.  An uneventful flight, 5 space a travelers and about 30 doctors, nurses and medics.  If you had a heart attack, then would be a good time to have it. When we arrived in Ramstein we had a Bratwurst with Jack Harden, a fellow space a traveler from Jonesboro, Ark., while waiting for our room.

01/17/2012 Decision making time. Where to go to for our embarkation. Norfolk Naval Air Station, they have a trip to Gander and Ramstein and then one hour later, they have a trip to Rota, Spain and Sicily. Sounds Good. Or Dover, De, they have a trip to Spangdahlen, Germany or Charleston AFB, where they have a trip to Ramstein. 8 hour trip to Charleston, 12 hours to Norfolk or 15 hours to Dover. Charleston it is. We are headed to South Carolina. Wish us luck. I do see a great seafood meal in our future. Lafayette….don’t give up on us….Viva la France