In the next little village, Sainte-Maire-Eglise, there is a model of a guy hanging in his parachute from the church tower.
People stop to take pictures.
I was lucky to be around my local friend who could share the story.
During D-day, one of the parachuters had the bad luck of getting stuck hanging from the church tower.
As the village at the time was taken over by the Germans, he hid himself in plain sight by pretending to be dead. He was hanging from the tower for forty-eight hours but eventually was rescued and lived until his mid-nineties. He lost his hearing because of the bells.
A wild story.
It is interesting how much this area is soaked with the story of D-day.
I realize it was and is a big thing, but I was not prepared for a whole area so full of museums, monuments, memorials, and re-enactments. It goes on and on. Everywhere we go, there is something D-day related.
I was in the city because I jumped into a car with some of the other women to pick up veggies from the market. I love to be able to get my veggies without plastic attached. The French markets are fairly good compared to many places we have been. They do have handmade, high-quality luxury food items and real farmers coming in with their stuff, plus some extras. This local one even featured an organic one.
In the evening, we had a shared meal and bonfire, which is always lovely. All the talking and connecting is the reason we are here.
Love and light
Cecilie Conrad
# 117 of my 2023 writing challenge - Read them all here
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