Student Tour Blog

Written by William Stuart

The mood this morning was mixed state of the tacit excitement of beginning the final proper day of the trip, the creeping, latent fatigue of two weeks of excess and indulgence, and the bitterness of saying goodbye to two of our beloved guides. Ironically, the first topic of conversation in the van was the blog posts, with students finding things to love in each others’ words. This soon gave way to preparation for the final day in Paris – a fitting beginning to a bittersweet end.

This was the theme of the day – beginning of the end. Beginning of the end of the Battle of Normandy, beginning of the end of the Second World War, and beginning of the end of the trip. It was an exploration of the Falaise Pocket. We began the day with a stand at a memorial for the service members who participated in the fighting for Point 140, particularly the Worthington Force. From there we explored along, and took stands at, more significant points along this corridor of death, finishing with the Polish monument and museum at Point 262. Throughout the drive, I couldn’t help but notice that the wheat in the Falaise Gap was generally notably more developed than the wheat of where we had been – almost as if this wheat ready for harvest was reflecting our own completion of a journey, a cycle. The Mémorial de Mont Ormel is a striking monument upon a ridge looking out across the Falaise gap, offering views across the unending farm fields dotted with towns. The museum here also offered enlightening context to the actions here performed by the Polish 1st Armoured division in late August of 1944. The visually striking nature of Hill 262 and the monument thereupon, paired with the elucidation of the contributions of the brave men of the Polish 1st Armoured, made this more than a worthy final formal stop along on the Normandy campaign tour, and the battlefield tour in its entirety.

The evening was one of bittersweet celebration as we prepared to leave our final Norman home for Paris. After a heartfelt goodbye to two of our gracious and knowledgeable leaders, Megan and Gary, a contingent of students ventured into Bayeux for one final time, to shop for souvenirs and enjoy a last beer in Normandy. Returning to Moulin Morin, an accommodation which had demonstrated itself to be as homey as it was stunning, the evening was defined by a flurry of tacit farewells to the trip and nods to the many nights of excess. We were equally ready to return to Canada, our lives and routines, as we were melancholic about the end of such a life-changing experience. While the rush of the coming morning would distract us from the end of our journey, as had the flowing drink the night before, the air had already been impregnated by a potent miasma of resigned sadness at the knowledge of our coming separation – from each other, from the leaders, and from two weeks of travel, culture and learning.

-William Stuart (University of Waterloo)