Versailles in the News!

It seems that one of our destinations made the news this week. A giant 223-year-old beech tree fell during a huge windstorm Tuesday, Jan. 27, on the grounds of Versailles near the Marie Antoinette hamlet. Go here to read the story online. It was planted in 1786.

Motion Sickness

If you suffer from motion sickness or just want to be prepared, consider the advice provided here by Tracy, one of our travelers who is also a pharmacist.

The most common treatments are Meclizine 12.5 or 25 mg or Dramamine, which can be bought over-the-counter or by prescription. These meds are really inexpensive (Meclizine is the cheapest). They both have to be taken every 4 to 6 hours.

I would recommend taking it about 1/2 to 1 hour before the planned excursion. The biggest problem with these medications are the side effects, which are drowsiness and dry mouth and eyes.

Depending on the person, the drowsiness could be a real problem for someone trying to enjoy a vacation. However, for the plane ride over, it might be a good thing if you're looking to catch some zzzz's!

The other option is a patch worn behind the ear called Trans-Derm Scop. It is available by prescription only. Most insurance companies do cover the medication but it does not come in a generic, so depending on your insurance it will be considerably more than the above treatments.

The patch is very small and skin colored so it's not noticable. It should be put on about an hour before the planned excursion. It works for 72 hours, which is the big plus! Also, it can cause drowsiness but I have found from personal experience that if you put it on the night before your trip, the drowsiness wears off before the next morning.

I am a fan of this medication because of personal experience. I used it on a deep sea fishing trip. About 85% of the people on the boat were hanging over the side and I was perfectly fine!

Beaches of Normandy

June 6, 1944...today we know this date as D-Day. But 65 years ago, the Allied invasion of western Europe during World War II was called Operation Overlord and took place along a stretch of beach on the coast of Normandy.

135,000 men and 20,000 vehicles were brought onto the shores of Normandy via five landing beaches during the night making it one of the greatest seaborne invasions in history. Although the beach today is a peaceful area, the remnants of German bunkers and memorials can still be seen. This humbling video Omaha Beach, Then and Now intersperses scenes of the beaches today along with scenes from the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The world's first prefab harbor was created by the British in Arromanches. On June 7, 1944, 17 old ships crossed the English Channel under their own steam, and were sunk by their crews from bow to stern, forming the first shelter. Then, 115 football-field-size cement blocks (called "Mulberries") were towed across the channel and sunk, creating a four-mile-long breakwater located a mile and a half offshore — a port the size of Dover, England.

Finally, seven floating steel "pierheads" with extendable legs were set up; they were linked to shore by four mile-long floating roads made of concrete pontoons. Anti-aircraft guns were set up on the pontoons. Within just six days of operation, 54,000 vehicles, 326,000 troops and 110,000 tons of goods had been delivered. Arromanches 360º Theater near this makeshift harbor shows The Price of Freedom on its 360-degree screen.

Crowning a bluff just above Omaha Beach, 9,387 brilliant white-marble crosses and Stars of David in the American Cemetery mark the memory of Americans who gave their lives to free Europe on the beaches below. Brigadeer General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. is buried here along with two of the four Niland brothers who inspired the movie Saving Private Ryan.

In the Visitors' Office, an attendant at the computer terminal has a database that can provide ready access to the story of any serviceman who died in Normandy. You can also search for a name in the cemetery at Find a Grave.

Walk past the memorial and cemetery to the bluff that overlooks the piece of Normandy beach. It's quiet and peaceful today, but imagine the horrific carnage of June 6, 1944.

Walk back to the memorial, where you'll see giant reliefs of the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of Europe etched on the walls. Behind that is the semicircular Garden of the Missing, with the names of 1,557 soldiers who were never found. A small metal knob next to the name indicates one whose body was eventually found — there aren't many.

Finally, wander among the peaceful and poignant sea of headstones. Notice the names, home states and dates of death inscribed on each. View a video of the cemetery here. Immediately after the war, all the dead were buried in temporary cemeteries. In the mid-1950s, the families of the soldiers decided whether their loved ones should remain with their comrades or be brought home (61 percent opted for repatriation). Officers (including General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.) were disproportionately left here. Their families knew they'd want to be buried alongside the men with whom they fought and died.

Travel Podcasts

If any of you have iPods, now would be a great time to take advantage of this technology by downloading podcasts of the sites we will visit. Then you can listen, or view video if your iPod has a screen, and have your own personal tour guide right in your pocket.

It really isn't that difficult to do. As I find podcasts I will add them to the blog. That way you can listen/view them from the blog and then download the ones you want onto your iPod. For more information on using your iPod for travel, go to Rick Steve's Podcast FAQ Page.

The first thing you have to do if you choose to download to an iPod, if you have not done so already, is download iTunes. It is a free download and from here you can download music, videos, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. Many are free, which are the ones I'll share, but you can also purchase from the iTunes store. Be sure to doublecheck, as some podcasts do cost.

After you download iTunes, then click on "iTunes Store" in the left bar. In the top right corner, search for free travel podcasts. For example, type in "Rick Steve's tours". Find "Rick Steve's France Audio Tours" and click on the "Subscribe" button beside Free. Click on "Subscribe" in the pop-up box.

Then follow the directions with your iPod and synch the podcast. This will put the podcast onto your iPod...and you are ready to listen! It also comes with some photos to view if you have a screen on your iPod.

This Rick Steves travel podcast includes a walking tour of Paris, and tours of Versailles, Orsay Museum, and the Louvre Museum. It also downloads maps that you can print from iTunes and carry with you as you listen to the tour.

If anyone locates a good free podcast on any site we will visit, then post a comment to this blog or email me.