It was a gray and gloomy day — and it wasn’t exactly the usual way to spend a 16th wedding anniversary. But it seemed just right by our standards.
We began our day at the Prefecture in St. Lo to get the last of the paperwork done for registering our van in France. This has all been quite a complicated process requiring visits to rather a lot of government offices, but that’s a post for another day. We spent about 45 minutes waiting for our number to be called and then we were back out on the street about 10 minutes later.
Prefecture in St. Lo where we went to register our van
St. Lo is one of the many towns or villages that was almost entirely destroyed by bombs during World War II, so very few of the buildings in the town appear to be of any real age. Planted right in the middle of the municipal parking lot is a particularly ugly (in my personal opinion!) viewing tower that can be climbed for a view over the town.
Observation tower in the central parking lot in St. Lo, Normandy, France
The center part of the town is almost completely comprised of squarish or rectangular concrete buildings that are rather devoid of charm. Fortunately there are still some buildings with a bit of extra ornamentation.
Government office building in St. Lo, Normandy, France
According to the Wikipedia entry for St. Lo, the Notre Dame church seen in the photo below was one of the only buildings left standing after the Allied bombing.
Notre Dame church in St. Lo, Normandy, France
The old tower in the fortified wall is another survivor.
Tower in the ancient fortified wall of St. Lo, Normandy, France
And the remnants of this bombed out building facade have been rededicated as a memorial for the Jews in the area who were persecuted or killed.
Memorial to the local population of persecuted or killed Jews in St. Lo, Normandy, France
We had a lovely plat du jour luncheon of salmon lasagna, salad, wine, and expresso and then walked through the town for awhile.
Mark enjoying a plat du jour luncheon in St. Lo, Normandy, France
It’s been a strange experience to live in a place that has seen so much military action. And as we walk through each reconstructed town, it’s hard to imagine that places like St. Lo and Villers Bocage were 99% flattened by the aerial bombing.
Mark looking at the architecture of St. Lo, Normandy, France
Below are some random photos from our day out. Come back soon for more visits to World War II locations here in Normandy.
Brocante Collections poster for a vintage goods show in St. Lo, Normandy, France
Poster for a lecture on the natural beauty of New Zealand in a window in St. Lo, Normandy, France
Distance signs to various global locations in St. Lo, Normandy, France
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