France 2015

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Join Brad and Susan Imsdahl along with Lothar and Monika Propson and their dog Töönchen, as they go on an RV camping vacation in Normandy, France, June 15th through June 29th, 2015. Highlights include a visit to Claude Monet’s famous gardens and home in Giverny, the Normandy monastery Mont Saint-Michel, and the World War II D-Day invasion locations of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches, and Juno Beach. Highlights also include an interview with World War II Veteran Montelle Imsdahl, 66th Infantry Division, U.S. Army.

France 2015 Intro
Video 1 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Introduction scene from our 2015 France vacation. The theme of this trip is the Normandy D-Day Memorial Tour, as we visit famous World War 2 battle sites at Utah Beach, Sainte-Mčre-Eglise, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches, and Juno Beach. We also pay our respects to the soldiers who died by visiting the German Cemetery and the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Holiday Road Written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by Brad Imsdahl with Susan Imsdahl and Cheryl Propson on vocals.

European Camping Car
Video 2 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
This video describes the RV, campgrounds, and the route from Paris to the beaches of Normandy.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Holiday Road Written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by Brad Imsdahl.

Jablines
Video 3 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Our first campground was called Camping International de Jablines, located near the town of Jablines just outside of Paris, and about 6 miles from Disneyland Paris. It was a very convenient location for our first and last campsite, being close to the airport and the RV rental place.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Music by Mark Stillman

Paris In Under 2 Minutes
Video 4 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
We did not drive downtown Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. That would be like trying to drive an RV into New York City just to see the Empire State Building. I did, however, get video of the Eiffel Tower on our return flight from Paris to Minneapolis. I consider this an official Eiffel Tower sighting.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Music for a Found Harmonium Written by Simon Jeffes and performed by Mark Stillman

Giverny
Video 5 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Giverny is a small French village in Normandy located on the River Seine about 50 miles northwest of Paris. The town is best known as the location of Claude Monet’s famous gardens and home. He was the founder of French Impressionist painting. The term Impressionism comes from his painting, Impression, Sunrise, which was first exhibited in 1874 in Paris.
Impressionism is about the understanding of the effects of light on the local color of objects, and the effects of the juxtaposition of colors with each other. Claude Monet and other impressionist artists were focused on recreating the effects of light and reflections, thinking in terms of colors and shapes rather than scenes and objects. In 2008, a painting from the water lilies series sold for over $80 million representing one of the top 20 highest prices paid for a painting at the time. We had a chance to stop and see the gardens for a few hours while on the way to our second campground.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Clair de lune and Reverie were written by Claude Debussy and performed by Brad Imsdahl

Normandy
Video 6 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Normandy is a region in France west of Paris. The name Normandy comes from the Vikings, who were called Northmen. They started to raid the Seine River Valley during the middle of the 9th century. The Vikings intermarried with the area’s original inhabitants and their descendants became known as the Normans.
Today Normandy is best known as the site of the D-Day invasion by American, British, and Canadian troops on June 6th, 1944, which opened up a western front against the Germans during World War 2.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Music by Mark Stillman

Narrow Roads Ahead
Video 7 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
A Go Pro Video camera attached to the front hood of the RV lets you see the narrow roads in France, the building architecture, the flowers lining the streets, and all of the country hedge rows.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Music by Brad Imsdahl and Mark Stillman

Mont Saint-Michel
Video 8 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Mont Saint-Michel is a rocky island about one half mile off the coast of France at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. It was first used as a monastery in the 8th century. Legend has it that in 708 the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a church on the rocky island. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel’s instruction until Michael burned a hole in the bishop’s skull with his finger. Today it attracts some 3 million tourists each year.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Music by Brad Imsdahl and Mark Stillman

Töönchen
Video 9 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
Reina Antonia, or Töönchen as she is called by her nick name, is a Spanish hybrid, believed to be a cross between a German Shepherd and a Rottweiler. She was born on October 15th, 2005 on the Spanish island of Lanzarote and wound up in an animal shelter along with her sister. Lothar and Monika adopted her in February of 2006, and she has been a member of their family in Koblenz ever since.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
Por Una Cabeza Written by Carlos Gardel and Alfredo Le Pera and Performed by Mark Stillman

Goats in a Bunker
Video 10 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
A video of the goats living in an old World War 2 German bunker next to our campsite overlooking Omaha Beach.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
U˛icko Kolo Written by Milija Spasojevic and performed by Mark Stillman

The War – Part 1: Normandy D-Day Memorial Tour 2015
Video 11 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
The invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 (D-Day) was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The invasion began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control, and contributed to the Allied victory in World War II.
The heaviest casualties occurred on Omaha Beach as U.S. troops from the 1st Infantry Division, the 29th Infantry Division, and U.S. Army Rangers faced heavy machine gun and artillery fire from the cliffs overlooking the beach.
This video contains combat footage of the D-Day invasion and ends with modern day video from Utah Beach, Sainte-Mčre-Eglise, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Arromanches, Juno Beach, the German Cemetery, and the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
A La Claire Fountain performed by Mark Stillman
Cannon in D Written by Johann Pachelbel and performed by Brad Imsdahl
D-Day Combat Footage Provided by
https://www.youtube.com/user/aDRI12345

The War – Part 2: The 66th Infantry Division
Video 12 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
From the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach, Brad Imsdahl and Lothar Propson talk about their father’s experience during World War II. The video includes an interview with World War II Veteran Montelle J. Imsdahl, who was with the 262nd Regiment, 66th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.
On December 24, 1944 (Christmas Eve), the 66th Infantry Division left the Southampton port and crossed the English Channel heading for France to serve as reinforcements during the Battle of the Bulge. Many of the troops were on the SS Leopoldville, a Belgian passenger ship converted into a troop transport. 2,500 troops from the 262nd and 264th regiments were on board. That ship was torpedoed by a German U-Boat at around 6PM. The sinking of the Leopoldville was the second largest loss of life from a troopship disaster in the entire European war. 14 officers, including two battalion commanders and 784 enlisted men were dead or missing.
With their division severally depleted, the 66th Infantry Division went to the St. Nazaire and Lorient sectors on the west coast of France to relieve the 94th Infantry Division. The 94th was at full strength, so they went to the Battle of the Bulge while the 66th Infantry Division took their place containing two pockets of German resistance who were left far behind in the wake of the retreating German army after the D-Day invasion.
A film by Brad Imsdahl and Lothar Propson

One Last Beach
Video 13 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
After several days touring the D-Day invasion locations, we stayed at Camping Le Point Du Jour which is a campground down the coast several miles east of all the war memorials. This gave us a chance to relax before heading back to Paris for the flight home. As we enjoy the sunset over the ocean, we reflect on our trip and the mixed emotions and irony from staying at beautiful campgrounds on the West Coast of France, next to WWII German bunkers and the beaches where thousands of soldiers lost their life.
A film by Brad Imsdahl
A Child Is Born Written by Thad Jones and performed by Brad Imsdahl
Holiday Road Written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by Brad Imsdahl

Four Boys - Four Stories - One Message
Video 14 of 14 from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
D-Day Memorial Tour 2015. This is the story of four boys. The fathers must be enemies in 1944 but the sons are very close friends in 2015. War is not a solution for problems. The message is clear. We must talk to each other and live in peace.
A Film by Lothar Propson and Brad Imsdahl
Special thanks to Tristan Brown for his Video "Earth 3D Animation."
https://www.youtube.com/user/tristanfc2

France 2015 Slide Show
Bonus video from Brad and Sue's 2015 France vacation.
This version contains all of the still photos from the trip.
Music by Mark Stillman and Brad Imsdahl

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