Over the weekend...

On friday we left for Lyon which was the center of the Resistance in France. We spent two days there visiting various historic sites. One of the most interesting was the Museum of the Liberation and Deportation about which I will talk tomorrow. Then we continued, on Sunday, to Vichy, France- the capital of the government of collaborators/occupied France. On the way, we stopped at a fascinating location- a cemetery created for a group of Senegalese black, African soldiers killed (and maimed post-mortem- being run over by tanks to further the disrespect). It was a cemetery created in a West African style that looked out of place due to the fact it was in the middle of farming fields. We spent a day in Vichy and did a walking tour of the city. What a beautiful place with a sordid past that it seems everyone whispers about for fear of offending anyone in this city known for its water- thermal, curative springs.

Back in Paris for Monday and today we visited Le memorial de la France combattante. Fascinating place and I am still processing its power as we speak so there will be more about this tomorrow.