When I got home, I jumped back into my usual routine—laundry, cleaning, and sorting out appointments. Once I finished unpacking and organizing, I decided to take a quick break and share more about my trip. Last time, I left off at Day 10.
Day 11 – Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral
We started Day 11 with breakfast, then took a shuttle to meet our tour guide. Our group hopped into a van and headed to Stonehenge. You can either walk to the monument or take a shuttle bus, but since we were short on time, we took the bus. It was really hot that day. I still can’t believe I actually saw Stonehenge. When I used to play Sim City, I always added the Stonehenge monument to my city, so seeing it in real life was pretty cool.
Stonehenge, standing on the Salisbury Plain in England, is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments. Built in stages between 3000 and 2000 BCE, it consists of massive stone circles whose purpose still sparks debate. Archaeologists believe it may have been used for ceremonies, burials, and tracking celestial events. Myths swirl around it, too—legends claim the wizard Merlin magically transported the stones from Ireland, while others say giants built it. Some modern theories even link it to ancient aliens.
When you walk around it, they have markers showing where the summer and winter sun will hit. I took many pictures that I put up on FaceBook. Tommy and I were wondering how many angles we can get of Stonehenge. After we walked around and took pictures, we got back on the bus to head back to the visitor center. And of course, they escort you to their gift shop. I was joking with Tommy that that is where they are going to leave us when we get off the bus. I did get some postcards. We met up with Kel and ate some lunch before heading back to the tour van.
We then went over to the Salisbury Cathedral, where they have the Magna Carta. It’s a beautiful cathedral. I took some pictures, and we made our way over to where they house the Magna Carta. No pictures were allowed of the Magna Carta. The Salisbury Cathedral is of Early English Gothic architecture. Completed in 1258, it boasts the tallest church spire in Britain at 404 feet, drawing eyes upward for centuries. Inside its cool stone walls lies one of Britain’s greatest treasures: one of only four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta. This historic document, a cornerstone of democracy and human rights, is carefully preserved in the cathedral’s Chapter House.
After exploring the cathedral, we took a break at its little café for a drink. Nearby, there was also a gift shop. I had planned to pick up a postcard, but surprisingly, I didn’t spot any in their selection. With our visit complete, we made our way back to the ship—our tour guide kindly offering to drop us off right at the dock. Once aboard, we stopped by our room to drop off our things before heading to dinner. We ended the evening at the Wheelhouse Bar, where I enjoyed a drink and then treated myself to a virgin strawberry daiquiri. I didn’t feel like having more alcohol, so I got an unalcoholic drink. I swear my liver was probably wondering what was going on since I hardly drink, and now I’ve had a drink for the last three weeks.
Day 12 – Le Havre and Normandy
On our twelfth day, we docked in Le Havre. After breakfast, we boarded our tour bus for a two-hour ride to Normandy. Our first stop was La Cambe, a German military cemetery.
Tommy and I wandered quietly among the rows of gravestones, pausing to take a few photographs. It’s difficult to capture the atmosphere of a cemetery—each headstone represents a life, a story, and the weight of history.
La Cambe is the largest German war cemetery in Normandy, located near Omaha Beach and about 25.5 km (15.8 mi) northwest of Bayeux. More than 21,200 German soldiers from the Second World War are buried here. Originally, both American and German soldiers were laid to rest in adjoining fields. Later, the American remains were moved—either returned to the United States or reinterred at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, just 15 km (9.3 mi) away.
Our next stop was Pointe du Hoc, a dramatic cliffside in Normandy where U.S. Army Rangers made their legendary assault on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Here, the 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder, scaled 100-foot cliffs using rocket-fired grappling hooks and ladders to reach German bunkers and disable an artillery battery threatening the Omaha and Utah Beach landings.
Standing there, looking up at those sheer cliffs, it was hard to imagine the courage it must have taken to climb them under enemy fire. Tommy and I wandered around for so long—completely absorbed in the history—that we ended up having to hurry back to the tour bus. Oops!
From there, we made our way to Omaha Beach, where we unpacked our lunches and ate while our tour guide shared the history of the site.
Omaha Beach, a stretch of the Normandy coastline, is remembered for the fierce and costly battle that took place here on D-Day. It was one of five designated landing beaches during the Allied invasion, and the primary target for American forces. Today, the beach stands as a place of reflection, with memorials, museums, and preserved German fortifications honoring the bravery and sacrifice of those who fought here.
Our final stop of the day was the Normandy American Cemetery, where over 9,000 American soldiers are laid to rest. The sheer scale of the rows of white crosses and Stars of David is both humbling and heartbreaking.
Leaving the cemetery proved to be a challenge—traffic in the parking lot was at a standstill, and it took us a full hour just to get out. Thankfully, we still made it back to the ship with time to spare before departure. We missed our dinner reservation time so we quickly went over to the main dining room for walk-ins. Apparently, most of the ship passengers missed their reservation time because of the traffic at the cemetery so the staff walked us over to our normal main dining room for our dinner.
Interestingly, while the cemetery isn’t technically on American soil, France has granted the United States perpetual use of the land under the care of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Though France owns the land, the U.S. maintains it indefinitely, free from any taxes or fees.
Day 13 – Disembarking and heading home
We started our day with breakfast—I hadn’t realized they served it on disembarkation day, but they do. I went for pancakes and scrambled eggs. Afterward, we headed back to our room to grab our backpacks. On cruise ships, your large suitcases are collected the night before and brought to the terminal, so you only have your personal items with you when you disembark.
We waited by the International Café until our number was called, then made our way off the ship and into the terminal to collect our luggage. From there, we boarded the bus to Heathrow Airport. Naturally, the bus dropped us off at Terminal 2 when we needed to be at Terminal 3. Once we finally got to the right terminal, we met up with friends who were on the same flight home. After checking our bags, we grabbed lunch—my chicken avocado sandwich was decent, though the chicken was a bit dry.
The shopping area became our waiting spot for the next couple of hours as our flight was delayed. We browsed a few airport shops before the airline app finally assigned our gate. The flight itself was nine and a half hours with a bit of turbulence. Unfortunately, because of the delay, we missed our connecting flight out of Dallas. The airline provided hotel and meal vouchers, and we stayed in the airport hotel, which was quite nice, apart from a squeaky toilet. We only managed about four hours of sleep before heading back to the airport for our next flight.
Breakfast was courtesy of our meal vouchers, and from there we flew Dallas to Phoenix, then Phoenix to home—no direct flights available. Since we took whatever seats were open, we were all split up. True to the pattern, both flights were delayed. We rushed to our connecting flight in Phoenix, only to find we still had to wait due to yet another delay.
At long last, we made it home. It was wonderful to see the girls and our animals again. After unpacking the car, Tommy and I still had errands to run—the post office, the store, and even a car wash. We’re all still adjusting to the time difference; my body insists it’s 10 p.m. even though it’s only mid-afternoon. I’m exhausted, but I’ve been squeezing in loads of laundry in between writing this.
I’m going to finish up my laundry and then make myself some hot tea. It’s nice being home again.
