On Sunday we drove north to the coastal towns above the DDay beaches. After a traditional Normandy lunch of Coquilles Saint Jacques, which I am sure, had been caught that morning, we walked out on Omaha beach. It was very cold and very windy and the beach stretched desolately away in both directions. There is nothing on the beach to mark the horror of DDay, but you turn and look up the hills and wonder at the carnage that was that day. The American cemetery is beautiful, quiet, with rows of white crosses. A friend had asked us to check a relative's name and after much searching we found on the internet that he actually was buried at the Lorraine cemetery. But we appreciated the time to truly look at this place. It is a special spot. Then we moved on to Pointe du Hoc, where the Rangers topped the cliffs finally. It is indescribable how desolate and cruel these cliffs seemed. The beachhead was covered in craters from the shelling and so windy I thought I might get blown away. The cliff edge is still marked by coils of barbed wire. Lastly, we drove to Mere D'Eglise to see the town made famous in the movie "The Longest Day". The cathedral has a model paratrooper still hung from the parapets with a torn parachute blowing in the wind. It was the first town liberated by the Americans in France. Michael enjoyed seeing the sites that he has read about for many years.
On Sunday we drove north to the coastal towns above the DDay beaches. After a traditional Normandy lunch of Coquilles Saint Jacques, which I am sure, had been caught that morning, we walked out on Omaha beach. It was very cold and very windy and the beach stretched desolately away in both directions. There is nothing on the beach to mark the horror of DDay, but you turn and look up the hills and wonder at the carnage that was that day. The American cemetery is beautiful, quiet, with rows of white crosses. A friend had asked us to check a relative's name and after much searching we found on the internet that he actually was buried at the Lorraine cemetery. But we appreciated the time to truly look at this place. It is a special spot. Then we moved on to Pointe du Hoc, where the Rangers topped the cliffs finally. It is indescribable how desolate and cruel these cliffs seemed. The beachhead was covered in craters from the shelling and so windy I thought I might get blown away. The cliff edge is still marked by coils of barbed wire. Lastly, we drove to Mere D'Eglise to see the town made famous in the movie "The Longest Day". The cathedral has a model paratrooper still hung from the parapets with a torn parachute blowing in the wind. It was the first town liberated by the Americans in France. Michael enjoyed seeing the sites that he has read about for many years.
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