Blogs from Bayeux, Lower Normandy, France, Europe - page 5

After work Thursday we started our France Adventure to Normandy and on Friday evening we ventured out to Paris for the Air Show. So right down to it. Normandy Our visit to Normandy was perhaps the most moving, heartfelt, exhilarating, exhausting, emotional place I have ever visited. Sitting on the Omaha Beach with Evan, staring back at the American Flag on top of the Ravine, reminded me so vividly of just how blessed I am. It is the sacrifice of more than 9000 U.S. soldiers, with many other soldiers from other countries, that quite frankly provided for us the free world we have today. Standing on the shore where many young men didn’t even make it off the boat was almost too much to take in. Seeing the beach, and the impossibly long way they ... read more

Revenir sur un mode de vie « à la bayeusaine », après ces dernières années passées loin de ma ville d’enfance, me parait toujours, et de façon surprenante, très facile. Il suffit de pousser la porte de chez ma grand-mère, Mado, et de la voir s’agiter pour nous préparer un bon expresso, ou de descendre la rue principale de Bayeux et de s’attarder devant tel magasin ou à telle terrasse de café, et ma vie d’avant me revient à une vitesse éclair, entourée de ma famille, mes amis, mes repères, qui ont fait de moi la personne que je suis devenue et que Darian a su si habilement transformer en petite aventurière, qui craint moins les araignées et qui arrive maintenant a dormir dans des grottes en pleine nature ! J’aime donc revenir en Normandie et ... read more

Today we went to the D-Day beaches at Normandy. This was where the U.S. finally entered the war in Europe; it was a day that changed the history of Europe, and the world. Some of the most decisive, and deadly, battles in World War 2 were fought here, and this is where the liberation of France, and the rest of Nazi-occupied Europe, began. First we visited the memorial battlefield at Ponte du Hoc. This was a critical German post due to its situation atop great cliffs with commanding views of the sea (where Allied ships were gathering) and the Omaha and Utah beaches. After Aerial and Naval bombardment, early on the morning of June 6, 1944, 225 U.S. Army Rangers climbed up the cliffs. After two days of fierce fighting and many losses on both sides ... read more

Today we visited 2 of the DDay beaches - Juno (Canadian) and Omaha (USA). Here are some photos. Operation Overlord - D-Day: June 6, 1944 : For 4 consecutive years, thousands of soldiers of all nationalities underwent intensive training in England. Although millions of tons of material were prepared, and hundreds of tanks, cars and trains were later dispatched for DDay, its exact date remained a mystery until the very last moment. More than a year earlier, with the help of the French Resistance, every detail of every possible plan had been scrutinized to test the feasibility of each mission on location. Three days before the launching of this huge wartime operation, more than 200,000 soldiers and marines embarked on about 5,000 ships. The combination of moonlight, weather and tides was critical, so June 6th was ... read more

Said good bye to everyone in the morning then on the train to Bayeux, which took about 2 hours. Liked the town straight away, quiet little place, fair share of tourists but it was nice. Checked in then went for a walk around town and checked out the Normandy invasion museum, was pretty good actually. And it had everythi8ng in French AND English which was very helpful. A local couchsurfer Nathalie came round and got me later and we had a walk around town before dinner, during which bands were setting up for the music night, which was held all over France apparently, to mark the official start of summer (21st June). Once we got out from dinner there was a lot of people around in the streets and bands playing, a nice atmosphere with everyone ... read more