Normandy

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Leaving Brittany, I encounter the magnificent Mont St. Michel. Continuing east, I headed for the beaches of D-Day. I passed through Ste-Mere-Eglise with its famous chapel from which a U.S. Army parachutist dangled on D-Day. Now, they have an effigy of a U.S. paratrooper dangling from the steeple.

The D-Day beaches and the U.S. Cemetary near Omaha Beach were something I wanted to see. There really are no words I can contrive to give any semblance of a description. I was impressed by the amount of French school children on school field trips to the sites. Despite of our differences, the French have not forgotten the price of their freedom.

I continue eastward to the Cote d’Albatre, where I found a hotel for the night.

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Photos

Le Mont St. Michel
Le Mont St. Michel is the most photographed subject in France.

Distant View
Viewed from the north, Mont St. Michel is but a bump on the horizon.

Chapel at Ste-Mere-Eglise
Ste-Mere-Eglise with its famous chapel from which a U.S. Army parachutist dangled on D-Day.

Utah Beach
The tide was in so it doesn’t resemble the pictures from 1944.

More Utah Beach
The sand bank on Utah Beach that protected so many soldiers from enemy guns on that fateful day.

A Veteran
An aging veteran makes his way among the sites.

Pointe du Hoc
The cliffs viewed from Pointe du Hoc, scaled by the U.S. 2nd Ranger Battalion on June 4th, 1944.

Omaha Beach
Where armies once clashed, today children bathe on Omaha Beach, next to a sculpture dedicated to peace.

U.S. Cemetary
There are no words to describe it, so I won't try.

The Falaise d'Aval
The Cote d’Albatre, the alabaster coast, which resemble the white cliffs of dover across the channel.