It was an early morning departure today as we left Honfleur and headed for the D-Day Beaches. This was another one of those bucket list items and one of the main reasons for this trip. Picked up picnic lunches and headed to the coach.
We traveled to Caen to pick up our guides for the day at the Peace Memorial. According to Guillaume we were quited the lucky group to get Claire as our guide. I totally concur. On the way from Caen to the beaches (about 50 minutes), she gave us an entire history of the Normandy invasion: planning, executing, and aftermath. The explanation of how the beaches were named was fascinating. Eisenhower asked the two first soldiers he met after formulating the plan where they were from. One said Omaha and the other said Utah. The other 3 were named by a British officer who loved fish. They were to be Swordfish, Goldfish and Jellyfish. But those were 2 long and so shortened to Sword and Gold. Jelly didn’t sound good so he picked the name of his wife that also started with a J - Juno. Wow, to have all that knowledge just stored in your head.
Our first stop was Point du Hoc. one of the first actions of Operation Overlord. . It was here that the Germans had entrenched themselves to defend the coast. On 6 June 1944 the Allies started the bombardment of Point du Hoc and the 2nd Ranger Battalion was given the task of scaling the 100 foot cliffs. No matter how many films you see of this maneuver, you cannot fully understand the scope of the attack until you see the formidable cliffs. What we saw were the remnants of the fortification and a landscape that was marked by bombed craters. To be stationed there one could not have suffered from claustrophobia. The underground bunkers were small and closed in.
After leaving Point du Hoc we next visited Arromanches. It was here that an artificial port was built to allow the unloading of heavy equipment for the D-Day landings. You can still see many of the sections of concrete blocks today and even a bridge part.
After lunch and a brief stroll through the town we headed to the American Cemetery. There it had been arranged for the group to have a brief ceremony. We faced the cemetery and flags and The Star Spangled Banner was played. Then we turned to the monument and we heard Taps. It was definitely moving to the point of some teary eyes. In what was even more moving, the group paid tribute to all those among us who had served. The sacrifices of the military are brought home when you see the thousands of crosses and Stars of David. Interesting to note that since there was only an option of Jewish or Christian on the draft forms, no other indication of religion was made. In addition, many Jewish service people chose not to indicate Jewish for fear of retaliation.
Guillaume presented us with a flower to lay on a grave somewhere in the cemetery. I was interested in seeing where the Niland brothers were buried since I was so moved by Saving Private Ryan. Claire personally took us to their graves. We then found the graves of Teddy Roosevelt’s sons before it started to drizzle for a bit. The overlook provides a view of Omaha Beach.
Back on the coach and a drive to Omaha Beach to see the monument there and to pick up some sand. The steel monument represents The Wings of Hope, The Rise of Freedom, and the Wings of Fraternity.
It was really so moving to be in that historical place and to remember the unselfishness of the men and women of the Greatest Generation who fought for our freedom.
Did the compulsory photo of our group in front of the Signal Monument before heading back t the coach and then the ship.
How fun that the whole crew was there to greet us when we arrived, plus a bit of sangria and warm towel once we boarded the ship.
We enjoyed for dinner:
Parisian style Deviled eggs
Mussels fresh from the Market (ate them too fast before a picture was taken!)
Oven Baked Sole or Roasted Turkey
Soft Centered Chocolate Soufflé or Hazelnut and Walnut Ice Cream with Brown Rum
After dinner most of us adjourned to the lounge to watch the documentary, D Day: The Battle of Normandy. It had been a long day and despite the popcorn, many of us did nod off a bit.
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