NORMANDY

Today our choices were staying close to the ship and discovering Honfleur, taking a long bus ride and spending the day in Paris or taking a long bus ride to Normandy.  For us, there really wasn’t a choice.  We have been to France and Paris many times and never to Normandy.  We are so glad that we made that choice!

We boarded the coach early (7:45) and set out for the three hour ride to Normandy.  The ride went fast though because our friends were on the bus with us and our tour guide spent the whole time giving us a history lesson of Normandy.  She explained all the details that went into preparing for D Day and why they chose that particular day: June 6, 1944.  They stormed the beaches at 5:30 am when the ocean was at mid-tide and the moon was bright so the soldiers could avoid the obstacles planted by the Germans.  On the tour today we visited one of the two USA beaches, Omaha (the other one was Utah, both named by President Eisenhower) and envisioned what it was like for the soldiers that landed there.  We saw where the German soldiers were stationed to protect the beaches from any invasion.  It was a smart move for the allied troops to land in Normandy because the Germans had anticipated an invasion at Calais and thus had fewer troops stationed in Normandy.  Still, approximately 2,500 American soldiers were killed that day…….  Even so, the casualties were less than anticipated and as we now know the invasion was a success and led to the allies pushing back the German Forces and eventually winning the war.

Here we are on the coach with our “Carolina” friends!

Below are photos that we took as we walked along the beach named Omaha…..  it was very emotional.

The Omaha Beach and War Memorials

More photos of the memorials including one commemorating the burial grounds on the beach of the dead soldiers.  The bodies were eventually moved to the current cemetery.  There are no words…..

We walked along the same beach where the soldiers landed and ran for cover carrying all their gear.  Some drowned in the ocean, not even making it to shore. On the tall cliff that is seen in the top photo above is where the Germans were positioned.  No wonder so many of our boys were killed……

Some of the equipment used at Omaha

Next we rode in the coach to the Cemetery at Normandy. 9,387 American soldiers are buried here and there is a wall that lists every one and where they were from.  There is also a Garden of the Missing where 1,557 names are inscribed.  Most of these soldiers were just kids, under 24 and it is a somber experience to imagine what these soldiers and their families did for our country and for all of us.

Entrance to Normandy Cemetery.  The following photos show the graves and memorials.  I think the photos speak for themselves.

After visiting the beaches and the memorial, we rode through the countryside to Arromanches-les-Bains, a small town where there was a Normandy museum.  This was also the site where the Allied troops created an artificial harbor so that they were able to get their supplies needed to fight the war.  It was a charming little town on the water, full of shops, restaurants and quaint homes.  We all had lunch together at Brasserie d’En Face, a local restaurant with typical French fare.  We were served a huge salad as a first course followed by roasted chicken and potatoes.  Little fruit tarts were served for dessert and a bottle of red wine was on every table to go with our lunch.  We sat with a Polish couple and enjoyed their company very much.

After lunch we had free time to tour the museum and shop for souvenirs.

This was an emotional day and one that we enjoyed very much!  We slept on the way back to the ship!

That evening on the ship, there was a Viking Farewell Reception that we attended.  This was a wonderful trip and it was hard to say goodbye to-bye to our fellow passengers and crew.