D-Day Beaches

Mon, Aug 31, Port-en-Bessin, Huppain, France:  Toured the D-day historic areas and beaches today. Had to meet our tour at Place de Quebec in Bayeux. Couldn’t find it to save our lives. Finally found an English woman on the street that knew exactly where we were trying to go because she was going on a tour also—but not our tour. We all gathered together and Mike had to take the car over to the train station to park, so our tour guide, Alan, let Mike follow him to the train station where we picked up an Irish couple and we were off. We went to the German cemetery first, which I didn’t even know existed over here. Then we went to St. Mere Eglise, Utah Beach, Pont du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and then the American Cemetery. We had lunch at our tour guide’s home in a little village near the Normandy beaches, which was here when the invasion happened. He doesn’t live in it, but uses it on the tours. He said the roof was blown off by battle ships shelling the area just before the landing. Got back to Bayeux going on 6:00 and headed back to Port-en-Bessin for some drinks and dinner. We were all pretty tired. And the weather wasn’t so great either. Foggy at first, then rainy, then windy, then more sprinkles—and voila! The sun came out. Tomorrow we drive to Paris.

This is the church in St. Mere Eglise where Pvt. Strong with the 101st Airborne landed on the church where his parachute got hung up.

They have a likeness of him hanging there today.

Utah Beach sculpture of three US soldiers coming off a Higgins boat.

Rocky outcropping at Pont du Hoc.

Sculpture of a US soldier helping a fellow wounded soldier--Omaha Beach.

Entrance to the American Cemetery--Omaha Beach.

This place is immaculately maintained.

View of Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery at the top of the bluff.

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