Normandy

My favorite genre of reading is World War 2 historical fiction. So visiting the Normandy area to see for myself some of the key spots that changed the world almost exactly 75 years ago this June 6th seemed like a wonderful idea. When I approached Julie about it during a trip planning discussion she was all for it, and told me that in fact her dad was a medic in WW2 and landed on Omaha Beach 2 days after D Day. My dad also served in WW2 but spent his time fighting in Italy. So we were both excited about it and I started researching our best option for making it happen. We really wanted to make it a one day trip so renting a car seemed like a huge hassle and taking the train would take too long plus we would need to hire a guide once we got there, so I started looking at day trip options from Paris. I have had good success with a company called Viator and they offered a multitude of options to help us accomplish our goal. I have found it best to pay a little more and go with a small group versus a larger group on a big bus. I searched through many options carefully reading exactly what the trip included and read the reviews posted by customers and found one that was closest to what we wanted to do. It was going to be an early start out of Paris and a pretty long day but the reviews were good. Let me just say right now it exceeded our expectations. When I booked the tour it said we would have a maximum of 8 people in the group plus the guide, but when we met up at the assigned place it was just Julie and I and one other couple from the US - almost like a private tour! And our guide couldn’t have been better. His name was Fabrice and he spoke excellent English, could answer any question posed and was clearly committed to make sure our trip was as pleasant as possible. We all got in his very clean SUV and headed out of Paris. There was no traffic since it was 6:30 in the morning and Fabrice said that would guarantee us an early arrival to Normandy and help us beat the crowds. With the upcoming 75th Anniversary of D Day he said it has been busier than normal plus with the events being planned around the date there will be closures of the key areas for security reasons - so our timing to get there was great. This could be the last big anniversary where people that were there are alive to attend, so therefore it’s a bigger event than normal. Makes sense.

I haven’t ever really left Paris so was kind of surprised how quickly we were out of the city and into beautiful rolling countryside. The highway was in excellent condition and Fabrice said we would stop about halfway through our drive at a gas station to stretch our legs and get a snack if we wanted. Since Julie and I were getting desperate for coffee and a croissant that sounded great, especially when he assured us that the gas stations along the highway are very clean and nice with excellent food. The drive from Paris to Normandy is roughly 2 and a half to 3 hours depending on traffic.  

We saw lots of beautiful canola fields the whole way to Normandy. Canola as in canola oil. Two harvests - one in June and one in September. Beautiful but Fabrice said right before harvest they smell horrible! Who knew?

Totally correct on the gas station stop. My cappuccino and croissant were as good as in Paris! Our first stop was at Pointe du Hoc, where the US Rangers succeeded in achieving the incredible exploit of scaling the cliffs in mere minutes despite the very slippery rock face, wet ropes and the enemy fire from the very powerful artillery the Germans had in place there, after being transported to the site in barges. 

Point du Hoc

We were actually seeing Pointe du Hoc from the vantage point the Germans had, and I was amazed at how intact the site still is 75 years later. Also at the level of infrastructure that the Germans had built. The guide said the Germans had been creating this fortress for over 2 years with forced labor from the locals, which helped explain how detailed the buildings and artillery areas were. He also said that the locals did their very best to make it look like they were building things according to the design but in fact make the construction as shoddy as possible. 

Top left - a lunar like landscape, Top right - the Blockhouse where there was a gun, ammunition’s storage and a tiered structure which helped prevent from shrapnel, Bottom left - looking out from where the gun was set, Bottom right - another shelter. 

The memorial on the edge of the cliff symbolizes the dagger the Rangers stabbed into the German Atlantic Wall defenses.

Top right is basically a gun turntable. Allowed them to move the gun and shoot at a wider range. 

Next we headed to Omaha Beach but passed what was the original first American cemetery before they built what is now the permanent American cemetery. It was jarring to see the stone monument commemorating the site right in the backyard of a home. The guide explained that there was a lot of discussion about how to handle people returning to their towns and homes after the war, and still pay respect to the thousands of people - French, American, Canadian and British that had lost their lives there. It was decided that they would preserve the areas of most importance but that the reason for the war was to maintain freedom and that to not allow life to return for the locals would in fact be an injustice to the many that gave their life for freedom.

First American Cemetery 

We were able to walk on Omaha Beach. We were there late morning and it appeared to me that the tide was pretty high, as the beach was pretty small from water to the end of the sand. There is a large memorial on the beach. I had never watched the movie “Saving Private Ryan” because while I like to read historical fiction actually seeing movies about war is not of interest to me. But prior to making this trip I was told repeatedly that I absolutely HAD to watch it, so I forced myself to watch the whole movie. I was especially convinced when in one of the history books I was reading it specifically stated that that movie is a very factual depiction of what actually happened on June 6, 1944. So after seeing that and reading about the events it was kind of a surreal experience to actually be there. And yes it absolutely made me teary. The bravery of those men is beyond my comprehension. Still mind boggling to understand how they were successful in what clearly appeared to be impossible. They saved the world - that’s pretty much what I believe.

Omaha Beach Memorial

Our next stop was the American Cemetery. It was dedicated in 1956 and encompasses 172.5 acres. There are 9,380 buried and 1,557 Missing In Action that are acknowledged on the Wall of the Missing Memorial. It is maintained by the US Government, and they do an amazing job. 

Bottom left is a chapel, Bottom right is the memorial. 

The memorial consists of a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing large maps of military operations. The center bronze statue is called “Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves.”

One of the inscriptions on the wall of the chapel. 

As you walk past the Statue in the memorial you come to the Wall of the Missing where all the names are inscribed. There were lots of people, mostly Americans and lots of Veterans at the cemetery but it was very quiet. 

Our guide then took us to a nice little local restaurant where we had lunch, and then on to a fairly small local museum. The guide explained that all the museums are locally owned basically just by people who have collected things, so it was somewhat interesting seeing tanks, uniforms, an actual replica of the barges that brought in the troops and other memorabilia.  

Bottom right is an American tank.  

Our last stop was in the town of Arromanches which was part of Gold Beach (a British landing zone) just really to stretch our legs and buy a few souvenirs. It has a cute waterfront and sea wall. 

Lots of Americans around. We met lots of people from Oklahoma, Nebraska, Indiana etc.  

We headed back to Paris and made it back in time to have a glass of wine and watch the sun set on the Seine.

Julie and I both were so glad we took this little excursion up to Normandy, but you could definitely make it a 3 or 4 day stop if you want a more in depth experience seeing all of the D Day beaches and towns. Plus another great place I’ve heard to visit in that general vicinity is Mont St-Michel, and I do hope to get there on my next trip. But if you only have one day this post is meant to help you accomplish that goal, and it’s well worth your time.  

Thanks for coming along! One more Paris post coming with some of the other things we did and ate in Paris. Check back soon!