June 6, 1944

Over and over again we are asked what part of our trip has been our favorite. It is impossible to choose just one place, but Normandy always comes in near the top of the list and the D-day beaches were the highlight while there. Ever since Jonathan was a little boy and his Grandpa Cliff, a World War II veteran, came to visit Boston, Jonathan has been intrigued by the war. I remember my Grandpa sitting at our round table, telling my children stories from his time in Germany, fighting with the allied forces on the front lines. Ever since then, Jonathan in particular has picked up books about this time period and asked loads of questions. So even from the beginning of our travels, I kept hearing the question, "When will be go to Normandy." We were not disappointed. Our first stop was the Musee du Debarquement in Arromanches. Arromanches is the spot where the allied forces chose to build an artificial harbor for their landing craft. They were able to accomplish building it in a matter of days, something that usually took years. There are still huge sections of the harbor in the bay, a reminder of what took place in this area. 

The museum focused on the early days of the invasion. It was the perfect introduction to our self guided tour of the D-Day sights. 

We left Arromanches and drove over to the German Gun Battlements. The huge weapons were still in place, enabling us to envision the grim reality that the soldiers faced once they reached land and began their advance. 

We stopped at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach. The visitor center provided an incredible description of D-day, how it was the turning point in the war, the beginning of the end of Nazi domination in Europe, the liberation of France, and what this all meant to those involved. 

We spent more time than I allotted here and I still had to pull the kids out of the building, into the cemetery, which turned out to be equally as impressive. In fact, recently Ezra said that he wanted to go to more cemeteries. I had envisioned the old cemeteries in Scotland that we walked through or maybe the one on Mont Saint Michael. Finally I asked enough questions  to figure out that it was this cemetery that he was hoping for. I had read on a travel site that if you plan to visit the cemetery at 5 pm, there will be a flag lowering by American Soldiers. We were there at 5 and the ceremony exceeded our expectations. The flag was lowered, a wreath was placed on a memorial and the soldiers marched through the rain, with a crowd looking on, full of emotion. The entire experience reminded me of the pride that I have in being American. 

After watching the soldiers and hearing their orders of "Left, left, left, right, left! Halt!"Ezra and Mia have been marching around Europe, with their hands behind their back, barking out "Left! Halt!" 

The stop that was most visually impressive for me was Pont du Hoc. At this spot a small group of soldiers scaled the cliffs along the Atlantic, using ladders borrowed from the London Fire Department, a feat that was thought to be almost impossible. Prior to their advance, the allied forces bombed the area, creating huge craters that still exist. The landscape is still changed, providing a visual image of what the air attack must have been like. The craters are about 12 feet deep with one every few feet. I can't imagine the intense fear of the soldiers on the ground. The kids found the concrete fox holes that the Germans created for protection under the gun mounts. Surprisingly many were still intact. 

Our last stop of the day was the German Cemetery. There was nothing inspiring about it. I found it interesting that a sign hung on the gate asking for respect and reminding visitors that the soldiers buried there were fighting for a cause in which they did not necessarily believe. 

There was so much to see on the Normandy Beaches. I wished that we had more time, so I immediately mentally marked it as a place that we would need to revisit sometime in the future.