Today, we drove to the sites of the D-Day invasion. First, we went to Arromanche, where the allies built the artificial harbor where most of the equipment and men came ashore, after the d-day battles.
Some parts of the temporary harbor are still visible in the sea.
From Arromanche, we drove west to Longue-Sur-Mer. You can see the 150 mm guns still housed in the concrete casemates. The long range of these guns allowed the Germans to fire on both Omaha and Utah beaches. The first one had been bombed, but the others were really well preserved.
Next, we went to the American Cemetery. There is an unbelievable visitor’s center with multimedia exhibits and tons of information. This is where everything got really heavy. Watching the footage, reading the quotes, and listening to the soldiers’ interviews really brought everything into focus. After the visitor’s center, we walked out to the cemetery.
The cemetery is on a cliff just above Omaha Beach.
Next, we drove a little farther, right to the site of the landing.
It’s hard to believe such horrible things happened in such a beautiful place. We are so glad we came here and saw it all in person. I can’t think of a better way for Hayden and Violet to learn history than standing right in the midst of it.
We haven’t decided what to do yet tomorrow. We are thinking about hiking in the nearby forest, or maybe going to Bayeux, and Neil is still trying to talk me into going to the reptilarium for some reason. It sounds like a terrible idea to me.