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On Thursday, we took a long bus ride to the Normandy coast, about 3˝ hours away. Where's a high speed train when you need it? This tour was all about World War II, D-day, and the beautiful countryside that resides there today.

Day 7—Normandy
CrossesD-dayArromanchesLibertyArromanchesPoint du HocOmaha BeachCemetaryWWII VetEiffelParisMarriott

D-Day Museum in Arromanches

Further west along the coast, we went to Pointe du Hoc, a battery site for the Germans to guard the beaches. It was cleared out by American Rangers shortly before troops landed on D-Day.

In our group was a World War II veteran who landed at Omaha Beach the month after D-Day. This was his first return to France, and it made us feel patriotic watching him stroll through the cemetery, possibly looking for friends

Near Omaha Beach, we visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, a World War II cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. It honors American soldiers who died in Europe during World War II. It covers 172 acres, and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in the war. The graves face westward, towards the United States.

The Memorial

The grounds were beautifully manicured

We returned to Paris and saw the Statue of Liberty, given to the City in 1885 and pointing west toward the original in NYC

Views of the area around the Eiffel Tower were impressive in the early evening sun

The lobby of our hotel, the Marriott Rive Gauche

Arromanches

The town of Arromanches lies along the stretch of coastline designated as Gold Beach during the D-Day landings, one of the beaches used by British troops in the Allied invasion. It was selected as one of the sites for two Mulberry Harbours built on the Normandy coast; the other one built further West at Omaha Beach. These harbors were designed by civil engineers, built in England, and assembled in 8 days after D-Day to allow for the constant arrival of supplies and munitions for the war.

Omaha Beach today

Sections of the Mulberry Harbour remain today with huge concrete blocks sitting on the sand, and more seen further out at sea.