Hi everyone, I am feeling well and truly back home now having adjusted to the time change - I know it's only an hour difference but being away for a month meant it took little time!
I'm here to celebrate T Stands For Tuesday over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog - The Altered Book Lover so I'll start with my drink.
We started our holiday as we have the last few times we have visited, by called at the Petit Jean boulangerie and cafe in Cherbourg. It's very handy, as from here we just have to go round the roundabout and we are on the main route south. We both had Café Crémes to drink
I couldn't resist an apple beignet(basically a doughnut but much less doughy than we have in the UK) I also chose a croissant that we shared with coffee at a bar later.
We drove down so far then took the coast road to Utah Beach.
Our first stop was to the D Day landing memorial - a very quiet place with only one or two people visiting. No birdsong but in the Distance I heard my first Cuckoo of the summer.
We drove on to Utah Beach - I don't know what I was expecting but I came to realise just how little I knew about the D Day landings during the following few days.
There are lots of commemorative statues but also so much still remaining from the war.
The bar had a lot of items on display![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsHE14SRO91dvS6a6KqCJi2j1lJtIhawBBAU7WYvjOSMLuCZQegSdAANmCe3zzvntDZEOFkBmex_kSVaIT_LmxBddDA3jU_IkDdAdahUdfpD0vJXLuuaava7OuCqZyjkY7LpTa38S7gTVN9s3x98d6mBeuGQeEQNS6Ecxkjd3nFYBO_T4dr9kagPwdL4/w640-h480/IMG_9506.jpeg)
It was hard to imagine this beach was the scene of so many deaths
We had lunch in St Mere Eglise - one of the first towns to be liberated then headed to Omaha Beach.
This was one of the busiest places - there was a museum nearby too
I was looking at this when a lady from America said that could have been her Dad as he had been on the beach himself but that he hardly ever spoke about it, while I was telling her that my own Dad had wished he had been in Normandy but in fact had been in Africa but hardly ever spoke about it - we both had tears in our eyes, as we were speaking another lady, from the Netherlands, said to us how sad it was, we started a conversation, she said her parents had terrible time doing the occupation of the Netherlands - we all ended up hugging each other while our husbands watched from a distance and then went our way - a moment I won't ever forget!
We finished our day with a visit to the Overlord Museum - I realised that I had such a poor knowledge of what happened in Normandy in the days around D Day
We headed to our hotel in Bayeux, one we have used before so it was good to be somewhere familiar.
Since became home I have continued to educate myself by reading and watching TV programmes.
I hope you have found this interesting - I will continue with our visit to the English beaches next week if you wish or move on with our visit.
Thanks for looking, Chris
Your photos are extremely informative. Like you, I only know the outlines of the war, not the details of battles and logistics. All I know is that it was perceived to be crucial to the continuation of decent civilized life on earth, and I think that was true. The unimaginable sacrifices are really visible as you show it.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I knew nothing about D-Day until I went to the Eisenhower Museum. That was when I started studying the beaches and the various landings. Every year I learn a bit more. I was truly impressed with your photos and your story of the friends you made while on Omaha Beach. Very touching and poignant. PLEASE keep the photos and stories coming.
ReplyDeleteNice you started your holiday in Cherbourg. Your Cafe Cremes sound delightful and your apple beignet sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing these stories and wonderful photos with us for T this Tuesday. And PLEASE keep these coming, dear.
Please stop by the Cat soon.
Wow, this is more than I expected it would be. I would love to visit here. My Dad was in the war, but he was in Asian fighting the Japanese, and I had an uncle who was an American flyer who flew out of England with the RAF until his plane was shot. Either way, it's funny how the stories never really came out until they were older just like you were speaking of. Thanks for sharing this, and I hope you had a great T day too. hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful moment between you three ladies!! Yes, would be hard to forget.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading this post Chris and seeing the photos reminded me of many family visits to Normandy, for us it was to a particular War Graves location to see the resting place of Daves father who he never got to know.
ReplyDeleteYvonne
Dear Chris, that was very interesting. I've never been to Normandy, but I would be interested to go there. As an Austrian, my father unfortunately experienced the war from the "other side" - he had to serve in the German Wehrmacht from the age of 17... and from what I know, that wasn't fun either. So many young man hat to die - for nothing... I'm glad my father was a lucky child - otherwise I would never have come into this beautiful world. He was apparently more involved in being a prisoner of war (with the French and later with the Americans) than in serious combat. (And because he spoke good English, the Americans used him as an interpreter and gave him plenty to eat there.) In any case, he was happy that the Allies landed in Normandy - and that the unnecessary war that cost so many people their lives (including my father's friends) didn't last forever after that.
ReplyDeleteThe encounter with the women you describe was very touching!
All the best, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/06/weltreise-2024-immer-noch-neuseeland.html