Normandy Day 1 - 2

Our first day in Normandy we visited some of the D-Day landing sites. We went to Point du Hoc where soldiers literally scaled the cliffs. There are large grassy craters in the landscape - the scars left from bombings and explosives. We also visited Omaha Beach, one of the beaches the American troops landed at. 

Not realizing that the American cemetery closes by 5pm, we were a little too late to visit it on our first day, but we stopped there first thing on our second Normandy day. We prayed for the souls there and their families. 

It is very sobering and touching to visit these places in person. I think it forces us to really ponder the reality of those events, the extreme conditions, the immense sacrifices... 

Crater.

Point du Hoc. Soldiers scaled these cliffs to attack the Germans.

Point du Hoc

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach. This was an installation for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. 

At the American Cemetery

"Here rests in honored glory A Camrade In Arms known but to God."

After the cemetery, we went to Bayeux to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry which recounts the story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is sometimes referred to as the world's oldest comic strip. I don't have pictures of the tapestry, but there's a whole museum to visit that explains everything about that time in the world and those involved in the battle.

William the Conqueror