Hard to believe such a momentous event occurred near the deserted beach by our hotel on June 6,1944 but we learned more about it at the powerful D-day disembarkment museum next door, with a compelling audio guide accompanying displays of maps, artifacts, soldiers accounts and models of the remarkable artificial harbor created to allow the British troops to unload their tanks, jeeps and equipment.
The Normandy American cemetery and Memorial at Omaha Beach in colleville-sur-Mer, a short drive west through rolling green countryside along narrow roads lined with tan stone walls and hedges, past small lovely villages with old stone buildings, that recalled war movie sets.
But the reality of war was on full display at the museum, with a short film and displays about soldiers who lost their lives.
The sight of so many white marble crosses and occasional Jewish stars, laid out on a green lawn in impeccably straight rows above the ocean and Omaha Beach was as powerful as expected.There were other ww2 battlefields and museums but the three we visited (including the 360 film) offered a good rundown and feel for the past.
In nearby Bayeux, we visited the famous Bayeux Tapestry in a solemn stone building in the pretty old city center. Hand embroidered probably by women in the 11th century, it is displayed horizontally in a lit glass case that wraps around a dark room, with numbered panels detailing the conquest of England by William the Duke of Normandy. It looked like the ancient precursor of a comic strip, with graphic scenes of battle meticulously sewn with colored thread.
We had delicious galettes and pear cider near Bayeux’s gothic cathedral (lit at night for extra drama) at popular L’Insolite, a creperie on a cobblestone lane with old stone and half-timber buildings.
We joined locals in Arromanches (including our waiter from the hotel) at Mary Celeste pub in a cozy stone building, where the fellas drank beer and f & I drank hot chocolate. We introduced the Brits to the card game, hearts. And laughed a lot.
The rain we expected finally arrived the next day as we were leaving Normandy after one last breakfast in the hotel dining room with picture windows looking out on the waves crashing onto the shore, we drove to the Caen gare, dropped off our rental car at the Sixt office and stopped at Mollard, a classic brasserie in Paris circa 1867 for a late lunch in a gorgeous l’art nouveau dining room with wall and floor mosaics. I dared to eat dishes from my youth – steak tartare (my dad’s favorite) and crème caramel (my mom’s speciality). A little rich but delicious. (I couldn’t eat anywhere near the full tartare.)
After a stressful rush hour taxi search and ride to the second train station (we arrived at gare du saint lazare and had to get to gare du nord)‘we are now safely on board the Eurostar in what we suspect are special”senior seats” back to London, playing hearts with a pack of 32 (not the standard 52 😳) cards F bought at the station. more laughter.
TakeBetsywithyou 