Normandy

Today I am in Bayeux, France. I came up here to tour the beaches of Normandy, where the D-Day (or as they call it in Normandy, the Liberation Day) invasion occurred. I was able to join on to a tour with Battlebus, and it was worth every cent.

I joined 7 other people (all Americans, including a family from Eagan, Minnesota) on a tour led by a Brit named Alan. He has studied the battles of D-Day for some time, and has been leading tours for several years. He has even had the chance to interview and lead tours for several D-Day survivors. When I asked what he can show a person that was actually there, he explained that he has helped several people find out exactly where they were (they didn't know at the time) by listening to their stories.

We toured Saint-Mere Eglise (the first town liberated by the Allied invasion). You could see the dents in the iron fences where bullets had hit, and holes in walls near windows where the Allies were trying to hit snipers. We also toured Utah Beach, Point du Hoc, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery.

The sights were moving. But, what was more captivating were the stories that Alan told. He has met with one survivor from Omaha Beach that had his jaw shot off, took shrapnel to the head, stepped on a mine, and was shot through the pelvis. He survived, and returns to Normandy every year for the anniversary.

We also visited a church that was used as an aide station by 2 US medics (one with only 1 day of training). They treated 83 soldiers, and 80 survived - all without the aide of morphine or any proper aide equipment (which had been dropped elsewhere). The church's windows had been shot out, and now have been replaced with stained-glass windows honoring the Allied Liberators. The pews of the church are still stained with blood, which can't be removed.

Another interesting fact - weapons (guns, and live explosives) are still being found each year. And, on average, 8 bodies are still being found in this area each year.

I've done tours in other locations before - some were worth it, others were not. This one definitely was! The personal stories definitely added to the experience. I will probably come back in the future, and take some of their other D-Day tours.

Tomorrow it's on to Mont St. Michel.