Normandy: Day Two

On Wednesday, Joe and I started our day at the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy in Bayeux. I was quite surprised to see that I was familiar with nearly the whole exhibit, especially the key players and the sequence of battles.  Neither Joe nor I were blown away by this museum like were hoping, but we both agreed the film at the beginning was a good overview to start the true Normandy experience. 

From there we consulted our guide book and decided to go to Gold Beach via Arromanches.  You can see the ocean on the drive up to the parking lot, and it seemed like we almost ran out of the car once we parked. Our first real sign that it was in fact the Normandy of WWII was the Mulberry Harbor, which was built in just a few days after D-Day in the ocean with shipped blocks of concrete. This innovation was a key success factor of the war, and we were stunned to be able to see pieces still in place. We were also able to see Gold Beach and imagine what the harbor looked like in June 1944.

The guidebook recommended we watch the 20 minute film in the 360 degree theater nearby, and even though we had low expectations we thankfully went anyway. I say thankfully because the film was just incredible and completely brought the war to life in a way that was powerful and personal. I was teary for nearly the entire film, and I left feeling more admiration for the Allied troops than I thought possible. It completely set the stage for the rest of the trip.

Next we went into the town of Arromanches for lunch and then went to the beach where we were able to see parts of the Mulberry Harbor that found resting places in the low tide.  Speechless.

The next place we stopped was Lounges-Sur-mer, which is most known for housing four German blockhouses and an observation point.  I can't even fathom how the Allied troops took these structures, but once again I was filled with admiration and awe.

I want to add that Joe and I have similar views of taking pictures with or next to landmarks such as these.  Sometimes we took pictures to show scale, and other times we took pictures to capture the fact that we were actually able to see the landmarks in person.  I realize it's a tricky subject, and never do we want to be the type of people who take dismissive pictures at things like this. I digress...

The last stop of the day was Port-en-Bessin, which was not only the British/American demarkation point, it is also must known for being home to PLUTO (the pipeline under the ocean which brought petrol, oil, and water to the Allies.)  We hiked up past a 17th century tower to see German concrete bunkers and trenches along the top of the cliff. Again, it was unreal to imagine Germans waiting for the Allies in those trenches. 

On a lighter note, the town is known for its scallops and I can see why - there were scallops all over the beaches. Joe spent some time looking for them while I went back and read more of the guidebook.  I think it is important to recognize the historical significance of a place and also be able to appreciate how beautiful it is today. I suppose that's the essence of why the war was so important.

We then grabbed dinner in town before heading back for an early night in Bayeaux.  At this point, I could have ended my tour of Normandy and felt completely satisfied about the experience. Luckily we had plenty of time left.