D-Day Beaches

I could never have imagined how much we would enjoy our visit to the Normandy Beaches.  In the car on our way to the beaches, I gave the kids a timeline of WWII events (from my Rick-Steve's book, not from memory!).  I was hoping desperately that this would give them context for what they were going to experience today.   From the moment we approached Arromanches and got a view of the makeshift harbor (Port Winston) created by the British, we were overwhelmed by emotion.  I could imagine the young men parachuting into German occupied France in the dark of night, and then the thousands of men facing enemy fire on these beaches.

In Arromanches, you can still see the cement blocks that were pulled across the channel and then sunk by the Allies to create a breakwater and ultimately a makeshift bay.  On the beach, there are also rusted floats that supported the pontoon roads that allowed the Allies to transport vehicles, troops, and goods to the beach.

Arromanches is also a cute little seaside town so we also stopped to take a quick carousel ride.  Gotta keep it a little light for the kiddos!

From Arromanches, we traveled to the German gun batteries in Longues sur Mer.  The kids loved this as they were able to go inside a battery and climb on the guns.  I still cannot believe that these guns could aim accurately 12 miles out to sea.

Last, we pulled out our tissues and visited the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach which is an amazing memorial to all the troops that were lost during this battle.  They have a great visitor center with videos and exhibits and the cemetery itself is breathtakingly beautiful.

This day is one that Bobby and I will never forget.  I think the kids were impacted as well and I wish this was something that every American kid could experience.  The courage and sacrifice of our troops is vividly displayed throughout Normandy and the people here have not forgotten the sacrifices made to free occupied France and end the Nazi regime.  We are truly proud to be Americans today:)