D-Day 70 years later - Celebration in Normandy

This year being the 70th anniversary of the invasion of Europe - D Day as it was known, will be a celebration with Heads of State from many countries, including President Obama will be attending. 
There are many sites in the greater D Day area and one, albeit somewhat touristy ( but hey, we are all tourists, no?) is the Arromanches 360 museum. 
Here is a look at what goes on in the museum. 


http://www.arromanches360.com/en/ - here is the site to give you more information.

Love The Life - I Am Off to France and.............

To visit two of my favorite areas - Normandy and Brittany. As the old Chinese saying goes, one picture is worth a 1000 words, so in that case, here are 1000 pictures of one of the areas I love - Normandy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNZoCNO_9HQ - for a fuller picture, click here.

A Different View of Mont-St-Michel - An Untourist View

Most visitors to Mont-St-Michel see it and approach it from the south, The best way to take it all in, in a spectacular view, is to view it from the East, at the Grouin du Sud. Here the views from across the flat sands and channels, is one of the most extraordinary features of this unknown peninsula.

In contrast to the frantic, 4 millions tourists who visit Mont-St-Michel a year; the Grouin du Sud is a place to absorb the rare calm of this place and the real beauty of basse-Normandie.

Viewing The Famous Bayeux Tapestry - A Secret Way To Avoid The Crowds

Listed as a “Memory of the World” by UNESCO, the Bayeux Tapestry is an embroidery, 70 meters long, made in the 11th century. Celebrating the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, this linen canvas was probably embroidered by monks in the south of England after the Battle of Hastings on October 14th, 1066.Legendary animals, ships, Vikings, Norman and Saxon cavalries illustrate the exploits of William and his opponent Harold, another pretender to the throne of England. The tapestry is a highlight of the Normandy area along with the nearby  D Day beaches. Because it is visited by 460,000  people every year, here is a secret to having it all to yourselves ( well almost).
The museum closes at 5:00pm for entry, but is open for another 1-1/2 hours, SO, arrive at 4:45pm, buy your ticket and then after 5pm,the doors are shut and you'll have a quiet 1-1/2 hours to explore this wondrous Tapestry plus see an informative movie on the history of the Tapestry.

The town of bayeux is a treat to visit and walk around also. So allow yourself time to do that also.

D Day Beaches In Normandy - An Emotional Journey

A few weeks ago, I visited one of my favorite regions of France - Normandy. I looked forward to my stay at the lovely Norman Manor house - La Cheneviere, located deep in the lush and verdant Norman countryside. I also looked forward to eating the last of the season - red scallops that are a highlight of the Norman winter season. Although I have been to Normandy countless times, I had never really toured the famous D Day beaches and battlegrounds at any length, so I thought that this time I would make a day of it. I used the services of Normandy Sightseeing Tours and had the pleasure to be guided by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young lady by the name of Aurelie.
My first stop was Pont du Hoc (its  behind me in the photo), Here American Army Rangers scaled its sheer 100 ft cliffs under deadly fire to knock out huge coastal guns they didn't know had been moved. Pocked by huge craters left by naval bombardment, most of the German bunkers remain to this day. The cliff-side battlefield also offers a scenic view of the French coastline that saw some of the war's fiercest fighting.

What I thought at the start of the morning was going to be an interesting trip through World War 2 history, but it turned out to be more than that. It turned out to be an emotional day that I challenge anyone to visit and not come away changed, even if you never served in the Armed forces.

My father, a paratrooper with the 101st, was a participant in the D Day landing ( but never wanted to talk about it), so my knowledge was zero as to what really transpired that early morning of June the 6th, 1944..

After Pont du Hoc, we drove another 10 minutes to Omaha Beach.

Here I found myself under a misty, but sunny sky, amid crashing waves, lush vegetation and pleasant breezes, it created an eerie scene of seaside tranquility at the spot that one D-Day veteran recalled as mostly "darkness and confusion."Standing on this broad 4 mile stretch of silent beach, it was hard to imagine the carnage that occurred some 65 plus years ago. It was a surreal feeling to stand here and know how many American's and Germans were killed in those first early morning hours, over 3,000 on the Allies side alone. It was very humbling and in a way, very upsetting. Next we stopped at the impressive American cemetery at Colleville Saint Laurent and walked in awe among the Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David markers. Seeing so many young men's graves, most dated during the summer of 1944, was moving for anyone who has been here.. The cemetery overlooks part of Omaha Beach, and is high upon the cliff with a beautiful view of the English Channel. The cemetery is maintained by the U.S. Government. Your tax dollars are certainly at work here, because the grounds were immaculate. A monument on the grounds of the cemetery contains a statue honoring the dead and diagrams and maps of the invasion. There is also a beautiful garden and the Tablets of the missing--a list of all of the soldiers missing in action similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Our guide walked with me to point out the two graves of the Niland Borthers , a family whose story is memorialized in the movie "The Saving of Private Ryan". President Theodore Roosevelt's son is also buried at Colleville Saint Laurent, although he did not die during the Normany Invasion, but a few weeks later.
More to follow -please check back in a few days......