Day Eight: Normandy D-Day beaches and Bayeux

Sightseeing today began in Arromanches where the Allies built a harbor to supply the Normandy invasion.  It was impressive to see the remains of many of the mulberries (large concrete, football-field size chunks of concrete) still at sea.  The WWII museum in Arromanches was very helpful with large models of the harbor and the way it worked. 

Next was the American cemetery at Omaha beach.  The visitor center there had moving displays focused on the narrative of the war, the Normandy campaign and individual accounts of the many of the men who fought and many who died in Normandy.  Walking among the graves was a somber experience.  The weather was cold and rainy, somehow appropriate for the day.  The anniversary of D-Day was just a few days ago, so it is easy to imagine a similar day fifty-seven years ago. 

After seeing the cemetery I drove down to the beach, where I walked out to the waterline.  The beach was huge.  Walking on the sand gave me a strong feeling of the challenge that faced the men on D-Day.  Before today I had not realized how deep the beach was.  Another thing I noticed today was how firm the sand was—that would have made it easier for soldiers to fight.  This is a beach you could run on if you had to. 

Last on this day was a trip to Point Du Hoc, which was very interesting, a lunar landscape created by the aerial bombing of the German pillboxes (gun placements.)  The craters created by the Allied bombing were huge, and it was bizarre to see French school children running in and out of them as though the crater field was a playground. 

After the beaches it was time to head back to Bayeux and pay a visit to the town cathedral and the famed Bayeux Tapestry.    The cathedral was built in the beautiful, classic Norman/Gothic style with huge flying buttresses.  It is supposed to the second largest cathedral in France after Notre Dame in Paris.  Close by the cathedral is the museum that houses the Bayeux Tapestry, which tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066.  The tapestry was amazing.  There is no way to replicate the visual impact of how long the tapestry is--much longer than walking the length of a football field.   It is also beautiful in the artistry of the stitching.  Having taught about the battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest for many years, it was wonderful to finally see the tapestry for myself.