Normandy trip '08. Beaches, museums, cemeteries....

[DOC_KÜSTENART]

Thanks for sharing man, I really enjoyed it!! last time I was there was in the summer of 2001, I'm impatient for returning

[hayleyp]

w

thanks adrian,i really enjoyed this thread,will

[pzrwest]

Any idea who the uniformed men are tending the grave site? After all the hell these men went through it's nice to see them resting in such a nice serene place. And reguardless of which side they fought and died for I say May they rest in peace and with the dignity they deserve

[paddyd]

Hello Adrian

Great post - I was there three weeks ago, but there is never enough time to see everything!
I managed to visit Vimy Ridge (brilliant and very helpful Canadian staff), Thiepval, Peronne - fantastic museum there, really helpful and friendly staff also - The Ulster Tower - strange to see the cafe/shop staffed with fellow Paddies! Arromanches, Carentan, Longues sur Mer battery, Dead Mans Corner, St.Mere Eglise (graet airborne museum there too) and Omaha Beach and the cemetary.It was strange to see the airport style security in the museum part .I believe I found the location of 'The Beast of Omaha' machine gun nest, well the wife found it on a wander of her own and I scampered back up the hill , camera/camcorder banging away!. I did find a second cousins grave in the Canadian cemetery at Reviers also, but we found the overall experience very overwhelming, the masses of graves and inscriptions and found that after three days we were bickering as we had no real 'release'. On the fifth day we travelled to Dieppe and harmony was restored...
One thing I was very disturbed about when we visited La Cambe was there was a very strong smell of urine in the chapel/rememberance room to the right of the entrance, it doesn't bear thinking about.....

Thanks again for refreshing some great and recent memories.We can't wait to go back again soon and visit Utah and many others.