Dec. 29.
Katherine and I slept in the room with bunk beds in the apartment, which were a tight fit and very cozy. It was great to wake up with the sunlight, since we could not see anything when we arrived the night before in the dark. Behind the apartment is a golf course and out front is a beautiful, quaint neighborhood. Being here in the cold month of December makes for few people, but in the summer, this place has to be a spectacular golf get- a-way on the sea. We ate a bowl of cereal, some juice, showered, and headed out. We were on our way to Juno Beach.
It started out sunny, and then turned into a misty late morning by the time we arrived at Juno beach. Juno is where the Canadians landed on the Normandy coast during the invasion. We parked the car and were able to see a few bunkers still standing. Luckily, I had my boots on and stomped around as many places as I could. The beach in this area is pretty flat with some dunes as a barrier to the sea. This is also the beach where the generals made their way to the mainland of Europe to fight the rest of the war. All I could do was imagine what this place could have been like in June-August of 1944.
Next, we headed to Arromanches. The artificial harbor engineering marvel was set up here to deliver supplies to the landed troops so they could continue the fight from the sea to Paris and then to Berlin. We had to wait a while for the museum, since it closes for a lunch break for an hour in the middle of the day. We decided to lunch at one of the only restaurants that was not closed for the winter. Our meal consisted of local steamed mussels, local sparkling apple cider, and desert. It was spectacular! Then we went into the museum. I had never seen such a broad representation of the Allied countries uniforms and artifacts. The displays in this museum were impeccable. There were radios, weapons, uniforms, insignias, jeeps, etc. It was all equally represented honorably.
After eating, we walked the beach along the sections of the floating bridge. The tide was out, so we could get up close to these concrete rafts. It is incredible to see and learn about what came together to make Operation Overlord a success. The planning and construction in England was intense, and to get all that gear across the Channel boggles my mind.
From Arromanches, we headed to Omaha beach. Just on top of the beach is the American Cemetery. We were in a slight hurry and only toured the sight for a 40 minutes or so. Then we headed to the bunkers in the steep hillside. There was a series of connected bunkers going down the hill with the turret points exposed. This beach has more elevation from the water than the others, which led to it being he place with the most casualties.
It was now about 5:30, and the car was inside the gate to the cemetery. We thought that even though it was closed, you would be able to drive out through a gate. Nope. Both gates were locked and there was only one other car inside, and it had diplomatic plates. Thomas and I jumped the fence with 3 video cameras on us without any hesitation. Then we walked to the car and drove out to the front gate. In front of us was a golf cart heading our way. It then did a 180 and we followed it out to the front gate. I guess he was there to help and not bust us for breaking into the cemetery after closing? When we got to the front gate, the golf cart guy got out and opened the gate. As we drove through, we said thank you. He said, "We've been looking for you guys," in perfect English. Geeze! I guess we were not in trouble and got our car back. Now we just had to get Anne and Katherine walking down the street. They probably saw the golf cart and thought we we done for. They were happy to see us.
Once we were all in the car, there was an hour drive to the hotel in Villers-Bocage. The journey took us through numerous little villages, each one looking a little bit different. The street was tight and winding on this route that acted as the supply road from the different landing beaches. It was quite entertaining, especially to me, as I was the driver. The buildings in the villages have to be at least 2-3 hundred years old, or even older.
Then, we arrived at the turn to the hotel. The entrance was lighted very well and we drove down the muddy road. We were stunned with the sight of the hotel grounds. It was a series of rock buildings on a sprawling estate. We parked and met the owner, a friendly lady who seemed happy to meet us. Our room was on the top floor of a massive barn, with rafters visible and red and white fabric on the walls. Pretty neat!
We took the hotel owners advice and went to a local restaurant. She told us the decor is tacky, but the place specializes in local cuisine that is both tasty and well priced. We lucked out! The restaurant was just a short drive from the hotel, towards the middle of the small town. The food was superb! We started with a red local sparkling cider. We each ordered a 4 course menu. I had fois gras shrimp, fish cheeks (the most awesome part of the fish that I never knew about and usually just throw away) with potatoes, cheese with salad, and then a macaroon laced with melted chocolate on the inside. Katherine had local seafood baked in local cheese, duck with potatoes au gratin, fondue cheese with salad, and the same macaroon I had. Served with a bottle of Perrier, this was another 3 hour event. For only 20 Euros, we thought the meal was an excellent value. Calling it spectacular is an understatement.
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