It's been a balm to be away from the diesel infused world of trucking and spend some quality time with the missus. We both love France, and Paris has always been a very special place for both of us.

On this trip, we've decided to visit a new region, the most beautiful Normandy. Simply amazing. Very emotional for obvious reasons. Hope you enjoy.

Cheers,

Pics are in no particular order

Paris, 14 ième.


A sample of very expensive and high quality vintage watches in the 6 ième.


Around le Louvres


Some red cabaret of ill repute!


A French icon..Cimetière Montmartre


Around our temporary home. Commes, Normandie



A view from our appartement. Commes, Normandie



Mulberry. Arromanches, Normandie



Some guys Rolex...



A little picnic. Juno beach.



Port-en-Bessin, Normandie

 

Don't forget to visit the American War Cemetery at Colleville / Le Bray. A beautiful place to remember and contemplate.

 

Absolutely. It's on our itinerary. On our first day, we visited Arromanches, Gold and Juno beaches. We'll be heading west to visit.Omaha, the cemetery and Utah plus museums over the week. We'll also head back to visit the Canadian cemetery at the end of the week.

 

Visits to battlefields always make me so humble. I would love to visit Waterloo after reading Bernard Cornwells amazing book on the battle.

Paris is great. If you haven’t been to Brussels that is also highly recommendable.

Have a great vacation

 

Thanks!

I can't agree more. Humbling, heart wrenching, emotional.....I wept...and we're just starting our trip. Today we visited le Mémorial de Caen. Simply amazing. We are smack in the middle of it all, so much more to take in and the weather is going to be flawless all week.

 

Just spent a week in Paris and then another in Cologne. Had great weather and enjoyed seeing the many amazing sights.

 

Some of today's sights....

Lieu-dit-Les-Baux, Commes



German artillery positions at Longues-sur-Mer




Canadian cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer



Etretat



Cheers,

 

Pointe du Hoc and Omaha beach...

 

Carrying on to hallowed ground. A humbling walk among men. We managed to pay our respects to the men resting at the Canadian (see previous photos), American (Colleville-sur-Mer) and one of many British cemeteries.



The craters created by allied shelling were left intact. A chilling reminder of the intensity of "the moment".



Omaha beach facing Pointe du Hoc



...some other captivating sights. Thanks for taking the time to look!

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Cheers,

 

Has anyone ever done the same day round trip train and D Day tour from Paris?

 

Beautiful photos of a beautiful country, something’s are worth fighting for and many millions did willingly.
My son is 7 currently and after a 22 year military career myself as soon as he starts doing WW2 history in school (age 10) we are going as a family to view, remember and pay our respects.
Enjoy the rest of your vacation and keep the photos coming.

 

This is a must do for me ...

 

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I did it a few years ago, can be done but makes for a very long day...it's a MUST for all history buffs. It left an unforgettable impression on me, one that's more lasting than seeing all the museums or landmark attractions of Paris. I'd like to back again and explore the area in more detail.

Beautiful Pics, BTW!

 

Thanks Faz, for the photographic tour!

We did Normandy a few years back. It was moving to explore each beach. A beautiful area too.

 

Beautiful pictures, thank you for sharing.
Brings back all kinds of feels and memories (especially the smells @ point du hoc). They cut that grass like 2 times a day @ the cemeteries.

"Just a small piece of land to bury our dead"

The Canadians and Aussies had it rough. My understanding is tougher than the Americans and English.

Such a freaking waste.

i cried the first time I visited Normandy and I'm not usually a crier. Had 2 great uncles who made it through day 1 and day 3. One was permantly injured...(my uncle "Chick"). He walked with a cane his entire adult life.

One of the interesting facts about D day is that officers were suffering casualties @ a higher rate than the men they comanded.

Old school leading the charge stuff.

 

If you can, plan a full vacation around it. Once on site, your first reflex will be to slow down to a crawl to take the moment and the sights in. A day tour will definitely leave you feeling empty. My wife and I caught ourselves standing on those beaches, looking at the horizon, for what seemed forever, trying to imagine....

The sheer calm and beauty combined with significance of the events that took place here are permeating. Our 10 day stay here was adequate but I wish we could have spend some more time here. A very special place.

 

That looks like you had an incredible time! I’ve always wanted to do a battlefield tour in Normandy myself, was there any problems with the language Barrier or were you able to get by?

 

I agree, one day is a bit short. We were docked in Honfluer so managed to get a full eight or nine hour day, but it would have been better if we'd had two or three days to allow sightseeing at a more relaxed pace.

Ideally, staying for a week or two would be the best solution, might have to follow the @Faz example .

 

Most of the people had a grasp of English, and if not, they would beckon a workmate who did. We had no problems communicating at all.

 

I travelled through France years ago and one night at a pub full of old timers my friends and I were treated to a round of drinks by the patrons when they found out we were Canadian. They had the greatest respect for those who fought on the front lines.