Deauville - Landing Beaches - Bayeux - Mont St MichelSep 14, 2009
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The memorial - American Cemetary at Omaha
"The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves" - American Cemetary...
Operation OVERLORD 1
First stop was the beaches where the allied troops landed more than 60 years ago.
American Cemetery at Omaha - overwhelming - over 9,000 headstones - cemetery beautifully kept - somehow peaceful surrounded by bush while overlooking the beach & cliffs. The memorial features a 22 foot impressive statue "The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves". The visitor centre shows the significance and the meaning of Operation OVERLORD & honors the values & sacrifices of the World War 11 generation.
Arromanches - remnants of the makeshift harbour - landing areas. Tried a savoury crepe here (not impressed).
Bayeux - we saw the 70 metre long bayeux Tapestry that was commissioned in 1077. It recounts the story of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 (58 remarkable scenes).
Mont St Michel - from a distance it looked like something out of Disney meets the Da Vinci Code. A salvo of spires rising out of a barnacle of rock washed up on a huge expanse of galloping sand, where its skirts are swilled by the tide. Except, the spires pre-date anything Disney ever did by 1,000 yrs and have stood up to centuries of storms.
This was to be a highlight on this excursion - I approached this mysterious looking isolated monastery with much excitement and wasn't disappointed.
Within the walls we wound our way through a medieval village of beamed and gabled inns, restaurants and souvenior shops, emerging eventually at the entrance of the abbey itself. Here we explored the various elements of the complex (barbican, fort, crypt, chapel, cellars, great hall), all built around the constraints imposed by the rock on which it was erected.
After dinner we ventured out onto the causeway to see Mont St Michel in all it's splendour. It was lit up from skirt to spire like a Gothic rocket looking like it was making a vain attempt to get to heaven - amazing - thoughts of Archangel Michael.
Truly a day to remember!
