Another early start today we are going to do the English parts of the D day landings the beaches to the east of Utah and Omaha. We had to meet up outside the hotel as a market had been built on the car park where the coach would normally park. It gave us an opportunity to forage for some food for lunch. I went with John up to a boulangerie we grabbed 2 cheese sandwiches, but I went for a baguette and then went into the market for some flat Peaches and a small Camembert which was washed in Calvados.
Unfortunately the weather was rather inclement we expected rain until lunchtime ish. We had quite a few targets for the day and our first mission was the Pegasus bridge at Ranville but first we were going to visit a British Cemetery which a couple on the bus had a connection with, I believe a close relative was buried there. It started to rain when we got there we had a look at the cemetery and then at the church cemetery nearby which had some English graves. By the time we got back on the coach it was absolutely pissing it down with rain, the poncho came in handy.
The Pegasus bridge museum is well worth a visit with plenty of artefacts relating to the capture of the famous bridge. It really was chucking it down during our visit sort the museum visit was good timing. After a 15 minute stroll in the museum a film was arranged for us which was introduced by Prince Charles himself ( not in person of course). After that there was an opportunity to walk outside and see the bridge it self had been moved to the museum after being replaced back in the 1993. The museum purchased the bridge for 1 franc but never paid it over but it did cost half a million Euros to have it move from where it was to museum around 2001.
We boarded the Coach and went to Ouistreham where we went to a monument where there is a view of the sword beach. The British paratroopers landed on Sword Street it’s fairly flat and pictures. They landed an hour later than the Americans because of restrictions due to the tide times. Another stop another walk on a Rainy beach this time to look at the few more memorials. Back of the coach I had half my burger and a quarter of the Camembert which had slight taste of Calvados.
Bernniers sur mer was the next up where they were monuments to allied troops. The locals were out on the village football pitch showing off vintage tractors which they use around here to pull boats in and out of the water on the beach. The locals had very broad Normandy accents. On the way to Arromanches we stopped off to watch a a 360 film at another monument on a rise just outside the town. The place was heaving with children, waiting to see the film too. There was a count down clock on the viewing hall entrance we had s 20 minute wait but at about 9 minutes the doors opened and everyone rushed in only to realise the clock was the country down to the start of the film! The film was good but slightly bias, possibly unintentionally due to the fact they used the US Archive. We were rushed onto the bus to go to Arromanches.
The war cemetery at Bayeau was next, the Nick the guide showed us a couple of interesting individual graves, one who got a VC then a couple connected where a whole Lancaster crew were remembered. I am not sure what the stones are made of but they are very smooth and tactile to the touch. Once again we were late getting back to the bus ( I wasn’t) I had a chat with Sammy the drive he was a bit wound up and about to conduct a mutiny. He said he would take control of timings for the rest of the day.
Bayeau was heaving with medieval stuff, stalls all over the place selling weapons, honey, traditional food, and leather goods. Performers were entertaining and street entertainers were performing in the streets. There was a medieval festival weekend. They had had to put straw down because of the rain we had in the morning. Sammy’s plan did not work because the usual crew were late for the bus, he was not impressed and neither were we.
It took less than half an hour to get back to the hotel, when we arrived Sammy took control of things and made it clear that tomorrow morning it was a 07:30 start. He even offered to carry people suitcases down from their rooms if they couldn’t manage them. We agreed to meet up at 19:30 for some dinner.
We wandered up to the old town and chose an Italian. I had knocci with squid and octopus which was great, Helen had a pizza and John had pasta Neptune. Back at the hotel a medical student brass band was entertaining the neighbourhood, we listened for a while then went to the hotel bar for a glass of wine and then to bed. Another long day.