Today was a very sobering day. After driving @ 1.5 hours from Mont St. Michel to Bayeux and the Normandy coastline, we spent the remainder of the day and most of the evening hours exploring the D-Day beaches and museums. Although I had learned about the D-Day landings in my high school history class (I know, that was forever ago!) and had even seen Saving Private Ryan and other WWII movies, none of the above really prepared me for the impact of actually being on Omaha Beach. From the beach vantage point, looking up at the cliffs where the Germans had their bunkers and guns positioned, it was amazing there were any American survivors on that June day in 1944.The beach today is very quiet and peaceful, with families playing in the sand and surf and men and women of all ages sunbathing. It's such a stark contrast to the bloodshed and violence that occurred on this same beach 66 years ago.
We were able to tour the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, an impressive tribute to the American men and women who died in service to their country. The visitor's center was OUTSTANDING. I was on the verge of tears the entire time we were there and it made me so proud of the American men and women who risked their lives during that war and those who continue to risk their lives today in Iraq and Afghanistan. What I don't understand is why, as a species, we don't seem to learn from the past.
All in all, it was a very thought-provoking day and certainly quite different from the previous two weeks of vacation. We ended our evening appropriately with dinner at a beachfront restaurant overlooking Omaha Beach.
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