 |
| Omaha Beach |
Finally, the sun came out, and it
turned into a very nice day. We headed to the coast and the beaches made famous
by the D-Day Landings on June 6, 1944. It was a great drive through the country
and along the coast. I kept thinking about what it must have been like 74 years
ago for the people living in these old farm houses and little villages, and for
the tens of thousands of soldiers as they made their way across this farm land.
History comes to life.
 |
| These country houses would have seen a lot of action during D-Day |
 |
| Temporary wharves used for the landings. |
 |
| Omaha Beach |
 |
| Lots of war museums along the coastal road. |
 |
| The photo shows the destruction of this church, now it is beautifully restored. |
We were able stop at Omaha Beach
and I went for a walk down on the sands. Such a huge flat beach, and can well
understand why it was chosen for the landings. We continued along the coastal
route which is lined with museums and stores selling memorabilia. And just so
many vehicles winding through the narrow streets. Guess being a Sunday made it
even busier. Decided that it was time for the kiwis to leave the beaches for
the tourists and head around Bayeux, and a late lunch stop at Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Had read about some nice Aires on
the Seine River which seemed like a good spot after the busy coast. We have set
Jilly up to not take us on toll routes and in hindsight this was one day when
perhaps we should have paid our money instead of following the rather “interesting”
route Jilly set up. We seemed to criss-cross all over the place and the roads
were very, very busy. It was five o’clock when we finally arrived at La
Mailleraye-sur-Seine, a small but rather nice village with the grassy Aire
positioned right beside the river. Found a prime spot on a bend in the river
where quite a number of boats pass by each day. A perfect place to chill for a
few days. The river is still quite tidal here with quite a rise and fall in the
levels, and the boats seem to work with the tides, guessing it is too shallow
at low tide.
Soon realised we had parked
between two English vans and we joined them for the evening sitting outside on
a perfect warm night. You realise when you haven’t had a conversation with
anyone speaking English for some time, how good it is to chat. It turned into
quite a party!!!
 |
| A perfect evening on the Seine. |
Comments