I’m writing this from our hotel room after a long day of walks and talks. Sorry for the hiatus after the Dover post, but we arrived late (around 10:30 local time I think) and I couldn’t get connected to the hotel WiFi. On top of that my phone battery was flat (which I could have used as an alternative connection).

The ferry and journey down here were relatively uneventful. We had a meal on the ferry, a curry, and the sea was virtually flat calm so no problems keeping it down….

Leaving the white cliffs behind

Barrie missing home already…..

Phil on the Ferry

We have a 42 seater coach with only a couple of seats spare and a mix of ages from 20’s to ?70’s – with around half-a-dozen women. There are several Americans, but I think everyone else is British. We had a stop at a rather nice services (Baie de Somme) on the way and watched a DVD (about D-Day of course) to while away the time until we got here. Anyway after some sorting out we got to bed around midnight local time, though we did manage to see some of the Germany – Algeria World Cup football match, but not the end. After a reasonable nights sleep I was up at 6:35 and Barrie at 6:45 as we had been warned to be ready to go at 8:30 sharp.

Day 1

So off we set firstly for ‘Sword’ Beach one of the British invasion beaches located at  Colleville-

Montgomery,

Being lectured by statue of Field Marshall Montgomery

and walked along the beach (the promenade actually). We then went on to the nearby War Cemetery, before taking the coach to a strongpoint away from the coast called ‘Hillman’ with underground bunkers that Barrie enjoyed.

We’d called in at a supermarket on the way to pick up food for lunch – Barrie bought a baguette, tomato, ham and cheese and made a large sandwich! I was more restrained and bought some ‘pain au lait’ and some sliced sausage of some sort, plus a banana and some chocolate biscuits.

So we enjoyed a picnic at the Hillman bunkers, outside, then back on the coach to ‘Juno’ beach, where the Canadians came ashore – at Berniere-sur-Mer, to east of the ‘Sword’ beach. Again, we had talks and strolled along the promenade looking at various bits before catching the coach to visit a Chateau a bit inland which had been the site of some fighting.
We finished off the day at the Canadian cemetery – much bigger than the first one, and like the other, very well kept and moving.

Then back to the hotel, arriving around 6:30. After sorting out and a quick wash, to the nearby Chinese restaurant (just across the road)which runs a ‘buffet’ for one price so no studying the menu for ages, just decide what drinks (I had a ‘Tsingtao’ Chinese beer) very nice it was too.

Anyway, this blog has no pictures as originally posted, although I’ve transferred all 146 I’ve taken onto my tablet, I haven’t had time to sort them out to put in the blog – but I’ll post this (with all the typos as the spellchecker isn’t working)

just to give you something to read.

Photos added later and typos mostly corrected

Apologies again are due  – we were relatively late back and after our meal, transferring my photos to the tablet and having trouble with the wi-fi connection and connecting my keyboard I find it is 10:20pm our time – so not much chance of photos again but I’ll try. Yes, away from the hotel at 8:15 this morning (getting up at 6:35 after being kept awake by some snoring….) we went off to the American cemetary first as it opens at 9 and apparently gets very busy so we were aiming to get there just after it opened – and we got there at 9:10. A big cemetary with rows and rows of white marble crosses, personally I found it a bit soulless after the British cemeteries. The site is above ‘Omaha’ beach, right on the cliff edge and this beach is where most of th American casualties were on D-Day, a real ‘killing field’. While we were there we visited the grave of Theodore Roosevelt (yes a relative of the President) who was a commander on ‘Utah’ beach (he actually died of a heart  attack in July 1944) who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour (=VC).

The American Cemetery

From the cemetery we went down to the beach to appreciate what the American soldiers were faced with, on the way examining a memorial placed on a German bunker complex.

From there we walked about 1km along the beach to another bunker complex and one of the exits (St Laurant) from the beach the Americans used to finally managed to get off the beach after intense fighting during most of the morning of D-Day. From there we  rejoined the bus and travelled a short distance East to Vierville where there was another exit from the beach and more bunkers and one with a large anti-tank gun still in place (too big for Barrie to bring back unfortunately).

Barrie on Omaha Beach

Phil on Omaha Beach

Then we were driven to St. Mere Eglise – the site of a horrific killing of American parachutists who landed in the town by mistake right where there were German soldiers so were shot more or less as they came down. It was a lunch time break, but while everyone else went into the town to get munch, Barrie and I went round the museum there and I bought a ‘T-Shirt’ (well I had to really…) plus some cards

. From there we were bussed to the area where the American airborne troops had been fighting on D-Day, and in particular to La Fiere Bridge where a battle was fought, thence to Couguigly close by where more fighting had occurred. At La Fiere bridge was a B&B run by an American woman who has a sort of museum/shop in the main room of the house. She is a big wheel in the local commemorative organisation (and is married to a French Man),was very friendly, so much so that Barrie was quickly persuaded to buy a T-Shirt and a book.

From Couguigly we walked to ‘Timmes Orchard’, site of another battle, and them to Amfreville, where there was a German field hospital, and then on to an airborne memorial another mile or so further on – about an hours walking all told.

Then we mounted the bus and came back to the hotel, arriving around 6:50pm. After a wash and brush up, we (Barrie and I) set off to find another eating place, which I’d identified from a  web search around 10mins walk from the hotel. We found it and it turned out to be another ‘Oriental’ Buffet restaurant, slightly more pricey but very good. We were able to select meat (in my case seafood items)    and veg and have them stir fried on the spot with a ‘sauce of your choice’ – in this case ‘Sauce Thailand). We had a small carafe of rose between us, and a sweet after we had both had two platefuls of various dishes – only 39Euros between us – and very good it was too! I’ll try and add at least one picture now…..

We had to set off early to get to the US cemetery as soon as it opened at 9:00 as it is the most visited cemetery in Normandy with over 1 million visitors a year – so if you get there later in the morning or beyond it is packed. So up at 8:45, and after the usual breakfast – a bit quicker as we had sorted the system out now – we were off at 8:15. We arrived at the cemetery 9:10, to find is busy with gardeners but just about empty, A large cemetery on the edge of what had been Omaha beach, so views over the water from the cemetery.

Monument – US Cemetery

One grave marker in cemetery

From there on to the beach and various bunker & memorials

Omoaha – monument to ‘Big Red One’ Division – located on strongpoint W62

Omaha Beach general view

Phil on Omaha Beach

Monument on Omaha – Vierville

Bunker with gun! Vierville (Barrie couldn’t get at it)

A Bunker at Vierville on Omaha Beach

After Omaha Beach we went in the coach for lunch in St Mere Eglise – scene of US parachutist landings and ‘massacre’. Barrie and I chose to go round the museum rather than getting lunch.

Barrie and Sherman tank – too big to bring back unfortunately

Waco glider in Airborne museum – used for landing US troops

DC3 aeroplane – used to deploy parachute troops and tow gliders

After St Mere Eglise we drove to La Fiere where there was a significant battle involving US airborne troops

Monument to Airborne Troops near La Fiere bridge

Phil at La Fiere farm – now a B&B

Memorial window – Cauquigny Church

Parachute memorial Amfreville

We left the area at about 17:50 and arrived back at the hotel around 18:55.

Off we went, after wash and such, to find a different restaurant.

End of Day 2

We are both up (7:10am) and ready to go down for breakfast. We aregoing to Gold beach this morning and the Pegasus Bridge this afternoon. Not as much walking today.

Now we go for breakfast….

Had breakfast had to tear Barrie away as was eyeing sey waitress….

It’s going to be a hot day not a cloud in the sky.

Not such a hard  day today, though the sun beating down did make it very hot by the afternoon.

We arrived at  Asnelles on ‘Gold’ beach then walked along the prom to one of the German strong point then along the beach to one of the exit points. We took the bus a short distance along to the East to another section of Gold beach, where the Green Howards landed and sa few minutes on the beach before going off to Mont Fleury bunkers inland, where the Green Howard who gained the only VC of D -Day was involved in the fighting. Then to the Green Howard memorial close by. From there we drove to Arromanches for lunch, arriving around 12:50

Barrie and I just bought a filled baguette from a cake/bread shop and ate by the seafront. Then we headed off to the Museum, where we watched a film about the Mulberry harbour and looked at interesting stuff – really and where Barrie bought a T-shirt! I might say I was wearing my purchase of yesterday so you can see it was worth it…

Barrie and baguette on Arromanches sea front

We left Arromanches at around 14:40, passed by the hotel to drop of those who hadn’t chosen to go on the optional trip to the Pegasus Bridge, and then to the bridge arriving around 15:30.

Here we were able to see the new bridge, and the markers showing where the gliders landed for the assault on the bridge, then to the museum where we saw a film about the airborne landings – introduced by Prince Charles no less (not in person). Then the Director of the museum gave our group an exclusive tour round theoutside exhibits – the original bridge (as featured in the ‘Longest Day’, a replica glider and a Bailey bridge – very good he was too.

Then we had time to go round the museum, and as I went to the counter of the shop with a fridge magnet to buy, there was Barrie buying anther T-shirt!!

Pegasus bridge and German gun

We then crossed the bridge, walked along the Caen Canal towpath and into Beneville where there is a churchyard with some graves related to the battles around the bridge. Then back to the hotel arriving 18:45.

After a bit of washing and showering we set off for the ‘Oriental Buffet’ we went to last night, and found 2 others from the trip there. We had a carafe of wine again and some stir-fry etc. as before, and it was very good.

Now Barrie is packing and talking to himself a lot – we have to be up at 6am tomorrow as we are leaving at 7:30, so not much chance to add many pictures but I’ll try before finishing off.

See you all soon!

Off to the British landing area of Gold Beach – where the Green Howards (my fathers regiment – though he was a POW at the time) landed amongst others. Started at Asnelles.

Another Bunker! – Asnelles, Gold Beach

Our Group at Asnelles

Remaining Bits of Mulberry Harbour – Asnelles

House that Survived – Gold Beach, Asnelles

Map of Gold Beach

And another bunker – E Asnelles – see pics following for description

Descriptive Plaque

Memorial to Essex Yeomanry

CSM Hollis of the Green Howards gained the only VC of D-Day – the picture below is of one of the locations where CSM Hollis was in action:

Part of Mont Fleury Bunker Complex

Memorial to CSM Hollis, Mont Fleury

Memorial Plaque for Green Howards & CSM Stanley Hollis

Next we went to Arromanches, back on the coast – here’s Barrie on the coach:

Barrie on Coach

Arromanches

Phil with baguette sandwich – Arromanches seafront

Barrie also with baguette sandwich, Arromanches seafront

Arromanches beach

German ‘Eighty-eight’ (see bunker earlier)

Barrie & British ’25 pounder’ gun – trying to see if it would fit in his suitcase

Arromanches – main drag

After our lunch in Arromanches – and some time in the museum – we went to ‘Pegasus Bridge’ – site of the very first landings on French soil by Allied soldiers just after midnight – members of 6th Airborne Division landing by glider to capture the bridge.

Pegasus Memorial

Marker & memorial for site of first glider landing site – close to the bridge

Horsa Glider as used in landings

The original Pegasus Bridge – now in the nearby museum

After this we walked along the canal to view a set of graves in a nearby church graveyard before taking the coach back to the hotel. Then off we went to the ‘Oriental Buffet’

A long tiring and delayed journey back home for both of us. We got up in plenty of time (5:45), joined the breakfast rush, huge queue for the coffee machine (the guides, who have clearly been through all this before, came down for breakfast at the last minute and breezed through as everyone had finished by then!) The usual mix of cereal, croissants, coffee, fruit and yoghurt.

Back in the room we checked under the bed, under the pillows (vital) – we’d had to put the cases outside the room before 6:30 to be collected and put in the coach. Despite all of this, Barrie had to sprint back to the room after we had got on the coach to collect his toothbrush and toothpaste (irreplaceable apparently?).

Off we went with a stop at Baie de Somme services (as we had on the way there) where I picked up some gifts for Zeny. Slightly rainy at that point, the first rain since a few drops on Tuesday morning.

So we arrived at ‘All4trucks’ near Calais, which despite the name seemed to be full of Leger holiday coaches and customers. here the cases were sorted out and loaded into the ‘feeder’ coaches ready for the journey home. We all waited in large rooms with a coffee bar and lined with seats until a woman with a megaphone announced our coach number – Barrie went first, mine was called about 10mins later. I gather though that Barrie’s coach didn’t actually leave until ours as they were a passenger missing…

Barrie and coaches while waiting to board ferry at Calais Port

From there a few minutes drive to Calais port, where we had to go through passport control – took a while as we joined a long queue of coaches waiting and gradually edged up to the portakabin. Once we got there everyone had to troop off the coach, through the passport check, and back on again. Then we were  through to the ferry boarding queue, joining lots of other coaches, only to find out that there was a serious delay caused by the ferry due to leave before ours being unable to open its bow doors, which meant it had to sail out and turn round to use the other doors.

Eventually we got onto the ferry at round 2pm (UK time), where I didn’t see Barrie – the boat was infested with schoolchildren and both of us just found somewhere to sit, have a drink (and in my case eat my packed lunch collected at ‘All4trucks, a nice cheese baguette and a cookie) instead of searching round for each other. Off the ferry at around 3:25, and we started a long stop-start drive up the M1, just going from one slow queue to another. Barrie seems to have had more problems going west-about on the M25, and on the M40.

Arrive Castle Donnington at about 10 past 8, transfer along with 6 others into a 9 seat taxi. Drop 3 off on way to Nottingham, and the rest of us outside Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, where I rang Zeny who arrived to pick me up around 15mins later. So home in time to watch the football match (sorry Barrie).

The end of an action packed and fairly tiring but enjoyable week.