France 2025 - Day 3

 Day three started out with a search for breakfast. We stopped in a patisserie and had coffee, bread and croissants. They had some really beautiful pastries and tarts on display.

We did not buy these, but we wanted to.

After breakfast we ran over to the grocery store to buy some stuff for lunch. We have always found the "Mexican section" on our trips because when the boys were little sometimes the only thing we could get them to eat was bean burritos. Happily that was not the case on this trip as the section in question was not very impressive.

Not a lot of options here. We did not buy any of this.

With grocery shopping out of the way we were off to Omaha beach and it's various attractions. First stop was the American Cemetery. Since it was Memorial Day there was heavy security for the military ceremony that was going on.

The reflecting pool looking out towards the beach.

Looking down towards part of the beach from the path to the cemetery.

The gravestone for Teddy Roosevelt Jr. The son of the Rough Rider. He as a general at D-day and died of a heart attack after heroic day getting his troops off the beach. His grave stone is different (gold) because he won the medal of honor.

The grave stone of Quentin Roosevelt, Teddy Junior's brother, who was killed as a pilot in WW I. They moved him here to be by his brother.

As is true in every American military cemetery, the precision of the lines of head stones, in every direction is breathtaking.

The interior of the chapel at the center of the cemetery.

The painted ceiling.

The American flag flying over the rows of grave stones.

This visit was very moving. The care taken with the dead of the campaign. The fact that so many families chose to leave their loved ones here, in France where they died, rather than bring them home; and the sheer scale of the grave stones all combine to make this a very special place to visit.

Our next stop was Omaha beach itself. There's not a lot to see here, the sculpture and monument to the Big Red One stand out but otherwise it's a beach in France.

The sculpture at the center of the beach.

The 1st Division shoulder patch is in the center of the monument.

We drove all the way down the beach to the last (Western) draw. The bluffs are very prominent but now covered with homes.

We drove up onto the bluffs, out of the draw and towards Pointe du Hoc, where the Rangers scaled the cliffs to take out an artillery battery. On the way we stopped at a Calvados distiller and had a tasting, and bought a couple of bottles, which we ended up drinking on the terrace of our hotel in Paris.

Pointe du Hoc was very impressive. There are a lot of bunkers still intact and you can go into many of them. There are also HUGE craters from a bombing raid on the battery prior to D-Day. It turns out that raid prompted the Germans to move the guns inland. Once the Rangers got to the top, they had to fight their way half a mile further into the countryside to find and destroy the guns they'd been sent for. They did it though.

The signage at the entrance to the museum.

A machine gun bunker, displaced by the crater you can see behind it.

This bunker was fenced off but we were able to go into others. You can see the massive construction of these fortifications.

Some of the guns were in these large rings to allow them to fire in all directions. It's pretty clear why a massive bombing raid might make you want to put your gun somewhere else.

Ammo storage and rubble.

Even after 80 years of erosion, these craters are massive.

This was all flat ground before the Army Air Forces came to visit.

There were two of these gun bunkers. They obviously provided more protection but less field of fire.

The Ranger Memorial in the background.

Owyn descending into one of the bunkers. These were really cool.

A memorial inside the bunker to the Rangers who died taking this position.

Part of the view out of the observation station in the bunker.

The wooden boards of the roof still showing the char from the fires started when this bunker was taken.

This is the outside of the observation bunker.

Leaving the bunker you can see just how big this site is. The trees at the very back of the photo are the outer edge of the position.

After leaving Pointe du Hoc we headed back to Bayeux and walked around. We visited the Bayeux tapestry museum, which we were not allowed to take pictures of.

A model of a Norman cavalryman like the ones who fought at the battle of Hastings.

A wall hanging for sale in the museum shop.

Seeing the tapestry, hearing the explanation and details of each section (they have an audio tour which both informs you and moves you through the exhibit in a set amount of time) was an amazing experience. This is well worth the trip to Bayeux, even if you don't stay there or see anything else.

We were going to try a Chinese restaurant for dinner, since our host had highly recommended it. We had to wait until 1800 for it to open so we wandered around the cathedral, looked at some Roman ruins and tried a French beignet (not nearly as good as a New Orleans one).

Owyn walking into the grounds of the cathedral.

Some parts looked exactly as they did when the building was built. Some of the glass though has clearly been replaced. It was a nice effect.

A monument to the British 50th Northumbrian Division, who liberated Bayeux, the first French city to be freed by the invasion. 

The stone work over the side door to the cathedral.

Dinner was mixed. It was different from Chinese food we would get in the U.S. which is what we hoped for. Owyn and I both liked what we got but Dad's was just terrible and he was quite put out at the whole thing. There was a nice medieval house outside the restaurant though. 

It didn't make up for Dad's dinner but it was still cool.

This was our last night in Bayeux. Day four saw us pack up, visit Utah Beach, the reason for the whole trip, and stay in the town of Grandcamp sur-Maisey.