Normandy

When we first moved to Germany, my husband said his #1 place to visit was Normandy. I had to jump on planning way ahead of time because we wanted to go during the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. I was able to find an AMAZING B&B called Le Moulin de Taillebosq in Audrieu. Our hosts, Brigitte and Andre were so sweet and welcomed us like family. Their property is beautiful and Rand enjoyed seeing all their animals. 

Rand enjoying some fresh croissants for breakfast

Because we were in Normandy for about a week, we were able to see a lot but honestly, a week wasn't enough time to really see everything. Normandy is full of historical sites and museums and Rob (my history buff husband) really wishes we were able to stay longer. Here are some of my favorite pics from this week and a quick overview of where we went.

Our first stop was Point du Hoc. While walking out to Point du Hoc, we got to meet some of 

the Vets from D-Day and their families. 

This cliff top is between Utah and Omaha beaches.  There were six casemates that housed a battery of captured French canon.  After several bombardments by air and naval guns, the US Army Rangers climbed an 100 meter high cliff and fought to make sure that the casemates could not be used to house weapons that might threaten the landings at Utah and Omaha beaches.  It is amazing to see the bomb craters that still remain as well as the Ranger memorial.
RLTW!

 Sainte-Mère-Église
You definitely need to spend some time in Sainte-Mère-Église while visiting Normandy. Below is a picture of Sainte-Mere-Eglise Church and outside of course, there is something which catches the eye of many visitors - an effigy of the paratrooper john Steele whose parachute got caught up on one of the church pinnacles during the D-Day landings in 1944.  You also should check out the Airborne Museum while here. 

 Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

When you visit, make sure to save plenty of time for the visitor center exhibits. We were unable to go inside because of the other events going on. We wish we could of came back to visit on another day.

Omaha Beach

 at Grandcamp Maisy
Grandcamp Maisy is an adorable seaside village. It has a great fish market in the morning and also a great little Ranger Museum. Our friends rented a house in this village so we got to spend a lot of time in this area.

Bayeux

This is a darling little city with lots of beautiful buildings but be sure to check out the Bayeux Tapestry as well. 

 Pegasus Bridge
The Pegasus Bridge has a wonderful museum you need to check out.

Utah Beach

You will need to take a stop at the Utah Beach Landing museum in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. We were unable to go because it was closed.