left at 6:30 this morning for a day trip to see the d day beaches of normandy. was great to get out of the city and see some greenery. learned a tonne about the history of the area, including the fact that is was settled by norsemen in the third century who also held power in england. william the conqueror was actually a norseman and stayed in france, claiming it as english territory for years, was actually buried here. french king for many years only held title to the isle de france , esentially paris. seems our canadian battles for territory have similar patterns. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX stone cottages on the hillsides were breathtaking. incredibly still standing, moss between the cracks of oddly sized stones. so well maintained. that they have been here for hundreds of years is incredible, canada is such a young country and we have such a history of demolishing to recreate that you simply dont have anything like it as a visual frame of reference. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX as though it were some act of pathetic fallacy, it rained once again all day and the temperature did not go above fifteen degrees. guess fate wanted to give us the virtual experience the soldiers faced descending on the beaches from cold ocean waters.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx as a proud canadian, i was somewhat disappointed by the fact that juno beach didnt warrant a stop on the tour.we drove by the beach and saw it from the bus (though barely, i got enlarged shots of raindrops and passengers reflections!) and i clicked just in time to get a pic of the monument erected to the canadian soldiers. not quite the grandaughter calling to her grandad moment whilst standing at the face of a cliff i had imagined but alas i paid my own respects in my own way as we went along. strange to see the beaches now. they are positively gorgeous. golden sand, lush shorelines dotted with modern cottages and opportunities to rent bikes, play tennis or have a meal. this is where the wealthy have their summer homes,and rightly so...but... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX stopped in a town called arromanches. was the sight of one of the impromptu ports that churchill planned and designed. they literally assembled pathways and transport strips from sections that were brought by separate barges. this enabled them to drive tanks, jeeps and supplies from sea to shore more efficiently. there are remnants of the structure still standing in the harbour. huge, moss covered carcasses that speak to what must have been an overwhelming physical presence at the time. the photos of the port in action are unbelievable, an incredible feat of engineering and logistics. their monstrous presence really counterbalanced the tone of the quaint seaside town, unlike omaha beach, once referred to as bloody beach because of the 9000 americans that lost their lives there, that now has no physical reminder of all that happened there. it is sumptuous uncluttered and literally velvet to the touch. had to really work hard to imagine the scene from saving private ryan where they were all climbing over corpses to make it through. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX really hoping to connect emotionally, i hit the sweet spot, so to speak, when we went to the tops of the cliffs between omaha and utah beaches, a place called pointe du hoc. here, the remnants of pillboxes and batteries (name for place where canons overlooking sea were), blasted apart by bombs from above and grenades from footsoldiers, were open for inspection. you could see the stairs leading to the holding cells, could climb into foxholes and any number of massive bunkers that litter the area. it was a major german stronghold thought to be impenetrable. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX looking into these bunkers and recalling the photos of the throngs of men who squatted there, your heart sinks. they are sitting ducks if approached from above and easy pickings for a sniper who crawled over the edge on his belly. they were so deep i could not get my head around how they could be anything but a death trap.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX seeing the dense stone and metal blown to bits made things visceral. imagine the impact on flesh...the irony that a place with such a gorgeous panoramic view should be the sight of so much death...there were stories everywhere. i can understand how filmmakers and novelists could make their lifes work on the subject. the incredible bravery and determination required to pull off such a bold attack, in stormy weather, surrounded by hordes of fallen camarades within minutes of arrival... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX i was particularly moved by the stories of those who parachuted or flew gliders in to capture two key bridges in the area (pegasus bridge was one of them) and by the group of soldiers who scaled the cliffs at pointe du hoc. apparently they miscalculated, landed 3km down the beach from their target area and arrived 40min late, taking away the element of surprise in their attack. as they climbed up the cliff face, they were shot at and their rope ladders cut down. with each soldier down a new one took his place and the effort continued, ropes replaced with metal ladders until they finally reached the top. once there they saw movement in the bushes from a canon that was going to fire on the beach below. the men threw grenades and killed the men, preventing the attack, unprepared, a group of 100 germans were captured over the next few weeks. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX pretty incredible. am sure have got parts of it wrong and am sure its losing something in the translation but it makes you marvel at one persons ability to put an ideal and another mans freedom ahead of his own. humans are incredible creatures. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX american cemetary of 9000 or so crosses was stunning. all marble. about 6000 i believe have names. the sheer number is staggering. tried to read as many names as i could as a means of acknowleding them. many unknown soldiers there...it had to have been someones job to drag, tag and lay them to rest. so much blood on so many quiet hands. always wonder about the ones who do the cleaning up. the ones who must have had to travel to the shoreline at low tide every day to collect the debris. these too are brave acts, ones that stain the mind as deeply. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX glad i did it. a glutton for all things melancholy i was at first somewhat disappointed that the artifacts were behind glass and not always visible. the more i learned about the area itself i realized that over the centuries, blood has tainted soil and shores of most areas at one time or another and life continued over and around it. needed to remember that they died to give the life that thrives around their fallen bodies. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX am anxious to read the book suite francaise that i bought before coming about living in paris during the occupation. heard a little bit about it today on the tour. nazi flag hanging in the arc de triomphe, nazi army marcing along the champs elysee every morning...the idea! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX am tired, now go, run, read and explore more now that i have piqued your interest!share your own comments if you have more to add.