If he was a little smaller, I could get him stuffed and mounted in a clock! I'm getting used to it now though and this morning, after a quick visit to the loo, I got back into bed for a few minutes more, much to Grizzly's chagrin.
Eventually though, I was up watered and fed along with my Irish chum and we set wheels in motion for the brief ride up to the British Cemetery. Parking up in the car park of the Museum of the Battle of Normandy, we took some photos of the tanks and then walked up the road to the cemetery. This is the largest Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France. Over 4600 graves, including 466 German soldiers. The gardeners were out mowing the grass, even at this early time. More photos, one or two with Dudley's bandana and we were back on the road.
We parked up and took a walk down onto the wide expanse of beach. It's easy to see how the advancing soldiers were cut down so easily by the German machine guns on that day in June 1944. It's equally difficult to understand how the blazes they made it off there but make it off they did and the rest is history. We took photos of the various memorials before Grizzly got the scent of stickers once more, at the close by café/souvenir shop.
Purchase made, we were back on the bike. heading for Pont du Hoc.
The sun was well and truly up now and we were roasting, as we parked the bikes up. I'd hardly turned my back for a split second, when Grizzly was 'in conversation' with a couple of French ladies, probably both of whom had been alive during the war! He's an old dog ;-) They were keen to know where he was from and what make his bike was, thinking, I believe, it was a Harley. I don't think they or he understood what the other was saying really but the message was never the less conveyed and they went off happy.
Eventually though, I was up watered and fed along with my Irish chum and we set wheels in motion for the brief ride up to the British Cemetery. Parking up in the car park of the Museum of the Battle of Normandy, we took some photos of the tanks and then walked up the road to the cemetery. This is the largest Second World War cemetery of Commonwealth soldiers in France. Over 4600 graves, including 466 German soldiers. The gardeners were out mowing the grass, even at this early time. More photos, one or two with Dudley's bandana and we were back on the road.
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| Churchill 'Flame Thrower' Tank |
Our first stop, another not originally on the itinerary, was at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. This was the first town liberated by the Americans, as they fought their way off and away from Utah beach. The focal point is the church around which the main road skirts. Around the square are memorabilia stores, museums and about a dozen story boards, telling of events that occurred during the liberation. I don't think Grizzly got any stickers here but the memorabilia shop was selling uniforms, Nazi flags and even machine guns!
A few miles up the road is Utah beach. Lining the road are special memorials to soldiers that lost their lives. For example, A soldier called Jones had a memorial in his name, Jones Road, it read. A nice touch. There are also kilometre markers, starting at the beach, with kilometre 0.
We parked up and took a walk down onto the wide expanse of beach. It's easy to see how the advancing soldiers were cut down so easily by the German machine guns on that day in June 1944. It's equally difficult to understand how the blazes they made it off there but make it off they did and the rest is history. We took photos of the various memorials before Grizzly got the scent of stickers once more, at the close by café/souvenir shop.
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| Utah Beach |
The sun was well and truly up now and we were roasting, as we parked the bikes up. I'd hardly turned my back for a split second, when Grizzly was 'in conversation' with a couple of French ladies, probably both of whom had been alive during the war! He's an old dog ;-) They were keen to know where he was from and what make his bike was, thinking, I believe, it was a Harley. I don't think they or he understood what the other was saying really but the message was never the less conveyed and they went off happy.
Pont du hoc is where the American Rangers scaled sheer cliffs in an attempt to disable the German gun battery at the top. After fierce fighting and many casualties, the determination of the Rangers paid off and they were able to capture the cliff top, only to find no guns. However, moving inland they discovered the guns hidden down a country lane!
Looking over the cliff, I have to say, it doesn't look too steep but them I'm looking down, not trying to scramble up with someone shooting at me! A remarkable story though, as were many during the war and testament to the bravery of our American allies.
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| Looking over the cliff, Pont du Hoc |
Our next stop would be the other American beach, Omaha and the American Cemetery. We didn't do the beach this time, as the cemetery is set back a ways (for the yanks ;-) ) and they reckon about a 30 minute round trip. It's not the shallow beach that Utah was. Here the dunes rise quite steeply off it and must have afforded the Germans a superb vantage point and site for their machine guns. Once again, it is difficult to comprehend how the Marines got off the bloody place.
Turning away from the sea, there is a sea of a different kind, that of thousands upon thousands of white stone crosses. Take up any point within this place and you will look along line upon line of crosses. Straight in front of you, at right angles, diagonally. Nobody but nobody could fail to be moved by this sight. Walking away from the main memorial, you come to another building, beyond which, stretch more and more crosses. There are, I believe, just short of 9,400 crosses, though it looks more when you are on the ground amongst them.
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| The American Cemetery, Omaha Beach |
Having taken our photos, it was time to find some lunch. Grizzly had spotted a small supermarket a couple of kilometres back down the road. We rode back and bought ourselves a sarnie and drink, which we sat outside and ate.
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