Were you aware, when you walked to the beach that first night, you passed the house used in the film "The Longest Day" where the german brings coffe to the troops on horseback. You can see it in the aerial shot.
So wonderful that your Father went along -- it would be very meaningful for him. He can actually see & feel the historic beach & places of D- Day. Thank you for this video -- we are planning to visit in June. Very interesting & helpful. Best wishes to your Dad.❤
I was in Normandy at Omaha Beach the day after D-Day, 6/7/2022. Being on Omaha beach was an incredibly emotional experience for me. I was in no way prepared for my reaction just feeling the weight of history of what happened there in 1944. The sacrifices those men made in the face of incredible odds. Even now, just thinking about it I am moved to tears. On a lighter note, even the day after the 2022 D-Day celebration there were tons of people driving around in WWII vehicles. It was quite incredible to see. There were so many it almost could seem like it was 1944 again. One incredible thing I learned was that there were actually people living in houses by the sea when the invasion occurred. I had no idea that was the case. In fact there is one house still standing that was there on 6/7/1944. What the owner must have thought when he woke up that morning and looked to the sea.
That's a really cool story. We felt the weight of the place when we were there too, I can only image what it would have been like to see if so close to the anniversary of D-Day with all of those vehicles around. It was a really memorable experience for us. Normandy was the highlight of our two week trip for sure
I was there shortly after you by about 2 weeks. An amazing place to contemplate. I only had four days but could have spend four weeks and still want more. I had the chance to speak with the daughter of Michel de Vallavieille right outside her home - Brecourt Manor. St Marie du Mont is so interesting. Church at Angoville au Plain is a must.
So happy that your channel came across my feed! We are roughing in a trip to Germany next summer and wanted to spend some time in the Normandy area beforehand. It is serendipitous how close your trip matches our ideas. On our last trip to Germany, we spent a day in Bastogne/Foy. Ironically, we arrived two days before the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. It was eerie spending time in the forest in December, with a light snowfall... IF you get back to the region (and if you like WWII history), consider making your way to Bitche, France and spend a good amount of time touring Fort Simserhof. It is a massive installation that was occupied by the Germans for the majority of the war. Looking over your channel, there are several trips that overlaps with our travels - I am excited to see your take on those trips!
Planing our Normandy tour for March 2024 will leave Orly Airport, rent a car and drive to Chartres Cathedral then on to LeMans Cathedral then stop the night at Rennes, next day Rennes Cathedral ,and on to Mont St Michel stay the night 🌙 on the island then onto Coutances Cathedral, onto Omaha Beach, onto Bayeux Cathedral, onto Versailles 😊 then 4 days in Paris :) Thanks for the video ❤
Happy birthday Dad 🍰69 is the new 30 or so they say......it`s just a number! I do love people that goes all the way to live a part of their dreams. I did this "tour" in 1986 with my dad & grandad and they wanted me to learn & see. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
planning our return visit to Normandy after 22 years (honey moon).. now with teen age kids and lots of different perspective of the history of the place. Your video is very helpful.
For those who do not know, both Pointe du Hoc and the cemetery overlooking Omaha are considered U.S. soil; deeded by the French. Hell, it was the least they could do!!
I instantly recognised that little beach you went to on your first evening. It's the beach at Saint-Honorine-des Pertes. There's no memorials or signage down there, but two things to know about it... 1) It's where the US forces brought ashore a lot of their fuel. On 9 June 1944 US engineers installed two floating six-inch pipes called ‘Tombolas’ which extended a kilometre from the beach out to sea where they were each attached to a buoy. Medium-sized tankers could plug into these pipes and offload their precious cargo. Onshore, the fuel pipeline ran inland for almost four kilometres to fuel tanks at Le Mont Cauvin. The system became operational on 16 June 1944 and remained operational until 10 October 1944 when the Allies reached Antwerp. 2) They filmed a couple of scenes for 'The Longest Day' movie here. The easternmost house at the side of the gully, nearest the beach (looking quite smart these days and with a garage extension), was the house of the enthusiastic Frenchman who watched the German soldier (Gerte Frobe) on his horse delivering milk to the gunners each day, and then joyfully waved his flag from his window when the Allied ships opened fire. #justFYI
My dad is like a walking history book, so he was telling us about every little place we went! We randomly came upon the house from The Longest Day, it was cool!
We just returned from Germany & Austria. Since I was in the 101st Airborne we decided to go see the Eagle's Nest and Berchensgaden which is kind of the last chapter in the WW2 story. I hope to visit Normandy in the next year or so and your video was very helpful.
You went to the American Cemetery and all the American beaches but when in Bayeux couldn't be bothered to pay your respects to the dead. and visit the largest British and Commonwealth war ce.metery in Normandy which is literally just on the outskirts of the city and well signposted. More interested in posting a video on what burger you had eaten!
Number one rule is you don't talk on the beach or in the cemetery. Just like at Dachau, Auschwitz or any other camp including ones on US soil like Andersonville. You don't talk in the Holocaust Museum in DC
