Spain, France, England 2025: 8/29/2025 Tour of D Day sites, dinner-Le Florentin

8/29/2025 We are in the main lobby at 8:30 am waiting to be picked up for our tour. I had booked this tour back in June before leaving for this trip. www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com I chose tour A3-US Sector. I had e-mailed the agency about how much walking was involved and got a quick response that the van would take us from site to site so not much walking. Cost of this tour 260.00€/$302.46 for both of us. This is a full day tour. Sites included: La Came German Cemetery, town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise/Airborne Museum, Utah Beach, Pointe de Loc, Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery. Weather is cold and rainy off and on. There are 8 of us for this tour. Our guide/driver is Anne-Sophie Trevet.

Code name for D-Day invasion was Operation Overlord

First stop is La Cambe German Cemetery. Located close to the American landing beach of Omaha. Largest German war cemetery in Normandy and contains the remains of over 21,200 German military personnel. Cemetery is maintained and managed by the voluntary German War Graves Commission. There is a large central area flanked by 2 statues and a large dark cross of basalt lava which marks the resting place of 207 unknown and 89 identified German soldiers. Interred together in a mass grave. Our guide/driver gives an excellent presentation of what we are about to see. We have free time to walk around.

Our guide

The sculpture represents all the German mothers and fathers who lost their sons in WWII here in France

Now we're at Utah Beach. One of the 5 landing areas for the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Beach is now the site of a D-Day museum and part of a memorial and tourism area. Surreal moment to be on this beach where so much action happened all those years ago. Lots of statues/monuments which recognize different groups who were essential during the invasion. Amphibious landings at Utah were undertaken by US Army troops with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided by the US Navy and Coast Guard as well as elements from the British, Dutch, and other Allied navies. The objective was to secure a beached on the Cotentin Peninsula-the location of important port facilities at Cherbourg. The intention was to seal off the Cotentin Peninsula, prevent the Germans from reinforcing Cherbourg, and capture the port as quickly as possible. Very moving. It's very peaceful here shard to imagine all the action that took place here.

Next we get to the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. This town played an important part in the World War II Normandy landings.because of its position in the middle of route N13 which the Germans would have used to counterattack Allied landings on Utah and Omaha beaches. Units of US Airborne 82nd and 101st occupied the town making it one of the first towns liberated in the invasion. A well known incident is explained to us. Paratrooper John Steele's parachute got caught on the tower roof and spire of the town church. He hung there for hours pretending to be dead until the Germans took him prisoner. He later escaped and rejoined his division. This incident was later portrayed in the movie The Longest Day. This is where the Airborne Museum is located. Lots more information is given. We have time to visit the Airborne Museum on our own with some suggestions as to which parts to visit. Luckily the museum had a wheelchair that I used to push Richard around. Hard for me but easier for him as too much walking tires him out. We also find a small cafe to have a bit of lunch. Bar Normandy. We both get tea and split a ham and cheese baguette sandwich. Cost

On our way to Sainte-Mere-Eglise

Statue of Eisenhower

Place where we had lunch

Ham and cheese baguette

John Steele incident is portrayed here

On our way to our next stop

We get to Pointe du Hoc. A promontory with a cliff overlooking the English Channel on the northwestern coast of Normandy. In WWII this was the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts. On D-Day the US Army Provisional Ranger group attacked and captures this after scaling the cliffs. Mission was to destroy the german cannons which were situated here halfway between Omaha and Utah beaches. There's a monument here of a simple granite pylon positioned atop a German concrete bunker with tablets at its base inscribed in French and English. Heavy casualties by the troops scaling the cliffs. The guide recommends that Richard not attempt this as it's windy with uneven/bad paths. He's more than happy to stay behind in the van. Poor guy. He is sick but trying his best. While exploring this area there's a brief downpour. We take shelter in a Nazi bunker!! Because of this bad weather we cut our visit here short.

Inside a Nazi bunker

Richard rallies to walk on Omaha Beach. This is one of the 2 American landing sites for the D-Day invasion. Known for its severe German defenses on the bluffs overlooking the beach. It was the most difficult and bloodiest of the Normandy landing sites. Allied troops eventually secured the beachhead. Faces the English Channel. Alongside Utah Bech Omaha was a key American landing zone designed to link up with British landings further east at Gold Beach. It was nearly a disaster due to extensive German defenses and difficult terrain. Scene of heaviest fighting and highest casualties of D-Day. Units of the US 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions. Features memorials-structure Les Braves. Nearby museums like Musee Memorial d'Omaha Beach and the Overlord Museum.

Last stop is the American Cemetery. Situated in Colleville-sur-Mer. Contains the graves of nearly 9,400 war dead from the Allied liberation of France and nearly 1,600 names on the Walls of the Missing. The visitor center describes the events and significance of the D-Day landings and the ensuing campaign for Normandy. Unfortunately Richard decided to just sit on a bench as he's totally wiped out. I walk around. Witness playing of Taps, lowering the US flag. Very moving end to our tour.

One couple gets dropped off at the train station to head back to Paris. They came to Bayeux just for this tour. We're dropped off next. It's now almost 6:00 pm.

At the reception desk I ask staff to call Fred 'Au to make a reservation. I wanted to go to dinner for pizza at this place but you can't make reservations on line. No one is answering the phone. Hotel gives us name of another place for pizza just in case. We decide to go right away hoping we will be early enough to get a table. Taxi to the restaurant. Cost I have Richard get out to get us a table while I settle the bill with the taxi driver. He comes back saying a lady/hostess?? told him since he doesn't have a reservation we can't be seated or even put on a waiting list and that she was very rude to him. I have our taxi take us to our back up place. Final taxi cost Le Florentin. Dinner. Both of us get Sprite. We ordered the margherita pizza and it was fine. I'll never know if pizza at Fred'Au was better but at least I do know that the service at this place was friendly, not rude. Cost 17.20€/$20.12 Taxi back to our hotel. Cost