We slept like babies. The songs of the frogs and nightbirds soothed us through the night, along with the cool breeze wafting through the large open window. Best night's sleep for me in many weeks.

We rose, showered in the modern bathroom, dressed and went downstairs for Margaret's planned 8:30am breakfast.

 

Short drive back into the lively/lovely town of Bayeux . Parked the car, made reservations for the bus tour of the D-Day beaches, then we spent some time touring the large Cathedral of Notre Dame. We then window-shopped up and down Rue St. Martin, then found nice, shady and delicious La Pergola (quiche for Carol, Croque Monsieur for moi) on Rue St. Jean.

 

 

After lunch we walked to Rue Quebec, near where the Bayeux tapestry is housed, to to wait for the Gold Beach Tour. And this is right where Sophie found us. Sophie was the perfect guide for us (and we had her all to ourselves) - funny, charming, knowledgeable, patient and very informative. Sophie started us out at Arromanches, where the innovative artificial harbor, truly a master feat of engineering wizardry, was constructed off-shore in the days following D-Day (June 6, 1944) to provide a harbor large enough to bring ashore the tons of material and supplies needed to support the Allied forces. We spent some time in the D-Day Museum, and the two films there were quite enlightening. Next, Sophie took us to the German batteries/bunkers at Longues-Sur-Mer, all along the way providing us with information about the events of 60 years ago. From Longues-Sur-Mer we drove to the massive, pristine and emotional U.S. cemetery near Omaha Beach. Then Sophie showed us Omaha Beach itself. Our last stop was Pont du Hoc, where American Rangers scaled a massive cliff over the English Channel to rout the Germans fortified there. Pont du Hoc resembled the moon – the craters from US air strikes and ship artillery are there, to this day, reminders of the horror of that day and testimony to the bravery of those young Rangers, most of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soon in the distance we could make out the spire of le Mont St. Michele on its solitary rock. As we approached, its majestic beauty, set alone in the midst of the bay, became very apparent. The water was at low tide, and we snapped many photos. It is a quasi cathedral/fortress, surrounded by treacherous waters when the tide is high and quicksand when the tide is low. It is dangerous to go wandering around the outside without a guide.

 

The sun was beginning to set at 8:30pm. It was actually light out until 10:00pm which is a novelty to us from Arizona, where it is dark by 8pm.

We had to say goodbye to Snookie and his “papa,” then drove back to Balleroy. Carol took a relaxing soak in the Jacuzzi tub, and we fell into bed after a full, interesting and fun day in Normandy. I fell asleep thinking of all the young soldiers who had made the ultimate sacrifice all those years ago...