Seven Days in Brittany and Normandy
Our long-anticipated week-long trip to Brittany and Normandy took place this past June. This was a trip that had been in various stages of planning for well over a year and it was exciting to finally get under way. This trip would include some of the iconic sights of the two regions, and would include taking part in the 75th Anniversary commemorations of Operation Overlord, better known as D-Day.
There are several schools of thought regarding how to structure a travel itinerary. For this trip, it was decided that a farthest-to-closest approach would work best. What this choice meant was an incredibly long drive out to Saint-Malo. In total, this leg of the trip took over nine hours (when accounting for stoppage time), and we were able to get checked into our AirBnB right on the beach in short order.
Brittany
St-Malo is an awesome French beach town. The historic walled old city dominates the north-facing seawall and was completely rebuilt following World War II--and before anyone else asks, no, Janet and I have not read All the Light We Cannot See, which is set in St-Malo. Like many walled cities throughout Europe, the St-Malo walls are pedestrian friendly and allow you to see the city and the surrounding areas from unique vantage points. Most of the old city is pedestrian only, and while walking one only has to dodge the occasional vehicle. Our boys thoroughly loved being able to play on the beach, and were amazed at the daily changing of the tides. One of the primary draws of St-Malo was the ferry terminal which allowed for a day-trip excursion to the Isle of Jersey, which warranted its own blog entry.
Following our time in St. Malo, we drove about an hour East and visited the Brittany American Cemetery, continuing our unofficial goal of visiting as many as we can. This was one of our favorite cemeteries. The setting was amazing, and the designers achieved their intention to honor our fallen servicemen. From the cemetery, it was a short 35 minute drive back to the coast proper, and to Mont-St-Michel.
Mont-St-Michel is something that we've wanted to visit long before we moved to Europe. The abbey, constructed at the pinnacle of an offshore island, is visible from various points throughout the region and we first sighted it as we drove on the highway to the American Cemetery. Even then, ten-plus miles away from the Mont, you could tell it was a massive structure.
Among the most popular tourist sights in France, there is a massive parking lot and shuttle buses available to take you across the 2 kilometer bridge connecting the Mont to the mainland. Like many other sights, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets ahead of time to streamline your experience. Whenever you go, just expect large crowds, a huge amount of stairs and vertical climbing to reach the Abbey. We opted for the self-guided tour of the Abbey, which granted full access. The French tourism authority has ensured that the signage conveys you through the massive complex.
After getting back to our car, we opted to drive a short distance to the east and the only German military cemetery outside of Germany, housing the remains of thousands of German soldiers were located.
Normandy
After an overnight at the Le Beauvoir hotel just south of the Mont-St-Michel visitor center, we set off for Bayeux, which is your quintessential Norman town. Anchored around the impressive Bayeux cathedral, the town is home to the Bayeux Tapestry, the British Normandy Cemetery as well as one of the many dedicated to the American perspective of the Battle of Normandy that started on D-Day--more on that in a moment. The Tapestry is what drew us to Bayeux, and it was worth the visit. The tapestry stretches 70 meters end to end, and depicts the epic history of the life of William the Conqueror and the invasion of England in 1066. Unlike some of the more popular sites throughout France, we bought entry tickets on-site.
After the tapestry museum, we briefly checked out the cathedral before setting off for the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy. Seeing this museum and any of the D-Day sites is special, seeing them during the 75th Anniversary celebrations is something we'll always remember. The museum was superb, with many infographics, and an amazing array of equipment and vehicles.
From the museum we set off for Point du Hoc, where a fly-by was scheduled to commence. While we loved the celebrations that were taking place, the entire area was packed with people, be they veterans, tourists, re-enactors, or distinguished visitors. We made it to Pointe du Hoc, and the area still shows the scars of the naval bombardment that took place, the entire area is cratered much like Verdun was. Once we were done exploring, we drove back to Vierville-sur-Mer and Camping Omaha Beach to set up camp.
Now in full transparency, while I like the idea of camping, I have yet to successfully execute. The location was amazing, overlooking Omaha Beach, but everything else was an abysmal failure. Insufficiently warm sleeping bags, Janet being pregnant, crowds everywhere due to the anniversary... yeah, not my best example of planning.
Daybreak on 6 June 2019, we awoke, ate breakfast, and then walked down to the beach. As I said above, the location was phenomenal--once we got to the beach, it was time for some powerful emotions. Among all the things we saw and did during this trip, my favorite was explaining to Will how his great-grandfather, my grandpa, served as a Combat Engineer in the 29th Infantry Division, and came ashore as part of the first wave at this very section of beach. The remainder of the trip and well into the rest of the summer, Will was asking more about his great-grandpa.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed playing on the beach, and were treated to a military vehicle parade, we then walked up into Vierville proper to the local museum, grabbed an excellent lunch, then enjoyed the big band music concert taking place in a nearby open field. Late in the day, rain showed up in the overnight forecast, and Janet and I decided to depart the campsite early and head home to Germany.
There is still much for us to see and do in Normandy, so we'll have to see if we can get back to the coast.
Brittany
St-Malo is an awesome French beach town. The historic walled old city dominates the north-facing seawall and was completely rebuilt following World War II--and before anyone else asks, no, Janet and I have not read All the Light We Cannot See, which is set in St-Malo. Like many walled cities throughout Europe, the St-Malo walls are pedestrian friendly and allow you to see the city and the surrounding areas from unique vantage points. Most of the old city is pedestrian only, and while walking one only has to dodge the occasional vehicle. Our boys thoroughly loved being able to play on the beach, and were amazed at the daily changing of the tides. One of the primary draws of St-Malo was the ferry terminal which allowed for a day-trip excursion to the Isle of Jersey, which warranted its own blog entry.
Following our time in St. Malo, we drove about an hour East and visited the Brittany American Cemetery, continuing our unofficial goal of visiting as many as we can. This was one of our favorite cemeteries. The setting was amazing, and the designers achieved their intention to honor our fallen servicemen. From the cemetery, it was a short 35 minute drive back to the coast proper, and to Mont-St-Michel.
Mont-St-Michel is something that we've wanted to visit long before we moved to Europe. The abbey, constructed at the pinnacle of an offshore island, is visible from various points throughout the region and we first sighted it as we drove on the highway to the American Cemetery. Even then, ten-plus miles away from the Mont, you could tell it was a massive structure.Among the most popular tourist sights in France, there is a massive parking lot and shuttle buses available to take you across the 2 kilometer bridge connecting the Mont to the mainland. Like many other sights, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets ahead of time to streamline your experience. Whenever you go, just expect large crowds, a huge amount of stairs and vertical climbing to reach the Abbey. We opted for the self-guided tour of the Abbey, which granted full access. The French tourism authority has ensured that the signage conveys you through the massive complex.
After getting back to our car, we opted to drive a short distance to the east and the only German military cemetery outside of Germany, housing the remains of thousands of German soldiers were located.
Normandy
After an overnight at the Le Beauvoir hotel just south of the Mont-St-Michel visitor center, we set off for Bayeux, which is your quintessential Norman town. Anchored around the impressive Bayeux cathedral, the town is home to the Bayeux Tapestry, the British Normandy Cemetery as well as one of the many dedicated to the American perspective of the Battle of Normandy that started on D-Day--more on that in a moment. The Tapestry is what drew us to Bayeux, and it was worth the visit. The tapestry stretches 70 meters end to end, and depicts the epic history of the life of William the Conqueror and the invasion of England in 1066. Unlike some of the more popular sites throughout France, we bought entry tickets on-site.After the tapestry museum, we briefly checked out the cathedral before setting off for the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy. Seeing this museum and any of the D-Day sites is special, seeing them during the 75th Anniversary celebrations is something we'll always remember. The museum was superb, with many infographics, and an amazing array of equipment and vehicles.
From the museum we set off for Point du Hoc, where a fly-by was scheduled to commence. While we loved the celebrations that were taking place, the entire area was packed with people, be they veterans, tourists, re-enactors, or distinguished visitors. We made it to Pointe du Hoc, and the area still shows the scars of the naval bombardment that took place, the entire area is cratered much like Verdun was. Once we were done exploring, we drove back to Vierville-sur-Mer and Camping Omaha Beach to set up camp.
Now in full transparency, while I like the idea of camping, I have yet to successfully execute. The location was amazing, overlooking Omaha Beach, but everything else was an abysmal failure. Insufficiently warm sleeping bags, Janet being pregnant, crowds everywhere due to the anniversary... yeah, not my best example of planning.
Daybreak on 6 June 2019, we awoke, ate breakfast, and then walked down to the beach. As I said above, the location was phenomenal--once we got to the beach, it was time for some powerful emotions. Among all the things we saw and did during this trip, my favorite was explaining to Will how his great-grandfather, my grandpa, served as a Combat Engineer in the 29th Infantry Division, and came ashore as part of the first wave at this very section of beach. The remainder of the trip and well into the rest of the summer, Will was asking more about his great-grandpa.The boys thoroughly enjoyed playing on the beach, and were treated to a military vehicle parade, we then walked up into Vierville proper to the local museum, grabbed an excellent lunch, then enjoyed the big band music concert taking place in a nearby open field. Late in the day, rain showed up in the overnight forecast, and Janet and I decided to depart the campsite early and head home to Germany.
There is still much for us to see and do in Normandy, so we'll have to see if we can get back to the coast.
