Europe - Normandy

We spent a couple of days in Normandy, visiting the site of the D-Day landings. Everything from the museums to the outdoor monuments was extremely well done. It was perfect mix for the kids, spending time in museum and outside climbing on old cannons and in bomb craters. Although the irony of watching the kids play on the old cannons and in the bomb craters was something to behold.

First stop was to Longues-sur-Mer to see the remains of 4 German 150mm canons. The defenses they built are still impressive, 60 plus years later. The massive guns could launch shells 24 km, and rained havoc down on the Allied ships the morning of D-Day.

We also visited the Rangers' monument at Pointe du-hoc . The story behind the Ranger battalion that had to scale these massive cliffs to knock out German cannons is amazing to see. The kids had fun running in and out of the massive craters left over from the Allied bombing and shelling.

The final stop was to the American cemetery at Omaha beach. The weather was very foggy, but it seemed appropriate as we toured the grounds. The highlight of the trip was meeting our new friend, Buddy. Buddy was part of the second wave of Allied forces that landed at noon on D-Day. It was an honor to shake his hand and introduce him to Tyler.