Here is our intrepid cohort from the tour group getting ready to board the ferry from Portsmouth to the French coast. Our fearless leader Judy is making sure that we’re all here. No one has wandered off in search of Great Bustards. Sharon and Yang blush here.We leave Portsmouth behind.
A jaunty sailor, Yang on deck. 
Our first glimpse of the D-Day beach after a bus trip from Caen.

Remains of German shore defenses.
 
A fierce cliff to face.
A look toward the village. Imagine living there during one of the most savage amphibious assaults in WW II – or ever.

Pilgrims to history.
Re-enactors in the village. We were at the site only a few days before June 6th, so there were many people there who did historical re-enactment. We were even fortunate enough to see some men who had actually been at the landing. Yang and I have some pictures, but we didn’t want to post for fear of violating their privacy.
The American Cemetery
Monument to Victory
Monuments
to
Valor


Omaha Beach 

These are craters from the shelling.
The black sheep are there to keep the grass trimmed.

A thought-provoking juxtaposition of peacetime serenity with the gruesome brutality of war.
Memorial Sculpture on the beach. I was told they symbolize a striving upward, but I kept seeing the wooden crosses pointing upward on their sides, designed to rip the bottoms out of landing craft.
A poppy for remembrance.
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