jmac Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 are there any tours of the Beaches of Normandy with guides? if so, has anyone done one, cost, package deal, airfare, etc.. that is my dream vacation. i think i'll be doing it alone, because the wife said she'll be shopping while i'm walking the sands of the most pivotal beach in the 20th century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARCHANGEL Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 Many Division Associations have tours back there every June. I would assume they might welcome "friends" who want to come along... Three of the Associations with which I have been affiliated have a "friends" catagory of membership for historians and other supporters. Decide which outfit grabs you and find them online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Culex Pipiens Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 there is no problem because in every town or village of the normandy there is a big/medium/small museum. in every turist help point you can find a maps of most important route to visit such as pegasus bridge, ponte du hoc, Kellam bridge etc. it is very simple. i went last year and i spent a week there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LimaCharlie Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 Went to Normandy last month..hired a car and went by the map ....back roads ...to God ,Sword,Juno ,Omaha,Utah ..... Spent the night at a little hotel at St mere Eglise...did the museum , Abbey etc ....wonderful. The museum at Caen is worth a visit as is the American cemetary at Omaha. The most enjoyable 4 days I can remember Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maastrictian Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> as is the American cemetary at Omaha <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Second that. The Normandy American Cemetary (ie, for the breakout, not the beaches IIRC) was truely awe inspiring. Mt. San Michael, very close to there, was also really cool, though rather different time period . --Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy 4 Eyes Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 It has been a long time but I went on trip with a friend and his family. His grandfather had died in the D-day invasion. He was buried there and that was the first time father and grandson had a chance to see his gravestone. The cemetery itself was a somber reminder of the sacrifices made in this pivotal invasion. We went without a guide,but there was no need as the stories are written in the old buildings and beaches. It was a very strange feeling standing on the beaches and looking up at the bluffs and imagining how much it must it must have taken to face the enemy while being nearly totally exposed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schugger Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 A question for all of you who visited the places: is it true that the French granted some of the territories were the invasion took place to the US and/or other gouvernments? When i took a look at some new Normandy maps the places were still named after the names of the beachheads ( i.e. Omaha, Utah, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gespenster Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 See post below ... ~G [This message has been edited by Gespenster (edited 06-02-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gespenster Posted June 2, 2000 Share Posted June 2, 2000 Yes, the cemetaries and the land they are on are owned by various Governments. This includes the German Military Cemetary at La Cambe as well, where Michael Wittman (and his crew are buried) it is owned and maintained by the German Government. The best way to take a "tour" of Normandy is on your own, organized tours are too expensive, and you don't get enough time to REALLY look at the sites. This past February, myself, my wife, Son, and 3 friends flew to Mannheim, Germany (got tics for $225 each, what a steal). We dropped my wife and son off in Mannheim with her parents (she is from there). Then myself and my friends rented a car and drove to Normandy ... we visited Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword, Juno, Bayeux, St. Lo, Caen (The Atlantic Wall Museum north of Caen is VERY impressive), Dieppe, and Dunquirke (sp?), Normandy American Cemetary, German Cemetary at La Cambe, then drove East through Belgium and back into Germany saw the Hürtgen Forest battle area, German and American Cemetaries, and the town of Schmidt,(where we actually dug up some German equipment w/ our metal detector in the woods outside of Schmidt, 8mm rounds, casings, pieces of a gas mask canister, and pieces of a canteen, and actually found a German water purification tablet container dated 1942 lying next to a tree in the area of our dig ... it was incredible) After that, we drove back down into Belgium to Bastonge, Malmedy, and St. Vith ... from there we went into Luxembourg to the American Cemetary (Resting place of Gen. Patton), then back into Germany through Trier, and on to Remagen. We finished up the trip with a stop at the Panzermuseum in Münster ... and then back to Mannheim. It was the trip we had all dreamed about since we were kids, and I got it all on videotape! It was alot of driving, but we split the time between the four of us, and it was well worth every mile ... total trip time was 12 days visiting battlefields, and 2 days visiting in-laws... hehehehe. But an experience I will never forget. ~G ------------------ "It is well that War is so terrible, lest we grow to fond of it" Robert E. Lee [This message has been edited by Gespenster (edited 06-02-2000).] [This message has been edited by Gespenster (edited 06-02-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schugger Posted June 3, 2000 Share Posted June 3, 2000 Well Gespenster, I'm somewhat impressed ( and a bit envious I was in Laval recently for a working trip, which is approximatly 100 Km south of those areas. Despite being there for three weeks i didn't got a chance to make a visit. But your post encouraged me to fix that as soon as possible if my Boss gives me some days ( better weeks) off and i can fix my motorbike. Thanks for the Post and Infos Schugger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Babra Posted June 3, 2000 Share Posted June 3, 2000 Tell me, are the German cemeteries open to the public, or do you have to make an appointment to enter them? So many of the Confederate cemeteries here in North America are shut up like prisons due to vandalism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gespenster Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 In answer to your question, all the German cemetaries we visited were open to the public, and were very nicely maintained. At the German Military Cemetary near the village of Simonskall (In the heart of the Hürtgen Forest) We were suprised to see grave stones of an entire family ... Father, Mother, and 2 sons, one of which was just 3 years old. And although thier headstones looked the same as the Soldaten ... they looked quite out of place in the Military Cemetary, and we couldn't help but wonder what the story was behind the family as we placed flowers near the gravestones and went on our way ... Just another tragedy I suppose ... ~G ------------------ "It is well that War is so terrible, lest we grow to fond of it" Robert E. Lee [This message has been edited by Gespenster (edited 06-03-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Formerly Babra Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 Good to know, thanks. ------------------ When I die I want to go peacefully, like my grandfather, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEVERE Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 I guess I'm a bit surprised that you are going to Normandy and your wife is not even willing to pay this greAt event a little BIT of hommage, wow I Don't think I'd be married to her, sorry I gues I'm quite emotional about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gespenster Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 Severe, Not that it is any of your business ... But, my wife and I both visited Normandy in the Spring of '94 for the 50th anniversary (I was stationed in Germany at the time). We only had a few days then, so to me this trip was much better. Beside the fact that she hadn't seen her parents in 6 years (and they had yet to see our 3 year old son) So her choice not to come and to let me hang out with my friends was ok with me. ~G ------------------ "It is well that War is so terrible, lest we grow to fond of it" Robert E. Lee [This message has been edited by Gespenster (edited 06-04-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medlinke Posted June 4, 2000 Share Posted June 4, 2000 I was in Normandy last summer. I stayed in Bayeux. It is a really nice town in a great area. The Brittish Cemetary is about a 5 minute walk out of town and that has cool things in it like Monty's beret, and a TON of newspaper clippings, uniforms (probably 2 dozen from all nations) and vehicles / equiptment in it. In fact, they even have a crashed Hurricane! Seriously, they took the plane and the ground it crashed on, lifted it up and put it right in the museum with a little bio on the pilot (who lived). There are about 2 - 3 tour companies in town that range from about 30 - 50 US dollars in cost. They are pretty good. Ours went the the artificial harbor at Arromanches and the Arromanches museum. This was awesome since my grandfather was involved in the sinking of some of the merchant ships that became the breakwall for the harbor. However, there is a 360 degree theater in town as well that is really awesome. My tour didn't go there and I wish I had gone because others who have gone said it was the best theater experience in Normandy. I don't doubt it... Next the tour went to the American Cemetary. This was the most moving place I've been in my life. Especially when you read that the cemetary could be 3 times as large if all the families had allowed their loved ones to be buried there. After that you actually go to Omaha beach. Which, much to my chagrin, is a recreational beach! I couldn't believe it! That is sacred ground and there are families all over it playing in the surf where bodies washed up for months after the invasion. However, in their defence, why did the people fight there? So it would be safe for people to use it like a beach. It's a catch 22 I guess. Next we went to Pont du Hoc. I couldn't believe this place. They left everything as it was in 1944 and that was really amazing. I had always heard the naval guns left massive craters....but...well they were right. It was amazing to think that the bunkers (which look invincible) were taken by a mere men! It is really amazing. I would suggest renting a car and just giving yourself a tour. There are many books and services you can find that will aid you and all the major sites are all on the same road basically. This is highly recommended if you want to see things like Ste. Mere Eglise. There is so much to see and the people on the coast (sur la mere) are really still so grateful (or at least they put on that atmosphere). Also, the place is crawling with vets. They love it when you walk up, shake their hands, and say thank you. It does mean everything to them. I saw a little kid no more than 5 hug a vet and the vet broke into tears he was so moved. It is really so much more than you could ever imagine. I wish I had been able to spend more time there. if you have any questions just e-mail me! medlinke@msu.edu Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts