Normandy

I've just come from two days in Normandy. We visited the city of Saint-Malo. The interior of the okd city was destroyed by American bombers on the erroneous intelligence that there was an important German garrison located there. But it was entirely rebuild inside the existing ramparts in the historic style.

It was a foggy morning for the visit.

We then went on to the iconic Mont Saint Michel. As we approached the island, it began to rain. There is nothing like walking up Medieval cobbled streets angled at about 30 degrees as water flows down them and rain falls from above. We reached the highest point, the church of the abbey, then began to make our way down. In the gardens on the parapets, we experienced nothing short of a tropical downpour - although the temperatures were hardly tropical.

Despite umbrellas, jackets and hats, we were drenched in seconds. We simply followed the fast rushing water down.

Friday, we visited the cliffs of Arromanches, Omaha Beach and the American cemetery above Omaha Beach. The sacrifices of the men of D-Day and the following battles touched us all in a profound way. I will never think of this time in history in the same way.

Saint-Malo ramparts and harbor

It's a cliché photo, but it is different if you were there.

Like something out of a Gothic novel.

The courtyard of the abbey, some 200 meters above
the surrounding sea.

Cloë, in some of the amazing light of the cloister

At low tide, Mont Saint Michel is surrounded by a sea of sand.

Avery stood like this for over five minutes, overwhelmed
by the artificial port the allies created in just three days
at Arromanches

Notre Dame des Arromanches

Omaha Beach extended for over 45 kilometers.

A colcliquot at Arromanches (I don't know the English
for this flower).

A sculpture called "Les Braves" on Omaha Beach, created
for the 70th anniversary.

"Les Braves"

A moving monument in a sea of monuments

A granite map of the Débarquement leads to a reflecting
water flow - powerfully moving.