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Last week, I took a quick, two day, one night trip from Paris to Normandy to see the D-Day Beaches. Although I did not plan any significant riding, my bike was with me (naturally), and I did do two short rides (in addition to a lot of driving in the car). I stayed in Arromanches, which is between Omaha Beach and Gold Beach. On the first day, I rode west and visited the batteries at Longues and Port-en-Bessin. On the morning of the second day, I rode east and toured Gold and Juno Beaches. I had too little time to visit the area fully and my rides only whetted my appetite for more. But, being on the bike gave me a very good feel for the beaches and the terrain above them. If anyone has toured the area by bike, I would be interested in hearing how much time you spent in the area and where you went -- I definitely would like to return again and spend more time touring on the bike.
When I was leaving Paris, a friend remarked that I was in for an emotional two days. I kind of shrugged this off -- I have visited battlefields such as those at Gettysburg and Antietam and military cemeteries such as Arlington and I have seen all of the major D-Day related movies (e.g., The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers) without shedding any tears. I was fine until I was at the American Military Cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer. I was walking among the thousands of crosses and stars of david that are familiar to anyone who has seen photos of the place. But, I had expected the graves to face the water; they did not. Then it hit me, all of the graves were facing West -- to the United States -- to the homes to which the 9,387 soldiers never returned. Yes, it was quite an emotional moment for me.
When you see the beaches, the cliffs that had to be surmounted, the uneven terrain and treacherous hedgerows, the immense sacrifice that both the dead and the living made in Normandy in 1944 cones into clear focus. I thought of Private Ryan's initial words when he is located: "What have I done to earn this?" and Captain Miller's (Tom Hanks') final words in the film: "Earn this."
When I was leaving Paris, a friend remarked that I was in for an emotional two days. I kind of shrugged this off -- I have visited battlefields such as those at Gettysburg and Antietam and military cemeteries such as Arlington and I have seen all of the major D-Day related movies (e.g., The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers) without shedding any tears. I was fine until I was at the American Military Cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer. I was walking among the thousands of crosses and stars of david that are familiar to anyone who has seen photos of the place. But, I had expected the graves to face the water; they did not. Then it hit me, all of the graves were facing West -- to the United States -- to the homes to which the 9,387 soldiers never returned. Yes, it was quite an emotional moment for me.
When you see the beaches, the cliffs that had to be surmounted, the uneven terrain and treacherous hedgerows, the immense sacrifice that both the dead and the living made in Normandy in 1944 cones into clear focus. I thought of Private Ryan's initial words when he is located: "What have I done to earn this?" and Captain Miller's (Tom Hanks') final words in the film: "Earn this."
