Photo's from Normandy..

Following on from my last post from Normandy, here are some of my photographs from the area these first ones are of the fortifications, beaches, monuments and the American cemetery.

Utah Beach monument

a gun emplacement

tank,

another monument to the fallen

another of the many tanks to be found on display

The beaches as they are now, quiet...

......but still watched over by silent gun emplacements...

the first house liberated on D-Day, by the Canadians..

A memorial at Utah beach

a view of a portion of the American cemetery, over 9,000 war graves.

Omaha beach from the American Cemetery

Cherbourg, from inside a bunker/gun emplacement

the emplacement from outside

a look-out post above a fortified gun emplacement

and the emplacement with the zig-zag trench from the bunk-house.

Normandy is not just about the war though, we did visit Bayeux and the Tapestry.

The town itself is very picturesque, but the weather was rather wet and cold.

Armastice Day, French style.

I'm writing this post in Normandy, France.  I'm over here on a wine and cider buying trip.  Today we visited the Normandy landing beaches, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah. it was a sobering experience looking at the numbers of dead, particularly the American cemetery at Omagh beach.  There was little else to do today, it being Armistice day, November 11th, the anniversary of the ending of the first world war.  Coming from Ireland it is easy to forget the significance of today to a country at the center of two world wars. France still bears the scars, as I am sure do many other theatres of war.  It makes it more imperative to strive to end all wars before they begin.