1/2 Year in Provence: The Road Home - Pt. 5 Bayeux and D-Day Beaches July 11

From our new base in Caen, we struck out to the D-day Beaches - kind of the opposite of what happened in 1944, where the goal was a base in Caen. First stop Bayeux and the worlds longest comic strip ....aka the Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of William the Conqueror's defeat of England in 1066. You can scroll through the 70 metre long tapestry at this site: http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/Bayeux1.htm

Below is the mill in "downtown" Bayeux.

The Cathedral at Bayeux, where Harold swears an oath to William. Harold is the king's choice of successor, and the oath Harold swears is to make William king....it doesn't quite go down that way.

After Bayeux we drive to Omaha Beach the site of one of the US landings. The monument below is to the US 1st infantry division.

Just in front of the ocean is this monument simply called "The Brave"

This is what they fought for....

Up on the ridge which overlooks Omaha Beach is this bunker, which sits at the side of the only road off the beach. The sign says that the 467th Anti-Aircraft Artillery knocked out this bunker. During the remainder of the landing operation at Omaha beach, this was the only road for men and equipment off the beach.

This church lies along the road off the beaches...the picture of the same area in 1944 is on the church wall.

Part of the "Atlantic Wall" at Longues-sur-Mer. Situated between Omaha Beach (US Forces landing) and Gold Beach (British Forces landing). The 152mm gun could put shells on either beach 10km away.