Normandy France Part 1 (Bayeux)

   It had always been a dream of mine to revisit the World War II battlefields of Normandy. Since I had been planning to visit France in June of 2004, which was sixty years after the D-Day invasion, it would not make sense for me visit the sites any other day than June 6th. I was always fascinated by this era of our history being that we are what we are as a direct result of these events. I won't bore you with the details of the historical back ground, because I am assuming you were taught the basics in world history class. When I reflect upon my experiences it seems as though I have been traveling with an angel on my shoulder. I have been blessed to cross paths with people who make my journey far greater than I would have imagined before I set out. 

Main Drag

I left Paris early in the morning, from Gare Saint Lazare, I boarded a commuter train which would be dropping me off in the town of Bayeux, which was the closest town to the landing beaches. I had no idea how I would get to the beaches once I arrived. I figured I would improvise once I got there. Everything was going smooth on the train ride. The seats had their own compartments, similar to the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies. In my compartment there were five of us, including myself. It was an interesting combination of backgrounds. Across from me was another American, a Frenchman, and a German, and next to me was a lovely lady from Argentina. We were around the same age so we had plenty to talk about. When we arrived at the train station in Bayeux we went our separate ways. With no idea about the layout of the town, I did what I always do, walk. Bayeux was a charming little town. I walked around for several hours just to take in the sights here. In what seemed to be the center of town there were many small shops and little inns. Just about from everywhere I could see the towns cathedral poking out from the towns little buildings, so I decided to make my way towards it. The Notre Dame Cathedral (not to be confused with the Notre Dame in Paris), is one of the many Gothic style cathedrals in France.

After my brief visit I lounged for a bit at a sidewalk cafe to have a sandwich and a wine that hasn't been matched by any other I've had. After admiring all the picturesque features of this wonderful town, I decided it was time to figure out how I would get to the American cemetery and Omaha Beach. I stopped in a small convenient store to buy a bottle of water and to ask for directions. It seemed as though a family was working together in the store. They were very friendly, but I could barely communicate them with my poor French speaking skills. This did not deter them however, thy were very determined to help me.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Bayeux

Out of all the English words there are the one they did know was Omaha beach. So, they picked up their telephone and called a cab company for me. What I had failed to consider was that this was a MAJOR event that I was trying to reach. An event that was being attended by the Presidents of France, Russia, the United States, and the freakin' QUEEN of England. How could I think that I would be able to get there with all the security in the world locking this place down?

British War Veteran

Naturally the cabs were not operating at the moment due to the security that was in place. Regardless I was very great full of the hospitality of the store owners. Their kindness is one of the many reasons I get offended when people I know knock the French. Not having any transportation, I had resigned myself to the fact I wouldn't be able to make it to the beaches. "Oh well, at least I had a great experience here", I thought to myself. I made my way back to the train station; when I got there I decided to visit a pub at a hotel next to the station. In the pub I found a group of merry Britons. They invited me to sit with them, and we had a nice conversation. They were also visiting because of the D-Day anniversary. We had a great discussion about history, while drinking some really good French beer. After about an hour of merriment I walked to the platform to wait for the next train. It was when I arrived on the platform when I met someone who would help me get to the beaches, but I will cover that in Part two.