Normandy Beaches Tour

[katisdale]

We recently returned from the Royal Princess. One stop was at Le Havre where we wanted to see the D-Day beaches. I highly recommend you contact John Flaherty ([url="http://www.handmaidtours.com"]www.handmaidtours.com[/url]) if you are interested in the history of WWII. Our tour included stops at the British and American cemetaries, Point du Hoc, the beaches, and the Pegasus Bridge. We had lunch at Port en Bessin, a small fishing village, where some scenes from the Longest Day were filmed. He gave each of the couples a booklet describing what we visited and also sent us a CD containing additional pictures. He also does longer tours if you can be in the area for more than 1 day. Our tour cost 500 euros (split between 2 couples)which is about the same you would pay for the ships tour. He was at the dock at 7:30 AM and we were back at 5:30 PM. He brings several notebooks with him that contain his research on the area and has copies of pictures that were taken during or shortly after D-Day. This is an excellent tour. I would be happy to answer any questions.

[Hlitner]

That sounds like a wonderful tour and a great day! We have really enjoyed our trips to the Normandy region, and have found that its one of the friendliest areas in all of France. Many of the French from Normandy still consider Americans to be the friends and saviors of a free France. By the way, for those that want to see Normandy, but do it on a budget, they can simply rent a car in LeHavre and easily navigate the roads around Normandy. With a decent map (we like Michelin) and a guide book its possible to do the day for about $100 plus food. I would also highly recommend the Peace Museum in Caen for anyone visiting this region. Although not well publicized, this is a wonderful learning experience for anyone interested in the days leading up to WWII and the war.

Hank

[katisdale]

Hank, I completely agree with your assessment about the people of Normandy and their feelings about Americans. I was especially impressed by the wreaths that were presented by local school children at both the American and British cemetaries. These children prepared these wreaths after studying the war. The children we saw at the cemetary were very well behaved and respected the graves they visited. Mr. Flaherty is fluent in French so he was able to translate for us in our interactions with a few youngsters. He is British but has lived in France for 30 years.

[Hlitner]

I cannot emphasize too much, the wonder of that cematary. We have been to Arlington and my in-laws are buried at Indiantown Gap (probably where I will be buried) so we are pretty familiar with national cemetaries. But nothing prepared me for the beauty and majesty of the American Cemetary at Normandy. There are few times I felt as much pride to be an American as when we walked through those imamculate grounds.

Hank