We rented a car so we could hop around to the different sights. We began our trip by visiting some of the most prominent landmarks of the D-Day invasion. Our first stop was Omaha Beach and an old bunker used by the Germans to fire down onto the beach. Seeing pictures on the various signs, it’s challenging to imagine that this beach town with houses lining the coastal road was the location of so much human tragedy.
As we visited the bunker on the hill, we could see the American Cemetery on the next hill. The Americans built and now maintain multiple sites in Normandy to commemorate the servicemen who fought and were lost over the six months fighting the Nazis back east. We went to visit the cemetery, holding the remains of roughly 10,000 servicemen and commemorating thousands more whose bodies were never recovered.
After lunch, we visited The Point Du Hoc, the cliff where the Nazis had a direct line of fire onto two of the beaches where Americans landed in 1944. Famously, the soldiers fought to the top of the hill using rope ladders, which they had been training with for months in Britain to prepare for the landing. Today, you can still see the remains of the many trenches and bunkers on the top of the hill. The most prominent bunker at the cliff’s edge is open to the public. The wreckage of smaller bunkers and trenches are surrounded by giant craters, appearing to be made by American bombing raids or Nazi ones while they held the hill after the landing.
In the evening, we drove to Ouistreham, where we would sleep the next two nights. The next day, we drove along the coast to Cabourg, a nearby beach town. We first went to a traditional village that has been a center for trade and revelry for three-fourths of a millennia. We then took a stroll along the promenade on the beach. Later that afternoon, we took an easy hike around the Ornithological Reserve of the Big Bench. The hike surrounds a large viewing area for the various birds native to the region.
On the third day of our trip, we left the region stormed during D-Day and headed south to Mont Saint-Michel, an abbey, constructed first in the 8th century on a rock in the middle of the sea. During low tide, it is possible to walk to the abbey without the use of the bridge. This impressive feat of architecture has 700 years of additions, up to the 15th century, mixing many different eras. This site is one of France's most touristy locations, as the crowds during the public holiday were next level. It appeared we would need to wait in a 30-minute line of cars to finally get to the full parking lot. So, we parked the car on the side of a farm road and then walked through a farm for an hour to get to the island. It seems like this is a common occurrence as we were joined by many others. Once we arrived, we slowly inched our way up to the abbey at the top of the rock. We were awarded with beautiful views of the surrounding region and the rich history of the abbey. We would then snake our way back through the various shops to return to the farm for the long trek back to the car.
When we left Mont Saint-Michel, we embarked on our most anticipated and final stop on our road trip. We’ve both read ‘All the Light We Cannot See,’ which has become one of my favorite books. The book is set in Saint-Malo, a fully walled coastal city bombed by the Americans during WWII during the Nazi occupation. The place is stunningly beautiful, and we were treated to perfect weather during our stay. We first went to sit on the beach, where, in the distance, you can see multiple forts built on small islands throughout history. During low tide, it is possible to walk to the closest island and fort.
After dinner, we went back to the beach to catch the 9:30 PM sunset. The sun passed directly behind the Petit Be, the walkable fort during low tide. The next day, we spent the entire day relaxing through the city. We slowly walked the entirety of the ramparts while taking in the views. We then were treated to crepes, a delicacy of the region, before returning to the beach for a very frigid swim in the natural pool formed during low tide. We finished our trip by walking to the Grand Be, the island in front of the fort that provides a beautiful view of Saint-Malo and the surrounding region.
I hope one day to return to the city of Saint-Malo and would recommend that anybody coming to Normandy during the warmer months make sure to stop by for a visit.