For many of us the visit to the Normandy Beaches is the reason we're on this trip. Many of us have been to Normandy before but haven't been to this historical site, so we were looking forward to this day.
After breakfast we begin our full-day tour to the Normandy beaches. We boarded the motor coach with our guide and headed for the Normandy Coast. We passed through the beautiful Normandy countryside before reaching two of the beaches, Juno and Gold, where Commonwealth troops came ashore. We stopped at the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer, where Canadian troops unloaded countless tons of supplies after D-Day. Here we visited the small Arromanches Debarkment D-Day Museum, where we discovered the genius of the portable, temporary Mulberry Harbor that moved a huge volume of troops and supplies. .
After breakfast we begin our full-day tour to the Normandy beaches. We boarded the motor coach with our guide and headed for the Normandy Coast. We passed through the beautiful Normandy countryside before reaching two of the beaches, Juno and Gold, where Commonwealth troops came ashore. We stopped at the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer, where Canadian troops unloaded countless tons of supplies after D-Day. Here we visited the small Arromanches Debarkment D-Day Museum, where we discovered the genius of the portable, temporary Mulberry Harbor that moved a huge volume of troops and supplies. .
Sally, Marion, Terri and Karen - our "solo travelers"
A quick lunch and we were off to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. Located high on a cliff over Omaha Beach, it is the final resting place of nearly 9,400 American service men and women. You walked among its many white crosses and browsed the visitor center. Viking added special notes to our visit - We were each given a rose to place on a grave and they provided a ceremony which included our National Anthem and a moment of silence. Both gestures made the visit even more poignant.
 Char and Don |  Normandy American Cemetery |
Our last stop was Omaha Beach, where many US soldiers lost their lives on June 6, 1944. Today Omaha Beach is a thriving beach resort area - a far cry from the devastation that occurred there 70+ years ago.
This was a sobering day. We honored the 24,000 allied forces who landed along the 50 miles of Normandy Beaches that day. There were more than 10,000 allied casualties with more than 4000 confirmed dead.
This was a sobering day. We honored the 24,000 allied forces who landed along the 50 miles of Normandy Beaches that day. There were more than 10,000 allied casualties with more than 4000 confirmed dead.
