Our tour guide, Stephan, standing in one of the hundreds of craters still evident at Pointe du Hoc. He is 6' tall, so you can see how deep the craters are that were created by the bombs. You have to be really careful in this area to stay on the trails, because there are craters like this everywhere, as well as twisted steel cable, bags of petrified cement and other rubble from the bombed gun emplacements.
A small bridge (to the left, out of view) in la Fière was the scene of a battle in WWII. The bridge was a strategic point -- the fields were all flooded at the time, so the bridge was basically the endpoint of a causeway. It was a key objective of the Paratroopers to hold that bridge. They got control of the bridge after three days, but the Germans came in tanks from the other side. Eventually, the Paratroopers (with help from Sherman tanks that had come from Utah Beach) were able to keep the bridge.
A church in Angoville-au-Plein has stained glass windows that commemorate the US 101st Airborne Division. During the invasion of Normandy, two US medics set-up a field hospital in this church (bloodstains from the wounded are still visible on some of the pews). Here, the medics treated both Allied troops AND Germans! They said that they couldn't treat some men and let others die. This likely saved their lives, as more German troops came through and saw that they were taking care of their soldiers. For a time, there was an agreement that all men would leave their weapons outside, making the church hospital a neutral zone for the wounded.
More windows from this tiny, Medieval church. . .
. . . and the altar.
After our tour, Mark and I walked around Bayeux (where we are staying in a really lovely Bed & Breakfast, Hôtel Particulier Poppa). We looked around a small outdoor market, where we tasted some local cheese, and got some great photos of the town's Merry-Go-Round (Every French town seems to have at least one. They were all over Paris, too.) I love the detail of the animals and how they all seem to be different (and each has its name painted-on).
Marguerite. . .
Nemo . . .
. . . and my favorites, Pim, Pam and Poum (the three little pigs).
The market and menagerie (merry-go-round) were in front of Bayeux's Hôtel de Ville. Every town of a decent size has its own Hôtel de Ville, which is not a hotel, but the City Hall.
Below, some of our B&B (which hosts/owners Phillipe and Sophie have told us used to be a place where porcelain was made).
Mark, in the reception room, which is open to guests for relaxing. They have plenty of maps, books and information about the area for guests to use.
The view from the front door and stairs up to the rooms. This house is comfortable, pretty and has lots of historic charm (including wonky stairs and slanting floors).
Mark, making friends with their big tomcat in the garden. :)
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