LOL Lightning!!! Great link Yorkie, may well call in there. Its fascinating meeting the witnesses to the landings. The owner of the gite we use, his parents witnessed the D-day landings on Omaha beach. The farm complex we stop at was held by the Germans all day during the landings and totally surrounded by the Americans. A few yards away we have the church I believe the top was hit by a US battleship shell as the Germans were "spotting" for artillery from it. I just get so absorbed by it all.
Bloody hell,this time next week we'll be in the bar on the Normandie or whatever the ships called I can't wait....:biggrin:
Weathers been a bit iffy but looks like its picking up now so you should have some sunshine come tomorrow. Off to utah beach and st mere eglise now
That's a quaint little place, wasnt that colour when i last went there. I did a lot of push biking up and down both sides of the canal and always crossing at Pegasus Bridge. But never stopped off to look in the museum, just saw tank outside, it was some 15 years ago since I was last there. Planning on going next year, as I missed out on a Battlefields tour last year due to illness.
Been there a couple of times,always like to look at the Bailey bridge and how it was designed and put together...really clever stuff,and some of them are still in use long after the design life...
Lol I didn't know you could do that! Weathers a bit better today. I will keep my eyes peeled for a ducati st2. If you see me come say how doo. You cant miss me wi wolfdog.
the weather here is shite! absolutely hissing down! I'm buggering about up ladders fitting CCTV before I get packed and leave,a most bedraggled bleedin state I'm in too! Where will you be at the weekend? If you see an ST2,a Sprint ST,and a ZX12 that'll be us...
Yes thats the mulberry at arromanches. Had a bit of drizzle today but nothing major. Not sure where we will be at weekend but probably somewhere along the coast checking out the landing beaches. We will look out for you. Folks back home telling me its hardly stopped raining since we left on friday.
i want to go i want a full breakdown iternary when you get back please my grandad was there ..well sort of he was a gunner on hms Rodney which bombarded the beachs then turned there guns on Caen
Well,we're having a fantastic time.went to maisy today,got gassing to the Owner ,Gary,and he told us at length about how the Americans,(Eisenhower in particular),have manipulated history in order to avoid embarassment......unbelievable the lengths politicians will go to keep a myth alive..... Met Timberwolf and his wife yesterday by chance at Colleville,really nice folks an absolute pleasure to meet and talk to! amazing how the tentacles of this forum reach into real life oh yeah and the weather has been fantastic,really hot since we got here,cloudy this afternoon but who cares we we watching the movies in the museum Sadly returning to the UK tomorrow but already planning our return If you haven't been yet add it to your list of must-do's,well worth the effort
Pleasure to meet you and the guys too mate. We had a good walk along omaha beach at low tide last night, quite a lot of the mulberry harbour appears here too. Just going to stroll up to the museum at the cemetery entrance now. Hope you all got back safe and your misses hasn't blasted anyone!
All back safe and sound... Fantastic weather the whole weekend,on the boat yesterday it was Tee shirts on deck Really good time had by all Tried to do too much as usual and returned home completely bushed One downside though...stopped at services last night and had a good look at a mint 748 Now I want one...*sigh*......:frown:
Went in the overlord museum adjacent to the American cemetery on omaha beach. The owners french son was telling us how a lot of the tanks etc werec collected. His family were farmers around the Falaise region and claimed a lot of the machinery after the pocket was closed on the retreating german forces. They repaired the tanks etc and used them working the land! I am struggling to upload pics from here but will post some when I get home. We visited the British cemetery also and were surprised to find soviet troops buried there. I was unaware of any soviet soldiers fighting in Normandy. I will have to do some research.
I was over there 21st/22nd. We espied a 9** and an 1*98 riding the opposite way to us. I was with s1000rr and GSXR600 on my white 1198. We rode on down to Bernay where we have a hotel booked and restaurant. The coastal road is a great road. I love France and the French.
i'm going in May 1st time i'm leading 4 mates ..havent a clue where to start would apprieciate must sees do not miss ideas please
If you are going Portsmouth-Ouistreham then a good first stop is Merville battery.Have a breakfast en-route though as the boat docks a lot earlier than the Museums etc open.(You can route past Pegasus bridge going to Merville-then you'll know where it is when you head back towards Caen). We usually do the East side of Caen on Day 1,(even if you are dropping down from Calais it's a good start at Merville,then go on to Pegasus bridge). The actual beaches start at Ouistreham and then to the West,the route is well marked as the Invasion is big business for the French ,but there's also a huge emotional involvement from all nationalities. I would recommend you don't miss the Museum at Arromanches,which has fantastic models of the Mulberry harbour and a great little cinema which tells the D-day story. (Theres a super little cafe about 100m towards on the left hand side of the road as you come out of the museum too,great breakfast if you ask for an omelette as well) Also Grand-camp Maisy,it's on the main road and it's what was really shelling the invasion fleet...if it's a nice day leave your jacket and helmet with the guy at the entrance cos them trenches are bloody hot... Oh yeah and the Bayeaux tapestry...nowt to do with D-day but this is history,real history,and pretty awe inspiring. There is soooo much to see,don't try to pack in too much in a single day. or you'll disappear up your own arse riding hither and thither and end up missing half of it. I'm so jealous man,you are going to have a great time And don't miss the "new" museum at St Mere Eglise,absolutely fantastic place..
