Normandy - The Omaha Beach Part

Our last continental stop before heading back to Southampton was Le Havre, France.  

This was the excursion I was most looking forward to before the trip.  

Because Le Havre is the port where I'd get to see Omaha Beach.  

Before France was a unified country, Normandy was it's own dukedom, which passed in and out of British control from the time of William the Conqueror (who was Norman, after all) until 1450.  

There are a lot of statues and memorials we could see from the bus.  

Oh, how I would have loved to have time to hit a couple of these museums!  :sigh:  Next time, maybe.  

We arrived at the beach, got off the bus, and saw this large monument.  

The many flags of the Allies fly along either side of it.  

What I found really interesting is that many of the houses in the little towns by the beach actually fly both the French and the US flags.  It's humbling to realize they not only remember that we came to their aid during the occupation, but they still appreciate it.  I also spotted a couple EU flags, so maybe they just really like flags, but I like my version better.  

The main monument down on the beach.  

I walked down to the water.  It's easy to understand how so many of the invasion forces perished that day.  The Germans were entrenched on the cliffs, and the Allies had no cover at all as they had to cross the wide open beach to get to them.  It's literally the sheer mass of invaders that made us successful in the end.  

It was a somber place and a moment of remembrance.  

Coming back, I saw the other side of this monument and realized, hey look!

Sam is currently assigned to The Big Red One.  I didn't realize they were one of the divisions present that day.  

That concrete box?  Used to have a big, German gun in it.  

Whew!  This visit was emotional.  

A Coruna, Spain

Another day, another port.  This one is A Coruna, Spain.  I woke to a view of this pretty dome, which I later learned is a coal warehouse.  

Even functional things can be beautiful.

Yep, looks like another gorgeous day.  

I popped off the ship and saw a ferris wheel that reminded me of the London Eye.  (This one is much cheaper, costing only 6 Euros for a ride.  I'm guessing it's smaller.)  

Probably the best shot I got of the ship the whole trip.  

So, in my research phase, I learned that, while you can sign up for ship excursions, there are other tour options available in many ports, and most of the time, what you book yourself is cheaper.  

Since there were no open excursions through the ship for A Coruna, I decided to be adventurous and book something myself.  I poked around a bit and didn't find many options, but it was pretty much between a reptile place (zooish) and a free historic walking tour with a $2 surcharge and the expectation that you'd tip your guide.  

I was nervous about getting to & from the reptile place on my own, so I went with the walking tour.  I booked through an app, and I had my little eticket all ready to go.  

The short walk from the ship to the meeting point was lovely, and included some artwork.

My phone took me straight to the meeting point:  a statue in a gorgeous plaza.  This is city hall, and I have a little video of the clock tower chiming.  

Here's the statue of Maria Pita.  Which is where I met the lovely tour guide who told me in broken English that the tour is in Spanish.  And Castilian Spanish at that.  :sigh:  She wished me well and I set off on a Choose Your Own Adventure style day.  

Well, let's see, there's a church.  That looks historic.  

Yep, that's pretty.

Statues across from the church.

I ended up wandering around, conscious to keep the general direction of the ship in mind, but there was a lovely little shopping district near the port, which was fun to explore.

Not sure why the 7 seashells are upside down, but I saw this A Coruna coat of arms all over.  

Okay, I can still find the ship.  

A little store in which I bought some chocolates.

Shops and more shops

I know that as sheltered tourists we only get dropped off in nice, safe areas, but it seemed like everywhere I went was beautiful and interesting.  

I had to laugh.  The first time I saw a knob like this, I thought, "Hmm, that's a little creepy."

Turns out, these were a thing.  Not just one person with a weird sense of humor.

I really enjoyed seeing all the old churches on this trip.  Churches here... well... they're utilitarian, at least the ones I've been to.  It's like the difference between Corelle and Wedgewood, or Ikea and Chippendale.  Functional churches get the job done, but finely crafted churches are awe inspiring.  

I popped into a little Chinese market.  Made me smile.  

At one point, I sat on a bench and ate the cup of pineapple spears I'd brought from the ship with me.  I'd been warned that there are no public restrooms, and the way to get bathroom access was to make a purchase, so I bought some snacks to take back on board with me.  I'd also realized that all my souvenirs were not going to fit in my suitcase and backpack by the end of the trip, so I bought a zip top beach bag here.  

Once I'd had enough of wandering A Coruna, I headed back to the ship.

I went up to the buffet, and took this photo from the ship window by the dessert station.  The square is right behind that row of frontage buildings.  

One of the arts & crafts activities offered on the ship was making ribbon flowers, which I happened to catch on one of our sea days.  

I wasn't enormously impressed with how it turned out, but it was something to pass the time.  

It was a little weird having someone tidy up the cabin twice a day.  Totally the opposite of my hotel in London, which basically said, "We'll clean the room after you leave.  Let us know if you need anything in the meantime."  

I sure do miss that balcony.