Page 139 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

over from England and
sunk to form a semi- D-DAY DRIVING ROUTES
circular breakwater in
which floating bridge There are several signposted driving routes around
spans were moored. In the main battle sites – look for signs for ‘D-Day-Le
the three months after Choc’ in the American sectors and ‘Overlord –
D-Day, the Mulberries L’Assaut’ in the British and Canadian sectors. A free
facilitated the unloading booklet called The D-Day Landings and the Battle of
of a mind-boggling 2.5 Normandy, available from tourist offices, has details
million men, four million on the eight main routes.
tonnes of equipment and Maps of the D-Day beaches are available at tabacs
500,000 vehicles. (tobacconists), newsagents and bookshops in
At low tide, the stan- Bayeux and elsewhere.
chions of one of these
artificial quays, Port FRANCE 9 D-DAY’S BEACHES
Winston (named after east) and Omaha Beach soldiers whose remains
Winston Churchill), can (to the west). were never found. The
still be seen on the sands Parts of the classic Latin inscription reads:
at Arromanches. D-Day film, The Longest ‘We, whom William once
Beside the beach, the Day (1962), were filmed conquered, have now
Musée du Débarquement here. set free the conqueror’s
(Landing Museum; %02 31 22 The Drive » Backtrack to the native land’.
34 31; www.musee-arroman crossroads and head straight Nearby, the Musée
ches.fr; place du 6 Juin; adult/ over onto the D104, signed to Mémorial de la Bataille
child €7.90/5.80; h9am- Vaux-sur-Aure/Bayeux for 8km. de Normandie (Battle of
12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Apr-Sep, When you reach town, turn right Normandy Memorial Museum;
10am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Oct- onto the D613, and follow signs %02 31 51 46 90; www.bayeux
to the ‘Musée de la Bataille de
Mar, closed Jan) explains the Normandie’. museum.com; bd Fabien Ware;
logistics and importance adult/child €7/4; h9.30am-
of Port Winston. 6.30pm May-Sep, 10am-
12.30pm & 2-6pm Oct-Apr,
The Drive » Continue west 6 Bayeux closed Jan-mid-Feb) explores
along the D514 for 6km to the Though best known for the battle through photos,
village of Longues-sur-Mer. You’ll its medieval tapestry, personal accounts, diora-
see the sign for the Batterie de Bayeux has another claim mas and film.
Longues on your right.
to fame: it was the first
town to be liberated after 54 p141
5 Longues-sur-Mer D-Day (on the morning of The Drive » After
7 June 1944).
overnighting in Bayeux, head
At Longues-sur-Mer It’s also home to the northwest of town on the
you can get a glimpse of largest of Normandy’s 18 D6 towards Port-en-Bessin-
the awesome firepower Commonwealth military Huppain. You’ll reach a Super-U
available to the German cemeteries – the Bayeux supermarket after about 10km.
defenders in the shape War Cemetery, situated Go round the roundabout and
of two 150mm artillery on bd Fabien Ware. It turn onto the D514 for another
guns, still housed in their contains 4848 graves of 8km. You’ll see signs to the
‘Cimetière Americain’ near the
concrete casements. On soldiers from the UK and hamlet of Le Bray. Omaha Beach
D-Day they were capable 10 other countries – in- is another 4km further on, near
of hitting targets more cluding Germany. Across Vierville-sur-Mer.
than 20km away – includ- the road is a memorial
ing Gold Beach (to the for 1807 Commonwealth

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