France

Menu
  • IanAndWendy.com
    • WineTastingSonomaCounty.com
    • WeTravelWithKids.com
    • Close
  • Map
  • Countries
    • Caribbean
      • Anguilla
      • Antigua
      • Aruba
      • Bahamas
      • Curacao
      • Dominica
      • Easter Island
      • Martinique
      • Puerto Rico
      • St. Lucia
      • St. Martin
    • Americas
      • Mexico
      • USA
      • Costa Rica
    • Eastern Europe
      • Austria
      • Czech Republic
      • Estonia
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Poland
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
    • Western Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Holland
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
      • Vatican City
    • Asia
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Vietnam
      • India
      • Korea
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Singapore
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
    • Middle East
      • Egypt
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • UAE
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Namibia
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Tunisia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Pacific
      • Cook Islands
      • Easter Island
      • Tahiti
      • New Zealand
    • Close
  • Travel Tips
  • amazon
  • About Us

Lest We Forget, Day 2 – The Memorial de Caen, Juno and Gold Beach

November 13, 2000
by Wendy
Battle of Normandy, Beny-Sur-Mer-Reviers, Canadian War Cemetery, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Memorial de Caen, Port Mulberry
0 Comment

Sunday we visited the Memorial de Caen. It’s a museum which relates the events which lead up to the D-Day landing, and has a memorial to the Canadian and American soldiers in the gardens behind it. The British are currently building a memorial. More Canadians were actually killed liberating Caen than on D-day itself.

Canadian Memorial Garden, Caen
Canadian Memorial Garden, Caen
After the museum we walked around the garden behind it with the memorial to the falled Canadia troops.  There’s a large slab of black stone with a Latin inscription.  It’s a Virgil quote meaning "Nothing shall ever blot you from the memory of time".   The yellow maple leaves falling everywhere in the constant drizzle seemed fitting. 

Next we headed out to visit the Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-Sur-Mer-Reviers. The cemetery is in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by farms.   Driving up to it we were sure we were lost.  There were no sign we could see.  No buildings, no people anywhere.  We were so sure we were lost that we actually pulled over to try to figure out which way to go when looking around for a sign – any sign that would tell us where we were.  That’s when we saw maple trees.  Bright yellow – their fall color standing out starkly in the midst of the French countryside.   

On June 6, 1944 Canadian forces landed on Juno Beach.  Many of them never made it home and are buried in the Canadian Cemetery.  There are more than 2,000 fallen soldiers buried there.  The constant light rain kept bringing down more and more yellow maple leaves which lay in drifts blanketing the base of the tombstones. 

On June 6, 1944 Canadian forces landed on Juno Beach.
On June 6, 1944 Canadian forces landed on Juno Beach.
From there we went to see Juno Beach itself.  There were two small plaques to commemorate the Canadian landing.  There is a huge statue to commemorate the De Gaulle’s landing several days after the Canadians liberated the beach.  A creperie with a bright neon sign stood ready to serve anyone venturing out to the beach on a rainy day.

Port Mulberry
Port Mulberry
Further west along the coast, beside their landing site at Gold Beach, the British forces build Port Mulberry in one day, using retired ships and 600,000 tons of concrete. It served as a base for Allied supplies during the Battle of Normandy. It was originally built to last 18 months, but the ruins can still be seen.

Social Share
  • google-share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

captcha *

Click to cancel reply

Recent Posts

How to spoil yourself silly on a beach vacation
Nov 06, 2015
Old, almost free tech bringing traveling families together
Oct 15, 2015
Losing our wheels in Munich
Oct 09, 2015
A disgusting car seat awaits you in Munich!
Sep 30, 2015
Alphaberry by B-Toys - An electronic singing toy we love to travel with!
Sep 28, 2015

Slideshows

(see all 44 France slideshows)

Videos

Recent Posts

  • How to spoil yourself silly on a beach vacation
  • Old, almost free tech bringing traveling families together
  • Losing our wheels in Munich
  • A disgusting car seat awaits you in Munich!
  • Alphaberry by B-Toys – An electronic singing toy we love to travel with!
  • Fabulous indoor – and outdoor – playground in Siauliai, Lithuania