My partner has long wanted to see the Normandy Beaches and hear stories about the Allies and WWII. Today we finally did a full day private tour with Overlord Tours Antoine was our tour guide. He was the most amazing guide we could have had.
He picked us up at our hotel at 8:30am in a very clean van. We started with a visit to St. Mere Elglise and the museum commemorating the paratroopers. He led us through the museum then around the town, culminating with a yummy lunch at Creperie Cauquigny (be sure to try the cider... the dry one not the sweet one... it's amazing). Then off to a tour around the area where he pulled over several times to tell us about the importance of that particular spot. We saw where "E" company engaged with enemy forces, where Bob and Kenneth turned a church into a medical triage station, and much more.
Antoine then took us to Omaha beach. We visited the Normandy American Cemetery just in time for the lowering of the flags and the playing of Taps. So moving and such an honor to spend time with those who made the liberation possible. The cemetery is on the hill right above the beach and the view was breathtaking.
We then went back down to the beach. Antoine is so knowledgable. While standing on the beach for at least an hour, he told us stories about the D-Day landing. It really made us feel that we were watching it unfold in real time. Finally, we headed to one last stop, the bunkers in Longues-sur-Mer. The sun was setting so we didn't have much daylight left, but Antoine made sure we saw them and shared their history with us too. We were able to walk into the bunker and see an actual machine gun used by the Germans to try to keep the Allies away.
Antoine asked us at the beginning of the day about our familiarity with the history of the liberation of France and D-Day. Of course we have seen the popular movies (Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Longest Day, Patton), so at each stop, he referred back to specific scenes and characters from these movies, making the connection with what we were seeing in 'real life' (and making sure we knew where Hollywood took liberties).
All in all it was just the kind of tour we had hoped to have. If you want to visit Normandy, and you want the best tour of the area through the eyes of D-Day and the Allies, you must ask for Antoine at Overlord Tours. So worth it.