One day in Normandy

Posted by Judy (Long Beach, Ca, usa) on 04/09/17 10:34 PM

We will be in Bayeux the night of May 4, and can spend most of the next day seeing some D-Day sights. The Bayeux tapestries we will have seen the afternoon before, so want to spend the 5th seeing the American cemetery, looking out over Omaha Beach from the bluff and visiting one of the museums. We can start from our hotel by 9:00 and we will have to be on the road to Villedieu-les-Poeles by about 5:00. I know the cemetery will take about 3-4 hours to walk around and appreciate (including the bluff). Which of the many museums/memorials/viewpoints should we add to that day? A calvados tasting nearby would be a nice stop for a midday snack/meal, and I see in the RS book there are places nearby. It will be a somber day of gratitude and appreciation, but lifting a glass in a toast to all the souls is something we want to do. We five will be in 2 cars, with one of us being a native French speaker. Any thoughts or suggestions? Also, any recommendations for a reasonable place for dinner on the 4th in Bayeux? Nothing fancy, just local food (crepes and gallettes, fish, cider, beer, camembert.....). Somewhere where the locals would have an everyday meal.

Merci

Posted by Norma

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

04/09/17 10:58 PM

8293 posts

" ..... lifting a glass to toast all the souls ...." i understand exactly what you mean. We were in a restaurant near Caen one night and met a young couple from England who were embarking on a motorcycle tour of France, but they had stopped off in Normandy to "pay our respects to our lads" I was very moved by that comment.

Posted by rca

Florida

04/09/17 11:00 PM

509 posts

A few thoughts:
1. You may want to time your visit to the American cemetery to conclude with the flag-lowering/taps ceremony. Very moving.
2. We enjoyed several nice meals in Bayeux, but the best was at L'Assiette Normande (almost adjacent to the Cathedral). Our VRBO landlord -- a part-time local -- made the recommendation and we were grateful for the tip. I think it would meet your criteria.

3. We particularly enjoyed the Airborne Museum at St. Mere Eglise (http://www.airborne-museum.org/en/). It doesn't take long to visit and the exhibits are noteworthy. You'll probably want to stop in St. Mere in any event, especially if you've enjoyed Longest Day and Band/Brothers.

Posted by PharmerPhil

Middletown, RI

04/10/17 09:39 PM

1137 posts

I concur with visiting Sainte-Mère-Église, but it does add driving time to a one-day tour. IMHO, the best museum in the area is the one at Utah Beach (again, longer drive from Omaha). As far as views/look-outs, Longues-sur-Mer is one of the best, and Pointe-du-Hoc is a must see as well. The view looking down is awe inspiring, but it is best to actually go down to the beach. If you're physically able, you could walk from the American Cemetery down to Omaha Beach on its Eastern end. Otherwise, it is a short, simple drive, and highly recommended. You can drive from it's western end to its Eastern end in a few minutes. The Calvados distilleries I have visited have been wonderful, but I never saw any that offered any food. Enjoy. I'll be one month behind you!

Posted by kbachtell

WV, USA

04/11/17 01:01 AM

115 posts

I am copying from my trip report from last June below. We had a very similar plan. Bayeux tapestry and D-day the next day.
We started at the Utah Beach Museum, which according to RS is the best museum along the beaches, and we thought it was excellent. We then went walking along this beach while the tide was out. That was perhaps the most evocative experience of the entire day. We truly got to feel what 500 yards looked like and how scary and hard taking that ground was. We stopped for lunch at Creperie Montoise on the roundabout in the center Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. My husband’s moulles frites were amazing as were the galets. Sitting outside across from the church that held the first Mass after D-Day was awesome. We then drove to Pont du Hoc (again amazing) and then the US Cemetery. You can no longer go down to Omaha beach from the US Cemetery, so after our time there we backtracked a little and drove along the shore line and walked on Omaha. After that we backtracked a little further and went to the German Cemetery which was an incredibly thought provoking experience and I would recommend it to anyone. All of this took us 8 hours from 9:30 am, when the Utah Beach Museum opened until 5:30 when we drove back to Bayeux for dinner.

We ate at La Reine Matilda Brasserie which has outside seating with beautiful views of the cathedral. I loved my steak tartare there along with the cidre!

Have an amazing time!

Posted by Judy OP

Long Beach, Ca, usa

04/11/17 06:31 AM

640 posts

Merci a tout pour les idees! Thank you for the one day itinerary suggestion, the restaurant ideas, and the flag-lowering suggestion also. I think we will check the time on that and go on the 4th after seeing the tapestry. Dinner at L'Assiette Normande that evening sounds good. I looked them up online and the menu and prices sound just right. Just have to coordinate the dinner with the flag ceremony. If we can get to St Mere Eglise on the 5th, we will. My uncle was a paratrooper on D Day and landed near there. Years and years later he would sometimes "leak" tiny pieces of schrapnel from his arm, as a reminder of his injuries incurred when he jumped into Normandy. I've been watching the PBS "American Experience" 3 part series on WW I,as we will be visiting Verdun later in our trip and seeing locations important in that war also, Thank you all again for your thoughtful responses.