We had initially planned on only spending one day visiting D-Day-related sites during our time in the Normandy region.  We quickly discovered, however, that one day was going to be enough time to see everything that we had hoped to see.  We changed up our itinerary and, rather than driving to Mont St Michel in the morning, we visited Omaha Beach in San-Laurent-sur-Mer first and then headed on to Mont St Michel.  There was quite a bit to see in San Laurent, so the detour was definitely worth it.

We didn’t stop at the D-Day museum, but we did make a quick stop to get a good look at the Sherman Tank and the Czech hedgehog.  It was neat to see them in person after having seen them in movies.

Sherman Tank & Czech Hedgehog

We were surprised to see that the name “Omaha Beach” had stuck — it was the Allies’ code name for the beach.  I’d assume that the beaches had other names prior to the D-Day invasion.

Entrance to Omaha Beach at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

I was surprised to see so many remembrance crosses — I think they were at every D-Day sight that we visited during our trip.  It was very touching to see how appreciative they are — to this day — of the men and women who fought for their freedom.

Remembrance Crosses

The inscription on the following memorial reads: “The Allied Forces landing on this shore which they call Omaha Beach liberate Europe – June 6th 1944.”

Memorial at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

Memorial at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

2nd Infantry Division Memorial at the East end of San Laurent

Bunker at East end of San Laurent — Omaha Beach in the Background

Sandy Path Leading to Omaha Beach

Wild Rose

Beach at West end of San Laurent

Bunker at West end of San Laurent

Orange & Yellow Wildflowers

Sign for Charlie and Dog Green Sectors (two of the ten sectors of Omaha Beach)

Hidden Bunker

Part of a Mulberry Harbor

Memorial Statue at Omaha Beach

Fleabane Daisies

WWI and WWII National Guard Memorial at Omaha Beach

Flags & National Guard Memorial

National Guard Memorial on Top of Bunker

Bunker & Cliffs of Omaha Beach

Purple Wildflowers

Memorial Statue & Flags (France, National Guard, and USA)

Bunker Hidden in Cliffs at Omaha Beach

Tractors (used to haul boats to and from the water)

Houses in San Laurent

Bunker Hidden in the Cliffs at San Laurent

We learned in our guidebook that these are pieces of a mulberry harbor that had been recovered from a scrapyard and restored.

Restored Mulberry Harbor