Normandy - Cheese and bunkers

Exploring Caen, Bayeux, Mont Saint-Michel, Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Arromances, Colleville, Deauville and Grandcamp.

  • Mountain of the angel

    Mont Saint-Michel is a small island in western Normandy. Being a tidal island where the natural land bridge can be hidden at high tide, it was a premier location for a stronghold as well as a monastery.

    Mont Saint-Michel

  • Sunset over the English channel

    Grandcamp

  • Walls of the conqueror

    This castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1060, being one of the largest medieval fortresses in Western Europe.

    Chateau Ducal in Caen

  • Remains of Mulberry

    What's left of Port Winston, the temporary Mulberry harbor. Since they were constructed to last for only six months, it's no wonder that most of it is gone 60 years later.

    Arromances

  • Within these walls

    The town of Bayeux may be most famous for the Bayeux tapestry, telling the tale of the Norman conquest of England in 1066. But don't miss the Norman-Romanesque cathedral built ten years later, where the tapestry was originally located.

    The cathedral of Bayeux

  • Edge of destiny

    The area is still filled with craters and broken casemates. I also visited this eerie place during night, exploring the corroded bunkers with flashlight.

    Pointe du Hoc

  • Saving Private Ryan

    During the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, Omaha Beach was the site of chaotic mayhem. It is almost impossible to imagine the slaughter that took place as the infantry ran across this sand towards the fortified casemates.

    Omaha Beach

  • Edge of destiny

    This clifftop was a location of strategic importance for the D-Day invasion, as the Germans had installed 155mm guns which could threaten the entire operation. An American Ranger battalion scaled the cliffs with ropes while taking enemy fire.

    Pointe du Hoc

  • Smurf house

    Deauville and Trouville are almost like a single town, separated by a small water quay.

    Deauville

  • Black stone

    Church of Saint-Pierre in Caen