Sitting down to write this, warm mug of tea snug by my side, it's easy to forget how hard people fought for this sense of peace.
Eighty years ago, over 150,000 soldiers launched the largest ever naval, air and land operation in what we now all know as the D-Day landings.
What you may not know is that Bradt have recently published a guide dedicated to the topic. You can read the official blurb below but the short version is that it will help you explore Normandy in context, taking in the most important memorials and museums, providing background information and, as far as is possible, helping you to try to make sense of it all.
It's an area I've always longed to explore but perhaps feared that I would just arrive and walk along the beaches, alone and a little lost.
This book will serve as a companion. And it's definitely going onto my list.
Until next week,
Cheers, Abi
This week marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Published to commemorate this milestone event, this travel guide offers simple-to-follow advice for independent travellers looking to visit the beaches, memorials, museums, battlefields and other sites associated with D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
Written by two experienced travel writers who are experts in France and military history, D-Day Landings is designed for visitors who want to see all or part of Normandy.
Covering the ground from the D-Day landing beaches (Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah) up to the Falaise Gap and Cherbourg, it encompasses both every major site and a host of smaller, less well-known locations – venturing well beyond the coast to include sites associated with the capture of Cherbourg (D+20) and the closing of the Falaise Gap (D+76), which marked the end of the Overlord campaign. Whether you are a military history enthusiast, have family who fought in Normandy or are simply visiting northern France, this is the guidebook for you.
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