Normandy: Storming the Beaches with Teens
Ah, Normandy with teens. My in-laws wrestled with this one, knowing it would be a hit with the history buff (my son) but unsure if the other three kids would be bored. They decided to go for it, and we were all so glad they did — it was a highlight of the trip for all of us. Booked as two-day jaunt, on the first day we visited a few of the D-Day sites in Normandy. We spent the night in Bayeux, then ventured into Brittany the next day to visit Mont. St. Michel.
First, a word on logistics: remember, this trip was booked by my in-laws, both in their late 70s, with no interest in renting a car and driving the two hours (possibly three hours at the speed they are comfortable with) to Normandy with teens in tow. To avoid this, they came up the great idea booking a van and driver for the two-day excursion, with the driver to do double duty as the tour guide. On paper, great idea. In reality, not so much. Positives are that we didn’t have to worry about directions or stress about timing. Negatives are that apparently to this guy being a tour guide meant tossing out things like, “The beach is over there; at one time it was covered with dead Americans.” So, if you want a tour guide in addition to a driver, I recommend checking reviews and references as much as possible.
Brief note on Bayeaux: awesome European town with classic medieval features. Great for evening walks and a meal. Apparently there is some tapestry there that is important, but we opted for adult beverages and gelato. Next trip.
Normandy’s D-Day Memorial and Omaha Beach
The D-Day Memorial (actually called The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial) is just incredibly moving. Even your most intellectually stunted, obnoxious teen will be swept up into the magnificent simplicity of the memorial. After watching the short films in the small museum and touring the few exhibits, we moved out into the cemetery. It’s so humbling to see the vast lines of gravestones. It really put into perspective for all of us the events we knew from books and movies. Perk alert: the beautiful weather added multiple bonus stars.
From the cemetery, we went over to Omaha Beach, where we poked around a German bunker, and tried to envision the carnage we saw in Saving Private Ryan actually occurring on the idyllic beach below us. An awesome tour guide or a ‘know it all’ father / uncle is useful to create the illusion of what happened at the beach. Otherwise it looks similar to Hilton Head, SC, without the alligators.
Airborne Museum in Normandy
We then drove to Sainte-Mere-Eglise where we had lunch in a creperie and toured the Airborne Museum. Museums on WWII and Normandy are EVERYWHERE in France, and in the US, and at some point it can start to feel repetitive, like you’re watching Band of Brothers for the gazillionth time. Not this one. The Airborne Museum KICKS ASS and it alone is worth the trip to Normandy. It moves well, educates without being overbearing, and just gives a unique take the night of June 6th. (And that was the consensus of teens and adults.) If you’re tackling Normandy with teens, I would definitely find a way to include this museum.
It had a few different buildings, but the one that made the biggest impression was the Neptune Operation, which was an immersive experience that actually made you feel like you were on Operation Neptune with the Allied paratroopers. So cool!
Perk alert: the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise was the site of a paratrooper getting caught on the steeple. And so that no one forgets this claim to fame, they have a fake paratrooper hanging there now. Adds a great sense of realism.
Riding in a Sherman Tank!
Finally, on our way to Bayeux, we made an unscheduled stop at the Normandy Tank Museum (now, sadly closed). Here, my husband and son were able to ride in an actual Sherman Tank. They’re huge WWII buffs, so thought the experience was worth the steep price tag. We couldn’t justify it for the rest of us, so Emma entertained herself in the kiddie tank. The place is now closed, and the tanks are all auctioned off. Knowing my husband, I’m expecting to find a ‘surprise’ in the garage any day now.
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Our itinerary contains links to the sights we saw and to our other blog posts about this trip.
Trip Date: July 2015
Kids’ Ages: Jonny 15 & Emma 13 (Plus cousins ages 16 & 14)