On our third day in Normandy we set out to view as many important WWII sites as we could, starting out in Arromanches, where the incredible Port Winston was constructed. A floating dock and pier system that allowed Allied ships a safe harbor from which they might supply the hundreds of thousands of troops who were pouring into northern France, this engineering marvel, now mostly lost to time and nature, remains as evidence of what great things humans are capable of in the face of overwhelming necessity and odds.

I’d like to thank the United States Congress for their sinful self-involvement that caused the recent shutdown. One of our goals was to visit the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. The frustration, disappointment, and embarrassment of arriving to find the gates locked is something I won’t soon forget.

The people of this region remain fond of and grateful to America for its role in their liberation from the Germans nearly 70 years ago. Seeing so many yards and businesses flying the Stars and Stripes was moving and humbling.

Now, a few shots of Normandy’s WWII sites. (click on photo for full-sized image.)