Sainte-Mere-Eglise

Today’s route explored the Cotentin peninsula north of Granville--though not as far as Cherbourg. We needed a stop to break the morning and selected the ** town of Coutances  which promised a cathedral and gardens.  The morning ride took us first south past the faraway Mont St. Michel which we had bypassed yesterday and then north along the coast to Coutances.

Coutances garden

Coutances was just the ticket.  The Cathedral of Notre Dame is 13th century Gothic with an interesting lantern tower above the apse.   The public gardens provided lots of color, greenery, and some clever plantings.  We had noticed a creperie in town and though the timing was a bit early for us, there were no large towns on our afternoon agenda so we feasted on a quite tasty tuna salad and excellent crepe.

The highlight of the day was the town of Sainte Mere Eglise, the first town to be liberated in France on June 6, 1944.  Paratroopers of the 82th and 101st US airborne units parachuted into the town as the troops arrived on the beaches.  The Airborne Museum covers this early part of the invasion with photos, artifacts, videos, and a WACO glider and C-47 aircraft. A couple of hours later we departed for a ride past Utah and Omaha beaches.  Then a final hour on the motorway to Caen where we finally located the apartment (in a sea of apartment units) which we had booked.

As an aside, I would mention the 2001 series Band of Brothers which covers "Easy Company", part of the 101st Airborne, from training through the end of the war, and includes at the end of each episode, interviews with the surviving members of the Band.  Highly recommended.

The church at Sainte Mere Eglise

We will be here tomorrow night also and plan to visit the Memorial de Caen and perhaps something related to William the Conqueror as well, this being his base.