I took a couple of days in Normandy last month. Bike and tent, first time in years. And what an event.
The surprise was in how well attended the area, and the anniversary, was. And not just me - there were presidents, prime ministers, royalty. Plus a shipfull of proper heroes, those who had been there and changed the world, for the better unlike some of the "dignatories".
Sadly, foolishly perhaps, I had expected an easy few days in a beautiful part of the world. Many times I've ridden along the Normandy coast. Home for me is only the other side of the channel. England's moat. So some of us can pop across for a day.
This recent trip was an extension of those trips. Because of the occasion it was much, much, more. Many 1944 vehicles and uniforms and the historical sites spruced up. But the scale of the event and the security presence, protection for our leaders meant closed roads and more motorcycle gendarmes than ever seen. So, add to that my neglecting to book a camp site, and I found my return to the UK happened two days earlier than planned. A shame as there was still much to experience.
This is a guzzi forum. So to justify my post I hope I have included a photo taken on the afternoon of 5th June. It was a road behind sword beach and a couple of miles west from Pegasus bridge. I had just passed a German radar station, now a museum. The road was open and narrow, the field planted and dotted with poppies. My disappointment at heading home melted away. I was reminded that 75 years previously our grandfather's had had a much worse time. But the outcome helped us all to make our world a better place.
