I woke in my small hotel room in Ouistreham. It had a maritime theme; shells and mermaids painted on the wall, a porthole for a window and I’m sure the room was swaying from side to side. I felt ill, I wasn’t sure if it was seasickness brought on by this claustrophobic steerage cabin or the hangover from last night at the bar. Either way I wasn’t feeling well and ridiculously hungry. My hotel was great value, but I discovered that came at a price as smiles and breakfast were not included. I got directions to the nearest cafe from my sour faced receptionist, clearly she is not a morning person but her recommendation was worth the attitude.
I had one day to explore Ouistreham and there was a lot to see if you’re interested in WW2 and particularly the D-Day landings of June 1944. The Normandy beaches where the D-Day landings took place stretched from Ouistreham in the East to Pointe du Hoc in the West. As I stood on this peaceful beach looking out towards the English Channel it was hard to imagine thousands of troops making their way towards this seaside town by sea and air, heading towards the formidable German defences that lined the coast. The water must have been red with blood and the sand littered with the dead and dying as the German guns fired relentlessly on troops weighed down with equipment slowly making their way up the beach. Hard to imagine.
I spent the rest of the day browsing through some of the many museums in Ouistreham before walking a few miles inland along the canal to the site of the Pegasus Bridge. During dinner beside the bridge I planned my route to Cherbourg tomorrow and reflected on the incredible, heroic and tragic sights of the day.