Omaha Beach, Normandy, France

 

I left Bayeux with Omaha Beach as my day's destination. According to maps it's about 15 miles. I came across this marked bike route and boy it's marvelous--taking you on shaded one lane country roads past beautiful dairy farmland, tiny villages and, very impressive chateaux (yep, that's the plural of chateau). 

Look at this 17th century beauty.

Here's a closer view. During World War ll the German General Staff of the Coastal Sector was housed here. How do I know? A plaque next to the road in French and English says so. See next photo. 

I must be getting close to Omaha Beach. Saw this sign for Golf Omaha Beach and checked out the golf course. Didn't see any World War ll obstacles on the course.

I'm at the coast (English Channel) and find this gravel path for cyclists. Nice! That structure in the distance is some kind of French government military installation as signs tell you photography is not allowed. Note: I was at a safe permitted distance when snapping this. 

Wow, this kind of gives you a view of the steep cliffs. 

Normandy Cemetery is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach. It covers 172 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military Dead, most of whom gave their lives in the landings and ensuing operations. Omaha Beach was one of five Allied landing areas. (Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Sword Beach, Juno Beach and, Gold Beach).

On the walls of the memorial garden in the previous photo are inscribed the names 1,557 of our Missing who rest in unknown graves.  

The Normandy Cemetery is very moving. It's to the left of the low wall with the beach to the right. 

You have to leave the cemetery property and follow a trail to reach the beach. This was an entrance to a German machine gun pillbox. I've seen and read dozens and dozens of World War ll documentaries, movies and books. Standing here I'm absolutely awestruck at what those soldiers on D-Day accomplished. 

Imagine exiting the landing craft only to mowed down instantly by enemy machine guns, if you survived that and make it to shore--there's no cover--only mines, barbed wire and other obstacles. How those soldiers managed to overcome the well dug-in enemy on the cliffs is absolutely unbelieveable!

You can drive down to an Omaha Beach parking lot and wander around. I will say again, how amazing it was what those soldiers did on D-Day! 

Overlord museum is very close to the cemetery.                       

Bayeux, France

 

I'm in Bayeux, population 13,000, the first major town secured by the Allies during the D-Day invasion in 1944. Fortunately, the town was left unscathed because the Germans were concentrated on defending the city of Caen about a dozen miles away. Many of the streets in the city are cobblestones making it a bumpy ride for cyclists.

Nice half-timbered building.

The Auer River runs through town.

Bayeux Cathedral.

Another view of Auer River.

Auer River provides calm views.

World War ll memorial/museum in Bayeux.

Tanks are scattered around the memorial/museum. 

Caen, France (Caen Castle)

 

I'm in downtown Caen (population 105,000) located 120 miles northwest of Paris. As expected there's no old town area. Why? During World War ll about 75% of the city was destroyed. However, I'm here to see Caen Castle--one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe. See those flags flying in the distance in the photo above? That's Caen Castle lording over the city. 

My bike and I make our way through the last surviving gatehouse. 

Jeez, the castle was built back in 1060--almost a thousand years ago- and it's just my luck they have the interior grounds all torn up to replace/install plumbing/water and electrical.

The castle complex sits on 13 acres. That building you see was a banquet hall. Who had the castle built in 1060? William the Conqueror (1028-1087). Who was this William guy? Well, he was actually William, Duke of Normandy and in 1066 he crossed the English Channel with his army and defeated King Harold of England at the Battle of Hastings--paving the way to conquer England and become King of England. 

Think about that. Here he was a mere duke (regional power)--not the King of France---and he whupped the English.  That would be like the Governor of Arizona invading and conquering Mexico and being named president of Mexico--while still holding the title of Govenor of Arizona.

So, William the Conqueror split his time between ruling England in London and ruling the Normandy area in Caen, France--while still being subservient to the King of France. Here's a piece of trivia: From 1066-1362 French was the official language of England. 

View of castle walls.

View from ramparts to the city center.

Another view of city from castle walls. 

Dining scene in downtown Caen. 

The building on the left is Caen's impressive city hall. That's Abbey Saint-Etienne on the right. Built in 1066, the abbey is the final resting place for William the Conqueror. 

Rouen, France

 

Rouen, population 120,000, lies 75 miles from Paris and 100 miles from the D-Day beaches of Normandy. Of course the first place I head to is Rouen's medieval old town area.  

Lots of half-timbered buildings.

Tourist office.

This building houses a hotel.

This is Gros Horloge, an astronomical clock dating back to the 14th century. 

This half-timbered building caught my attention because the ground floor houses a patisserie. 

I thought this was a patisserie shop but, turns out it's a school to learn how to make patisseries (pastries). It's break time from class.

Have this impressive monument but no plaque giving some background information.

This is the keep of Rouen Castle. The castle was built in the 1200's but was dismantled in 1591 except for keep. Built within the walls of a castle, the keep is a fortified tower and used as a last refuge if the castle was attacked. 

Front of Rouen Cathedral. It's famous for its three towers--each with a different style (early Gothic, Flamboyant and, Renaissance)

Side view of Rouen Cathedral.

This church inner courtyard dates back to the Middle Ages. If you look closely at the woodwork you see carvings of bones and skulls. This was a cemetery. During plagues in the Middle Ages bodies were buried here and when space ran out-- the bones would be dug up and stacked in the attics atop the second floor. 

The Seine River runs through Rouen. Though it's 100 miles to the English Channel, it's the fifth busiest port in France. There's a massive crowd past the bridge and I don't even attempt to get through with my bike. What's going on?

Every half-dozen years Rouen host an armada of tall sailing ships. You can see a few of them lined up on the other side. 

King of Saudi Arabia's palace (Geneva, Switzerland)

 

I'm about eight miles from Geneva in the well-to-do suburb of Cologny. With views of Lake Geneva along with the Jura Mountains in the distance, this area is home to the super wealthy. Many from the Middle East have homes in the area but, none compare to the King of Saudi Arabia's 177,000 square foot "get away" palace. Built in the 1970's by King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud--very little is known about the place. I did find a website showing an aerial view of the palace and grounds. Click on this link: https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/swiss-palace-of-king-abdullah-bin-abdul-aziz-al-saud/view/google/        Ugh, unfortunately I can't get it to work when clicking on the link so you have to type in the whole thing. 

Described as a "mini-Versailles", what you see is a two-story, H-shaped building along with about a dozen villas on a four acre site--all linked by a series of underground tunnels through which vehicles can travel. The estate has up to 100 garages to house the king's fleet of cars. 

King Fahd died in 2005. When he would visit his Boeing 747 would be followed by another Boeing  747 as well as four other large planes carrying his staff and royal luggage. After King Fahd's death his brother-in-law King Abdullah took over the property.  King Abdullah died in 2015 and is now the property belongs to his half-brother King Salmane. Got that?

I don't have the property's exact address but thanks to Google's view from above I have the general area and am cycling around to see it from the ground.

Came across this interesting chateau in Cologny. Built in 1883 by a wealthy Scotsman, it's half Gothic and half Oriental.  

A plaque outside the entrance gate reads" Swiss Oil & Gas Trading SA" .

Going on the internet I learn the owner is Mohamad Harajchi, an Iranian. Guess what? The place is on the market for a cool $60 million. 

On the main drag through Cologny one passes by this walled complex. It's the home office for the World Economic Forum--the one who every winter stages the famous gathering of the world's movers and shakers in the ski resort of Davos. 

It's a Sunday and the World Economic Forum's offices are closed but I stick my camera through the gates and snap this photo. Over 600 employees work here. The views over Lake Geneva are impressive. The complex houses multiple modernistic buildings totaling 115,000 square feet. It must have cost an arm and a leg as well as overcoming local opposition to build the place but then again, from the very high fees the World Economic Forum charges to attend their events--they could afford it. 

Cycling down a side road I came upon this watch tower or is it a fire watch tower? A plaque near the tower base has the dates 1602-1902. Does it mean it was built in 1602 or was there another tower on the site between 1602-1902 and this current tower was built in 1902? Either way I like it. 

I'm on a hill. Away from the lakefront it's vineyards, farmland and tiny villages. See that tall building in the distance (it's a flour mill)? According to my calculations the Saudi mega-palace should be somewhere to the left of the flour mill near the lakefront. 

Well, thanks to a neighbor down the street I find the main entrance to the palace. See the black plaque on the right near the guard building? It reads "Villa de L'Aube"--which means "dawn villa". After snapping this picture a guard comes out. I ask if this place belongs to the King of Saudi Arabia. He says he's not allowed to give out any information and says I'm not allowed to take photos. Seeing as how I've already taken pictures, I elect not to get in an argument with him and point out the fact I'm standing on a public street.

I decide to cycle around the perimeter of the complex and see if I can get a glimpse of the mega-mansion. It's heavily wooded and walls prevent you from seeing much.

This is a side entrance to the palace and looks to be a few of the onsite villas.

Heading down to the lakefront I see this spiffy-looking chateau.

Here's the entrance to the chateau.