Smokyboy, get busy with that trip report!

Also, do any of you have photos on line of your trip to Normandy? Would love to see them if you'd care to post the link to them.

We visited Normandy and the D-Day beaches in September 2000, and the experience remains my most unforgetable travel. Unfortunately, at the time, I was depending on my sis for photos, but she's not as obsessive as I am about capturing the moment in film. In any case, all I have is my memories and very few photos.

We did a half day on the tour bus and then drove ourselves to a few spots.

I recommend that you try and get to Arromanches. There is a special movie in a 360 degree format. There is also a museum which explains the portable harbors at Arromanches (The portable harbors are key to the success of the invasion.)

We did not have time for the museums in Bayeaux and Caen (wish that we had).

Bayeaux is one of the few medieval towns to survive WWII without heavy bomb damage. You might enjoy Bayeaux because of that ( I had never seen anything like it).

Sorry if I'm repeating myself - make sure you go to Omaha beach during the main part of the day - you'll see tons of dogs, kids, people having a great time. Our guide who was british made the comment to me that the American sacrifice there made this kind of life possible now. When we went to the American cemetery (bring a hankie), we walked out to the look out over the beach that has been left as it was in 1944. amazing!! Take time to go to the british cemetery and german cemetery as well - look at the inscriptions. Many of them stay with me. We had the benefit of Col Chilcott as our guide and he's a walking encyclopedia of the area and can direct you to very unique places within the main tourist stops.

I would like to second cmeyer54's comment about going to see the German and British cemetary if possible as well as the American. My most abiding memory of our day at Normandy was the differences in how the three war cemetaries had been set up. These stick in my mind much more than the fortifications themselves.

Smokyboy: Glad you had such a great time. Thanks for the insights. Can'ty wait to see your trip report as we are going to Switzerland and Paris as well (leaving in a few weeks). We are doing Battlebus, but on a private tour.

WE drove and saw the sites on our own. It required a little bit of reasearch, but we would rather do it that way than with a guide. My 5 tr-old thought the beaches and the battle sites were fun. He also thought the D-Day museum in Bayeux and the Imperial War Museum were fun even though many on here thought there was no way he would. You know your child best and what he might like, so it will be hard for others to give you advice. All I can say is that if the time is taken to educate a child on a given area or issue, they will enjoy the sites more once you get there.