Thinking of taking father and father in law to Germany, France, England to revisit tiime spent there during WWII. Anyone have experience? Suggestions? Thanks <BR>

Angela; My husband & I toured the Normandy Beaches last May and learned and enjoyed the experience inmensely. We drove from Paris to Deauvile, a resort town, and started to drive early the next AM. We bordered the coast, stopped at some of the beaches, toured the Omaha Museum (excellent!), and had a lot to reflect about at the end of the trip. Angela, I would had give everything I have to have had my father with me on that trip. You are truly blessed. <BR>

my wife and i toured the normandy beaches and the bayeux area last september and loved it. you must go to pointe-du-hoc -- the battlefield has been left unmanicured and there are artillery craters big enough to park a mack truck in. plus, there are preserved german pillboxes there that you are free to walk through and imagine what it looked like to wake up and face the arrival of the allied fleet. and when you look at the sheer cliffs that the rangers were expected to climb, you will be in awe of what the allies accomplished. also be sure to go the cemetery; it is also awe-inspring, and gives you a great vantage point of the overall normandy beaches. bayeux was one of the first towns liberated by the allies and escaped much of the devastation that other towns in the area experienced. it's definitely worth a visit. a convenient place to stay with some historic value is the chateau de colombieres, a 14th century castle that now operates as a bed and breakfast. omar bradley set up shop there after taking over the beaches (although he retired to a nearby trailer to sleep to avoid the possibility of getting shelled). it's run by the compte and comptesse maupeou, whose family has owned the place for more than 300 years. they're delightful hosts.

I presume your relatives were ground troops who fought in France/Germany during The War. If so, I recommend getting the history of the specific unit your relative's served; it should tell the exact dates and places they fought. Imagine going into a village liberated by your father's unit! My father served in the 47th regiment, 9th infantry; and knowing the exact places he fought added to my connection to his service.

Although we are Canadian my husband had the wonderful chance to visit Holland, France and Germany with his father and as his father has just passed away he remembers it as one of the most important things he has done in his life, hope it proves as spectacular for you. They found that the Canadian Legion offered tours at different times, perhaps the American Legion would offer the same? They also discovered that someone from my father-in-law's unit had written a small book on their experiences and this was very helpful in planning the places to see. Wish you well. <BR>