From Deauville, it's about an hour drive
to Omaha and Utah Beaches, the Ameri-
can cemetery or any of the other dozens
of historic sites and memorials dedicated
to the Battle of Normandy, and while you
can certainly show up, look around, visit
the museums and learn what you can your-
self, hiring a guide is the best way to help
you better understand the human stories
that transpired here.
Nineteen years after the trip to France
I took with my father, and 13 years after
his passing, a work colleague and I have
engaged Guillaume Marie, the owner of
Normandy D-Day Tours, to spend the day
showing us around, and he picks us up in
his nine-seater van at the Bayeux train
station to begin the drive toward Utah
Beach. Of all the things we saw that day,
it is the small stories of personal sacrifice
that stay with you.
