The cemetery covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 people, most of who died during the D-Day landings, as well as various memorials to 1557 people missing in action. It’s a somber and reflective place, somewhere you need to pause and think.
This year will be 80 years since the D-Day landing.
Where do you start with somebody like General Gavin? He did som much, known as the “Jumping General” due to his habit of jumping with his paratroopers, in particular he jumped with the 82nd Airborne Division on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), a division he commanded just 2 months later. In particular, they secured the area around Sainte-Mère-Église near Utah Beach.
He then went on to serve at Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge. He bio is fascinating, and is worth reading.
This photo is taking at the D-Day landing site, just outside Sainte-Mère-Église.
The Memorial to the reporters in Bayeux honours journalists that have died in connection with their work. It starts in the 1940, and is (alas) updated every year. Press freedom is fundamental to free society and accountability of those in authority.
Freedom comes at a price, and we should honours those that died reporting on it.
Visiting Louis Braille’s final resting place was very special for me. Of course with a blind wife this is because Braille features in my life. At one stage all our CD’s had Braille labels (of course now we hardly use CD’s at all). It is astonishing to think that this man developed a system to allow millions of people to read books again. He in interred at the Pantheon in Paris, which in its own right is a lovely place to visit.
Its also a little ironic that in many areas Braille isn’t nearly as useful as it used to be, especially with modern phones, ebooks, book readers and apps etc. It’s also lovely to see how these tools make it even easier for a blind person to lead a normal life. Lets hope the progress continues.
A view of the Conciergerie on the West of the Île de la Cité, from the right bank of the Seine River. The current building dates back about 400 years, but the site. Was a Roman fortress over 2000 years ago.
The site is famous, of course, becasue Marie-Antoinette, was imprisoned, tried and sentenced at the Conciergerie.
Budapest is full of running paths, there is one in almost every park. And with a 5km track, Margaret Island is no exception. Margaret Island is a lovely little haven of piece and quite in the middle of the Danube, sheltering you from the somewhat chaotic city. So of course I had to go for a run. By the way, the track would make a perfect parkrun, just saying!
If you’re not a runner its still a lovely place to visit either for a picnic or just a stroll around the island.
This track goes all the way around the island. Directions – stick to the track and run for 5km. You will get you back to where you started.
This water tower is in the middle of the island. It is over 100 years old and just short of 60m tall.
Saint Margaret’s grave in the middle of the island. She lived in the 1200’s, and lived as a nun on the island since she was 3 years old. She was canonised by the Roman Catholic Church in 1943, and reputedly performed miracles both during her life and after her death.
The remains of the Dominican convent where Saint Margaret lived.
My route, its a lovely run.
Before I visited the baths I wasn’t sure how the process works and it felt a little intimidating. So here are my tips based on my visit. I hope it makes your visit a little easier.
It is completely above board, and very relaxing and refreshing. If you’re in Budaleast I highly recommend giving the baths a try. I visited the Széchenyi Spa, but there are baths all over the city, each with their own characteristics.
And aside from the wonderful bathing experiences, the buildings are wonderful and ornate – Széchenyi Spa dates back to 1881. Its worth a visit just to see the wonderful architecture.
“Cholate snail”, don’t worry no snails were harmed. Yes these rolled pastries are as good as they look.
Mini-spinach and feta pastries.
There is no cost to visit the castle complex, and you can wonder around most of the complex. The view of the river and the city from the castle is spectacular.
Budavári Palota – Buda Castle
Matthias Church dates back to the 13th-century, with the Fisherman’s bastion in the front.
The beautiful quad inside the castle, its also used as a live music venue.
Fisherman’s bastion, supposedly it was the inspiration for the Disney castle. Its a long flight of stairs up from the river (or you can cheat and take the elevator at the back of the castle complex).
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