The price of freedom

July 20, 2011

You'll never guess what happened today!

It rained... All day.

Now I know those of you in Calgary and most of Western Canada have had your share of rain this summer. But you're not the ones camping and cycling everyday.

I waited for a break in the rain in the morning and set out. my energy level was way down and I didn't feel that motivated. I looked at my map and knew I had over 100km to do and I just didn't feel up to it. 
To fix my energy level I grabbed a chocolate bar. Might not be the best in the long run but I need a kick.
To fix the distance problem I broke up my day into small goals. I would simply set my sights on the next town or two and take it from there. 

Finally, after playing in the rain and climbing some sizable (which I was not expecting) I arrived on the outskirts of Caen. I followed the signs to the tourist office, grabbed my city maps and got pointed in the direction of the closest campground which was about 10km away. 
After setting up I quickly went to get food and took the evening easy. 

After over 5 hours in the saddle and 110km covered, sleep came easy with a bottle of Bordeaux Supérieur. 

July 21, 2011

After awaking to more rain today I thought I was gonna lose my mind. I think the weatherman realized this and decided to lay off.

About 10am the rain stopped and I took off for the beaches of Normandy. Today I was doing a loop so I left my stuff at camp. Once I reached the coast I first came to Sword beach which is where the British 3rd Infantry came ashore. There wasn't much there save a memorial or two so I moved on. It's been over 60 years since Operation Overlord occurred and time has taken it's toll. You can barely tell that vicious battles were fought all over the coast. There are a couple gun turrets and scars on the ground but if someone didn't know about D-Day it would simply be another resort coast. 
After Sword Beach I reached Juno Beach which is where the Canadian Infantry came ashore. It is here that our countries finest bravely fought for the freedom of France and Europe. Just as everywhere else time has hidden what really happened here but the only Canadian Museum in the area called Centre Juno Beach has saved a small piece. Upon arrival there is an old German bunker and other contraptions from the war spread around. Juno beach is also where General Charles de Gaulle and Winston Churchill came ashore shortly after the landings. 
The museum is run by Canadian students and I felt very welcome inside. The girl who helped me at the front desk had just graduates from the U of A. There was a tour of the beach happening so I got a ticket for that as well as the museum. The tour of the beach was great and it really brought the scene to life... Especially touring a part of the German bunker.
The museum was also great and I loved hearing all of the Canadian stories!
It ate up pretty much all my day so I turned around back to camp. I would have loved to see Utah and 'Bloody Omaha' beach but they were a ways away. Maybe some other time...

It is really moving what happened here that long time ago. I was proud to see my flag waving every couple hundred meters in the wind! What our country did to step was admirable and should never be forgotten. 
Our country made some blunders in the war such as not acting sooner and rejecting immigrants that should have been accepted. But when push came to shove we were on the right side of the battle.

We are lucky to live in the days we live in. War is an ugly thing.