My first visit to Bayeux (and to the city of Battle in East Essex in England) several years ago had to do with the Battle of Hastings, often regarded by historians to be the single most influencial battle in human history, which started from here in 1066.

This visit to Bayeux and to the Omaha Beach nearby in February 2020 had to do with the Battle of Normandy in 1944.

I took Bus Line 70 from the Bayeux train station to St. Laurent-sur-Mer and walked to the Omaha Beach and to the Normandy American Cemetery. 

I wasn't too keen on visiting war memorials or cemeteries, but the day presented a totally different experience from what I expected.That is not surprising when you realize that 4,500 Allied soldiers' and thousands more German soldiers' young lives perished within the 24 hours of the D-Day.

A memorial at the Omaha Beach reads, "The Allied forces landing on this shore, which they call Omaha Beach, liberated Europe - June 6, 1944."

The Normandy American Cemetery at the Omaha Beach is not just a cemetery and includes a fantastic museum and several view points out to the Beach. So if your time is limited, you can just get off the bus right at the entrance of this cemetery and see all three: the Omaha Beach, the museum and the cemetery. 

And the Memorial at the Bayeux (British Commonwealth) War Cemetery sums it up on both of the two battles this way: "We, once conquered by William, have now liberated the Conqueror's native land." This is a moving statement.

But even after Europe was eventually liberated in May 1945, America still had a headache.