Who: Vietnam veteran Marty Buys, Sara Buys and Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran Jack Kuskie, all of Centennial
Where: Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville
Out and about: We traveled throughout Europe with our two Colorado State University graduates who decided the highlight of the trip was the day we took an excursion from Paris to Normandy, to visit the D-Day Beaches and pay tribute to GIs from another generation. First, we stopped at La Pointe du Hoc and meandered down poppy-lined walkways leading to the steep coastlines where Americans landed to face the Germans’ powerful artillery battery, remnants of which still mark the bomb-scarred landscape. From there, we drove up the coast to Gold, Juno, Sword, and Omaha beaches, where artificial harbors leftover from another time remain.
Travel tip: Be sure to make time in your itinerary to stop for lunch in the French countryside. We found a 16th-century farm house along the way that served a five-course meal made from fresh dairy products that produced an omelet like no other. At the end of the day, stop by the Le Memorial de Caen, to study the historical events that led up to and followed the Battle at Normandy.
