Day 4: July 5, 2013

With our hotel base camp strategically located in Caen, a few miles inland from the D Day coastline, we expected to lead a tour of the best-known beaches in the Western world, thanks to their role in June 1944. (Remnants and memories of the D-Day landings pervade the entire Normandy shoreline) So did we in the afternoon. Morning was devoted to Explorica’s seminar , held at Juno Beach . What a brilliant idea to get us there for our meetings ! If a prize could be awarded to the best WWII museum complex in Normandy, no doubt Canada would stand out with our gleaming maple-leaf-shaped Juno Beach Centre ! After attending Explorica’s working session, we toured the exhibits and also visited the beach itself, led by friendly Canadian staff. As to our soldiers who lost their lives on the beach, we also visited their resting place - out in the fields - in nearby Bény-sur-mer : the cemetery is small, but the location is so beautiful.