megram - Index

megram - 55JunGTA - Index

the artificial harbour that allowed troops to pour through
here seem like great beached monsters, incongruous
against the 1940s music playing in the square and the carnival-like
atmosphere of souvenir stands selling fake relics
of the war, from Zippo lighters to model-plane kits.
Finally, I arrive in Courseulles-sur-Mer and step on to
Juno Beach,where the Canadian soldiers made one of their
most difficult landings.A few hundred metres from where
the sea meets the sand, the Juno Beach Centre stands, the
only Canadian D-Day museum on the beaches. Opened in
2003, its exhibits focus on interpreting our nation’s context
and contributions — why our soldiers fought and the
crucial differences that they made.And what it cost them.
A guide from the Centre leads a small group of visitors
onto the sand, pointing out the bunkers and the areas
where each unit would have stepped foot on French soil.
Her sweeping gesture takes in the decades like mere grains
of sand, as, behind her, a handful of children play, building
small, low sandcastles, hunkered down against the everpresent
breeze.
Maybe, if those soldiers in the black-and-white photographs
could see the bright colours of pails and shovels,
the smiles on the children’s faces — well, they would
smile, too.And perhaps that’s understanding enough.
Yvonne Jeffery is a freelance travel writer from Calgary.
Juno Beach today — thanks to the
sacrifices made decades ago, it’s
ideal for a stroll on a breezy day.
June 2008 • 45 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
The immaculate grounds of the Canadian War
Cemetery at Beny-Sur-Mer honours those killed
during D-Day and other operations.
If You Go
Getting there: Fly from Ottawa to Paris and take a
rental car for the two- to three-hour drive to
Normandy. (Pre-book your car to ensure availability
and best values, and have change available for the
toll booths.)
Staying there: Look for charming accommodation
in old farmhouses that have been turned into inns
known as gîtes.
Touring there:A number of driving routes describing
D-Day and its aftermath,including battles,cemeteries
and beaches, have been mapped and officially
signed in Normandy. For visitor information, turn
to Normandy’s tourism office (www.Normandytourism.org)
and the official French tourism bureau
in Canada (ca-en.franceguide.com). Don’t miss the
Juno Beach Centre (www.junobeach.org), and the
Caen Memorial (www.memorial-caen.fr) in Caen, a
massive, modern museum that covers the 20th century
through World War II, the Cold War, and peace.