I started the day by cycling into Riva-Bella (Ouistreham) to check out two museums. One was shut due to Covid but the other, the 'Grand Bunker', was open. Outside it had some vehicles and guns which had been recovered from the area since the war, and included an LCA that had been used in Saving Private Ryan. The bunker itself (an observation and artillery command post) had not appeared on Allied plans so was largely ignored in the first couple days. It had suffered a hit on the roof so looked abandoned. On 9th June an engineer officer charged with surveying construction materials found the doors locked from the inside. He and his men decided to blow their way in and after a few attempts with increasing amounts of explosives they finally made an entry. There they were surprised by a German saying in English "It's OK Tommy, you can come up - we won't shoot." The officer replied "Bugger off, you can come down here!" and so 53 Germans surrendered to him.
After returning to J, who had been reading in the diminishing sunshine, we decided to bus in to Caen. There we saw the Fine Arts and the Normandy museums before closing time. By the time we got back it was raining and it has been raining ever since. Never mind, the forecast is for another week of hot weather from tomorrow.
The citadel, built by Guillaume.
The Abbeye aux Hommes, built by Guillaume, and where he is buried. His wife Matilde (also his cousin) is buried in The Abbaye aux Femmes, also built by William.
Caen was 2/3 destroyed in 1944 but is an apparently thriving town now.
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