Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandie, France
The visit at the American Cemetery is an intense and moving experience. This World War II cemetery, sited high above the Normandy coast, contains the graves of nearly 9400 war dead, and nearly 1600 names on the Walls of the Missing, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings.
Just... wow
Exceptional in every way. The grounds are immaculate, the cemetery itself designed in such a way that it invokes calm and space to reflect. The guide we had was wonderful. The museum is easily one of the best I have ever experienced: they do an incredible job of threading the needle between informing you on a macro and logistical level, while simultaneously providing a human perspective, by including the minutiae of individual soldiers lives, experiences, and personal accounts. The combination leaves you truly stunned and allows you to feel the impact of a world war, something that is at times so abstract. My thanks and compliments to all and everyone whose hard work went into creating this space both past and present. We must never forget.