I'm on the Normandy coach at Utah Beach, where 836 000 Allied troops came ashore in the D-Day landings, and making a special effort to type legibly today.
It has been an enjoyable run across Normandy under blue skies on quiet roads through a rolling landscape of low hills covered in fields and forest. The hedgerows are groaning with brambles, which have provided a tasty dessert for the last couple of evening meals. I've covered some big distances, and have sometimes felt tempted to slow down and take my time more, but when the riding is as good as this it's a shame not to make the most of it.
There is a huge D-Day industry along the coast here, with lots of historical sites and museums. This morning I stopped to visit Dead Man's Corner museum, scene of some key fighting to establish the route inland from the beach. It gained it's name when one of the leading US tanks was destroyed by German anti-tank fire. The body of the tank commander was left sitting in the turret for several days, and the location became known as the "corner with the dead guy in the tank".
On to Cherbourg this afternoon, and hopefully a ferry across the channel tomorrow.