I visited Normandy in 1983 (roomed at a Bed & Breakfast in St. Lo) and you hardly want to talk above a whisper there. A few years ago I was on a job in the western suburbs of Philly and I met a man and his wife who wouldn’t let me leave their house until I sat down in the kitchen with them for a tuna fish sandwich.
The Iraq war was imminent at that time and the conversation steered that way. The wife then mentioned that her husband, sitting next to me, had been in the D-Day landing at Normandy. My eyes widened and I asked the man to tell me about it, which he did. His story - - similar to so many other stories from that day - - kept me mesmerized and left me thoroughly humbled. And the gentleman was so matter-of-fact about it....
I was there in 2004. Started off in Bayeux, went to Arromanches, Point du Hoc, the American cemetary in Coleville Sur Mer, and finished off in St. Mere Eglise. An absolutely amazing trip- and you’re right, it really does render one speechless. I’d go again in an instant.