When we visited the Juno Beach landing site we paid particular attention because Tracy's grandfather arrived there with the Fort Garry Horse tank regiment.
It is indeed nice to visit the pleasant beach that exists today, but the battle scars are still present all around you if you look for them. It is worthwhile to visit all of the beaches if you find yourself in northern France. You get a much better perspective and appreciation for how terrible war actually is.
The first thing that will strike you is the Kieffer Memorial which incorporates a German bunker into its base.
Nearby there is a Sherman Tank. The story behind the tank is quite fascinating.
One of the memorial badges on the tank brings the whole picture much closer to home.
There are also a number of other plaques that show the concentration of German defenses and gives you an idea of how difficult a task the Canadian soldiers faced.
A little walking around and it is possible to find some of the bunkers identified in the photo from 1944. Some of the bunkers are obvious like the anti-tank gun while others are more subtle. Still others you can go inside of them if you choose.
The nearby Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer is the final resting place for 2044 Canadian soldiers.
