The New Huntmastersbbs!: London and Normandy vacation pics...

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Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 10:22 AM:

I know its about 3 months late, but I have just went through the 3,500 or so pics my wife took and ferreted out the ones I thought you might be interested in...here goes:

This is yours truly in Purdey and Sons in London...behind me is about $2,000,000 in O/U and double shotguns--some of the most beautiful I have seen. The double on the far right end is a 28", 28 gauge...only $262,000 US!

According to our guide, this was Ike's headquarters in London...located on Audley Street, just down the way from Purdeys.

[ July 02, 2015, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 10:24 AM:

Got it! Thanks, Lonny!

This is the Notre Dame Cathedral in St. Lo, France...new portion replaced after the war...you can see the old portions on either end. Cathedral built in the 1100's...my dad was hurt during the battle for St. Lo. 95% of the town was leveled during the last part of June and the first part of July, 1944.

[ July 02, 2015, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 10:41 AM:

[ July 02, 2015, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 02, 2015, 10:51 AM:

Anybody?

The two techies I can think of are Fred and Fur? Somebody should be able to help. That wouldn't include me, I am not Internet savvy.

Good hunting. El Bee

Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 02, 2015, 10:57 AM:

knockemdown helped me out sometime back with posting pics from photobucket.

So here's what worked for me.

Copy "Direct Link" selection.

Paste to your reply.

Now bracket your direct link with [IMG] and [/IMG]

So it should look something like this with no spaces:

[IMG] htp:/blahblahblahblah.jpg [/IMG]

Good luck

[ July 02, 2015, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: Lonny ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 12:27 PM:

Here we go!

This is looking east from the 2nd observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, about 550' off the ground. This is the staging area to take the elevator to the very top. I have an issue with heights, so needless to say, I was not going to go another 500+ feet in the air!

These are the cliffs at Point du Hoc, (pronounced 'Pwawn do Hoe'). Col. Rudder's Rangers were tasked with climbing the cliffs to take out the guns, (which ended up not being there), that were supposedly aimed at Utah and Omaha Beaches. The cliffs were pretty much vertical and about 100 to 120 feet high. 242 Rangers started the assault on June 6th, and on June 8th when the ground was finally taken, only about 90 were able to walk and wield a gun.

Memorial at Point du Hoc. This is directly on top of the German observation outlook. If you go to YouTube, you can see the speech Pres. Reagan gave on the 40th anniversary of the invasion in 1984. It was directly on top of this. The memorial depicts the daggers our Rangers used to climb the last several feet up the cliffs.

[ July 02, 2015, 01:00 PM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 12:36 PM:

This is one of the shell craters at Point du Hoc...70 years later, still 20' deep and 20' across. Caused by the guns from our Navy battleships.

Funky art on Omaha Beach, (can't understand the meaning...)

Reflection pool and memorial at the US cemetary at Omaha Beach.

Crosses in the cemetary. Cemetary is 180 acres, with over 9,600 soldiers buried there. Very humbling...the grass is so pretty it almost looks artificial.

This is a memorial about a mile from Utah Beach. It was dedicated to the Parachute Infantry Regiments...there is a quote on there from Maj. Dick Winters of the Band of Brothers fame.

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 12:49 PM:

Utah Beach looking west over the ocean. This is as far as I went. Wind was blowing a steady 55 mph, 39 degrees and raining. I had sugar sand in my teeth and hair after that...was plain miserable.

Just outside of St. Marie Du Mont. If you have watched the Band of Brothers series, they staged the assault on the artillery guns at Brecourt Manor at a farm on the edge of this little burg. It is rumored that the guns that were supposed to be at Point du Hoc were moved to Brecourt Manor, as they were primarily trained on Utah Beach about 5 miles away.

Sculpture at the 101st Airborne Museum at St. Mere Eglise. It depicts two hands coming out of the ground and breaking chains and reaching for our paratroopers. It is called 'The Day They Came'...

The Catholic church at St. Mere Eglise. This is where John Steele, an 82nd Airborne Paratrooper got hung up on the steeple. You can see the parachute and dummy dressed like Mr. Steele hanging from the roof. This was highlighted in the movie 'The Longest Day'...he hung there for 2 hours and played dead until the Germans cut him down and captured him. He escaped 2 days later. If you do a Google search, you can find some pretty cool pics of the stained glass windows in the church. The main window at the altar shows the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus surrounded by two paratroopers floating down. St. Mere Eglise was the very first town liberated in the invasion.

[ July 02, 2015, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 02, 2015, 12:57 PM:

Last picture...this is a Ghurka soldier guarding the Regimental Barracks of the guards that are at Buckingham Palace. I guess they are mean little bastards...they have their own unit inside the military. Very fearless and similar to our Rangers and Delta boys.

Well, that is it! I just have a few observations that I don't think I shared. If you ever have a chance, do visit London. I am sure there are places you shouldn't go, but for the most part, it was clean, the food and beer were spectacular, and the people were friendly!

On the other hand, skip Paris! It was a sewer, the people were rude, and the place was simply filthy.

Normandy was very cool. We stayed in a little 'village', (around 13,000 people), of Bayeaux. It was untouched in the invasion as there were no Germans garrisoned there. It was centrally located, 5 miles from Omaha Beach, 15 miles to Utah Beach, and super easy to get around by a rental car. Easier than driving here in some places in Kansas.

Guess that does it! Enjoy!

Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 02, 2015, 01:18 PM:

Totally cool !!
It's really hard to grasp the scope of what happened there. Serious shit.

And BTW; Happy belated birthday Chesty, wherever you are.

Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on July 02, 2015, 04:45 PM:

I would imagine, when visiting those memorials, you can feel that something big happened there.

Thanks for sharing.

Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on July 02, 2015, 05:18 PM:

Tim, that was way cool. I really enjoyed the pic's, kinda felt like I was there.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the trip.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 02, 2015, 05:39 PM:

I have read a couple books on the subject. No doubt, it was worth doing, and worth remembering. I mentioned once that my old platoon leader was organizing a tour of Normandy and the various US cemeteries. Unfortunately, he died about six months before the trip was supposed to depart. But, I attended his funeral in Omaha. Jim Peterson was a good friend and the only one, (in C company 25th Sig.) who kept in touch for more than 40 years.

Booger, your trip was well worth the effort, I think you will always remember it.

Oh, by the way, I was last in Paris in 1989 and saw none of what you are talking about. I loved it. Walking around the "City of Lights" was very nonthreatening, even late at night. We screwed up and took the subway out of town to an ethnic neighborhood, did not even get off the platform, went right back to the city. It was scary.

The Eiffel (then, at least) was open, (at least) to around midnight and the view from the top was special. Hey, that first elevator is weird, goes up at an angle! Yes, the people are arrogant without any right to be. Yes, not particularly friendly.

At our hotel, I inquired at the front desk about Rive Goshe, and I know I'm not spelling it correctly. I got a blank look and a question; left bank of what?

Good hunting. El Bee

edit: for what it's worth, my family history involves Normandy. My grandmother's maiden name was Normandin.

[ July 02, 2015, 05:40 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]

Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on July 02, 2015, 05:39 PM:

My dad fought in the Pacific but my uncle fought in Europe and was part of the invasion force in France.

I love history and I love those pictures. Thanks for posting.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 03, 2015, 07:26 AM:

I don't need a 28 gauge all that bad, but whenever I next go to Merry Olde England, I sure hope they take VISA? That's a steal!

Good hunting. El Bee

Posted by earthwalker (Member # 4177) on July 03, 2015, 08:28 AM:

Cool pictures thanks for sharing with us.
I would love to go to England and see the country and all the green.
But would go to the northern part of the country and stay away from London.

Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on July 03, 2015, 09:08 AM:

Back in about 2003 my wife and I flew to Egypt. We flew into London and then on to Cairo but on the way back we stopped over in London for 4 days. I wish we had more time. We did our own tour. The high point was the Tower of London. We did the Yeoman Warder tour and learned more in a couple of hours than we had in our lives up to that point. Truly an enjoyable day. I would recommend it to anyone.

We also did Westminster Abby. We got there late and only got halfway done and were coming home the next day.

We took the train out to a castle where Henry VIII lived most of the time. I can't remember the name of the place but it was interesting.

I would love to go back and spend a couple of months there. I would rent a home or flat if we did that.

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 03, 2015, 09:33 AM:

Moe,
The Tower of London was cool...we had a private tour and the guide took us around and gave us a good history lesson when we were there.

The Beefeaters looked just like they do on a bottle of gin...guess they get to be guards there after a long run of distinguished service in the army.

We stayed on the north side of Hyde Park, just down the street from Kensington Palace.

I would like to spend some time in the countryside and abhor cities, but something about London just wanted me to spend more time there.

I have some cool pics of the Churchill War Room. This is where Churchill spent the time during the Blitz and most of WWII. It is just like they left it in April of '45 when Germany surrendered. It is underneath the Treasury building.

I can post some pictures if I can find them.

The other cool place we visited was the Imperial War Museum. Great history and a pretty sombering display on the Holocaust.

We also ate lunch at a place called the Mayflower Tavern...history has it that this was the place the pilgrims set sail from as they began their journey to Plymouth Rock.

I am a country boy, but I would sure go back to London tomorrow!

LB--that 28 gauge Purdey was simply one of the most beautiful guns I have ever seen. They were the friendliest gun folks I have ever met. They even asked me if I wanted to handle it. I politely declined...they are the official gunmakers for the Queen, Prince Phillip, and Prince Charles.

They indicated their 'entry level' guns start at 35,000 pounds, ($56,000)...I am sure they would take a credit card! [Big Grin]

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 03, 2015, 09:35 AM:

I'm for a more abbreviated tour. Same reason I avoid coastal Oregon and Washington, the dreary weather. I'm a sunshine buff, and "A foggy day, in London town" is about as much as I can tolerate. Okay, maybe a fortnight, but that would be pushing it. That's as "local" speak as I am capable; "Fortnight". Does anybody know how long that is? If it's "four nights" why the spelling?

Good hunting. El Bee

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 03, 2015, 09:40 AM:

Booger, how in the hell can anybody justify $56,000 for a friggin' shotgun? Seems like I could have one made out of solid gold and not spend $56,000? I don't get it?

Good hunting. El Bee

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 03, 2015, 10:04 AM:

I have no idea...I would be afraid to carry the damn thing!

Guess it is a status thing. Whenever you see bonny Prince Charles with his Berber hunting clothes shooting driven grouse, he usually has a 12 ga. Purdey double in his hands!

I like nice shotguns, and have a nice Browning, but these guns are simply works of art!

The damn thing is that the guy I spoke with indicated that if you want a custom Purdey, it is a 2 year wait! Somebody is sure buying them!

[ July 03, 2015, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: booger ]

Posted by Prune Picker (Member # 4107) on July 03, 2015, 11:58 AM:

Glad to hear about your most excellent trip Tim, great pic's ! Did you get a chance to visit Great Yarmouth? Several years ago I spent 3 weeks in merry ole England, mostly in the Great Yarmouth area. The people there were without a doubt the most friendly I've ever encountered while away from home. During WWII Yarmouth was the most heavily bombed area of the UK. It was also considered the most likely spot for hitlers planned invasion, that thankfully never happened. The people I met spoke openly about how they were forever greatfull that we saved their butts when we entered the war "as death was most certain fore they hadn't a plan to surrender".

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 03, 2015, 12:42 PM:

PP,
No we did not, but I have told my wife we are going to go back and spend some time in the countryside. Great Yarmouth looks to be NE of London.

There is a kid who works at the bank with me that is from NW Scotland. The way he speaks of his home makes me want to go there immediately!

I think I would travel by train...there ain't no damn way I am going drive in a car where the steering wheel is on the wrong side and you drive on the opposite side of the road!

At least when we were in France, it was like driving on I-70 through Kansas!

Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 03, 2015, 01:43 PM:

Sage Advice;
Fortnight; 14 days.
No idea how they came up with that one but it sounds very pampas and I may start using it.

[Cool]

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 03, 2015, 03:20 PM:

See, that's exactly why we are paying you the big bucks!
(I did not know that?)

But, when they drive on the wrong side of the street and the steering wheel is located on the passenger's side, then it sounds perfect to call TWO WEEKS, "a fortnight". [Roll Eyes]

Good hunting. El Bee

edit: So Booger, which "shottie" did you end up with?

[ July 03, 2015, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]

Posted by Moe (Member # 4494) on July 03, 2015, 07:17 PM:

The Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) have distinguished themselves in the service. Once they commit to being a Warder and set foot in the Tower of London they can never leave the grounds. They will spend the rest of their lives within the walls of the Tower. Now that's dedication.

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 04, 2015, 06:13 AM:

LB,
Just got an 'Entry Level' gun...didn't want to show up my peeps here at home!!! [Big Grin]

Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on July 04, 2015, 08:30 AM:

So at what level shottie does one become required to wear tweeds whilst shooting ???
I mean, c'mon..........one wouldn't carry a work of art like that wearing a Hooters t-shirt ???

[Smile]

Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on July 10, 2015, 12:52 PM:

Cool stuff, Tim! You know, when I was 16 I went on a 5 week swing thru Europe. My World Geography teacher put together a trip every year for a certain amount of students, and bumped their fare enough to cover for he and his wife. I've seen some of those places, and though we were in France, Normandy wasn't on the itinerary. Wish it had been. I would have been much more impressed than I was with some of the artsy fartsy places we went. Although Paris, (and every place we went), was much different from what a kid from Phoenix was used to, I don't remember it being so bad. London was the final venue of my trip, and it was nice to finally get someplace where everybody spoke my language, lol.

Highlights of my trip:
Wandering around the Coliseum, without a guide.
Being able to go into a store and buy wine. (I puked the first night before dinner.)
Seeing some kind of sheep type game on the lower part of the Matterhorn.
Dachau.
Castles along the Rhine.
Morocco. (The Casbah, WOW!!)
Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace.
Touring the Olympic Village in Munich a few weeks before the attack on Israeli athletes.

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

Oh yeah, cost of my trip? $1200, including air, ground, and sea transportation, lodging, admissions, and 2 meals/day. I took $300 spending money with me and brought some home.

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 10, 2015, 01:58 PM:

I have a brother-in-law that is a little weird. My mother-in law had hinted several times that I should take him along with me, and "expand his horizons" when she found out about the cat houses up in Nevada.

So, next best thing, she sent him with a student group on a 30 day tour of Europe. My wife was pretty close to her younger brother and he told her that he got laid over there. Must have been some kind of bet among the girls, I don't know? But, he said it was no big deal, and as far as I know, that was the first and last time he ever had sex, with another person or singularly? Now, to look at him, he's about 6'4" and dresses like the "Bounty" man, bearded, plaid shirt, some type of walking boot and jeans. But, the dude ain't right.

So Jim, anything else happen on your trip we need to know about? [Smile]

Good hunting. El Bee

Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on July 10, 2015, 11:53 PM:

Got a ride back to the hotel from the Polizie in Munich one night. They sell alcohol to kids, but you still have to be off the streets by a certain time. Glad we didn't get arrested. Got kinda friendly with one of my tour mates when she invited me to her room and answered the door in bra and panties. Other than that, nope. I was 16, man. Now if I was 26, I woulda needed a lot more spending money!

Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on July 11, 2015, 07:08 AM:

At sixteen, within that scenario, if you didn't score, I'd be amazed, a mutt or not!

But, my life is littered with missed opportunities, so I shan't scorn thee.

German beer, the real stuff in wire stoppered liter bottles, scoring around 12%-13% on the alcohol meter, similar to wine. If you're not used to it, can knock you on your ass.

Last time I was over there, I purchased the glass on every beer I drank; stuffed them in my laundry and, flying home, not a single one broke. In Kaiserslautern, the local beer is "Parkbrau", for instance.

I am so stupid, can't figure out how to turn a photo, but screw it!

Good hunting. El Bee

[ July 11, 2015, 07:24 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]

Posted by booger (Member # 3602) on July 13, 2015, 08:12 AM:

I grew up in an old version of a ‘bi-lingual’ household, only it was German. My mother and father were born in the early 20’s and could not speak English when they started school in the late 20’s.

I took German 3 years in high school and I think around 15 hours in college. I used to be pretty fluent, and am passable with my 92 year old mother, and all of the other German folks around my home town. It came in pretty darn handy on our 3 day stay in Cologne, Germany on our recent trip.

Most of the older generation of German folks around Russell and Ellis Counties in Kansas had made ‘pilgrimages’ back to the areas of Germany where our families originated. They lived in Germany before they were offered free land by the Tsar's wife, Catherine, and then most moved to the Volga Region of Russia. That is where my all of my grandparents were born before they immigrated to the USA in the 1890's and in the early 1900's.

I always heard stories of how good the beer was from these folks as they related the trips to my mom and dad.

Fortunately, I got to experience the beer first hand when our high school German class took a 14 day trip to Germany in the spring of 1979. We got to spend a week with a German family, and the other week was spent touring in Germany, with a 2 day stay in Munich.

In Munich, we were able to visit the famous Hofbrau Haus. I still have my one liter mug I drank out of…the beer was so smooth, it really snuck up on a person…especially when that person was only 17 years old!

The other place we visited was called the Augustiner Kellar…I actually thought their beer was better than the Hofbrau Haus.

You haven’t seen anything until you see an extremely pretty, blond haired, blue eyed, busty maiden carrying 3 one-liter mugs in each hand…you fall in love with the beer and the girl!!!

[ July 13, 2015, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: booger ]

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