France seeks personal accounts of liberation from the Nazis, 80 years after the D-Day landings
The French president is appealing to the public to collect photos, films, personal journals and testimony from witnesses to liberation from the Nazis, as the country prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in 1944.
Famed medieval Bayeux Tapestry goes online - every thread
This photo provided by Bayeux townhall shows a technician working on a tablet on the digital version of the tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, on Jan.8 2020. (Ville de Bayeux via AP)PARIS โ The world-famous medieval Bayeux Tapestry may be off-limits to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but its keepers have put a digital version online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. The resolution is so clear in the online panorama that you can see the fibers of each stitch when you zoom in. The Bayeux Tapestry is thought to date to the 11th century, and depicts events leading up to the Norman conquest of England, bringing the era to life in vivid โ and sometimes bloody โ detail. However, a plan to fix wear and tear in its storytelling weave has been put in place in a planned 2024 restoration by the museum that houses it in the Normandy town of Bayeux.
The loneliest of D-Day remembrances is hit by pandemic
Due to coronavirus measures many ceremonies and memorials have been cancelled in the region with the exception of very small gatherings. I am very sad now," said Shay, who was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic when he landed on Omaha Beach under horrific machine-gun fire and shells. It's a June 6th unlike any other," said Philippe Laillier, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer, where he staged a small remembrance around the Omaha Beach monument. The pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world, infecting 6.6 million people, killing over 391,000 and devastating economies. It poses a particular threat to the elderly like the surviving D-Day veterans who are in their late nineties or older.
One man lays wreaths in Normandy on this unusual D-Day
In this photo taken on Friday, June 5, 2020, British expatriate Steven Oldrid holds a poppy wreath as he stands on the site of the original WWII Pegasus Bridge in Benouville, Normandy, France. Due to coronavirus measures many relatives and veterans will not make this years 76th anniversary of D-Day. Oldrid will be bringing it to them virtually as he places wreaths and crosses for families and posts the moments on his facebook page. Laying wreaths though, seemed something special, reserved for families and close friends only. And from his previous work helping out families and friends of veterans, he knows something else is coming too.
On sad anniversary, few to mourn the D-Day dead in Normandy
In sharp contrast to the 75th anniversary of D-Day, this year's 76th will be one of the loneliest remembrances ever, as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping nearly everyone from traveling. It poses a particular threat to the elderly like the surviving D-Day veterans who are in their late nineties or older. All across the beaches of Normandy tens of thousands came from across the globe to pay their respects to the dead and laud the surviving soldiers. The acrid smell of wartime-era jeep exhaust fumes and the rumble of old tanks filled the air as parades of vintages vehicles went from village to village. Someday the COVID-19 pandemic, too, will pass, and people will turn out to remember both events that shook the world.
Check out the 3 top spots in Jacksonville's Normandy neighborhood
Get to know this Jacksonville neighborhood by browsing its most popular local businesses, from a Southern soul food spot to a Vietnamese eatery. Soul Food BistroTopping the list is the West Side location of Southern spot Soul Food Bistro, which serves soul food and comfort food. Situated at 5310 Lenox Ave., it's the highest-rated business in the neighborhood, boasting 4.5 stars out of 190 reviews on Yelp. Yummy PhoPhoto: matt c./YelpNext up is Vietnamese spot Yummy Pho, which offers soups and more at its 5835 Normandy Blvd. Yelpers give the business, located at 5049 Normandy Blvd., 4.5 stars out of 17 reviews.
Man injured in Labelle Street shooting
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A 26-year-old man shot just before midnight on Labelle Street just off Normandy Boulevard drove himself to UF Health Jacksonville, according to a report by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. A witness told News4Jax there were up to 10 gunshots in front of an apartment at Valencia Way, formerly known as Eureka Gardens. Police called found several shell casings, but no victim only to learn Kevin Bush had walked into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Officers ask anyone with any additional information to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
Police: 2 sought in armed robbery at Normandy Arcade
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Two people are sought in connection with an armed robbery this week at an adult cafe in Normandy, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said. On Thursday, the Sheriff's Office released surveillance images of the man and woman accused of robbing the Normandy Arcade on Normandy Boulevard, just west of Cassat Avenue, about 10:40 a.m. Sunday. Thirty seconds later, according to police, both pulled out guns and ordered everyone in the arcade to get on the ground. The Sheriff's Office said the woman demanded money and collected it, and the man took the gun from the belt of the security guard near the front door before they both took off. Anyone who recognizes either person pictured in the surveillance images or who has information about the armed robbery is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.
A not-so-traditional France vacation: All the reasons to visit the historical grounds of Normandy
Teach your children or grandchildren about these historical grounds where thousands of young men gave their lives for our freedom. How do you visit the beaches of Normandy the right way? Start your visit to Normandy at a few of the many museums around the region. Getty Images Tourists visit the Mulberry harbours at the beach at Arromanche in Normandy (Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images). Getty Images Tourists visit the memorial sites at Utah Beach (Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images) (Photo by Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images).