On a patch of land overlooking the D-Day beaches sits the American Cemetery where 90,000 American Soldiers from WWII are buried. It is impossible to remain unmoved at the sight.
http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php
The cemetery is near the small town of Colleville-sur-mer.
We stayed at a B&B farm house down the road from the American Cemetary. 
The best history lesson for us was meeting the elderly parents who own the farm. Since I speak French, I asked them about their recollection of D-Day. The wife had been 9 years old at the time. She had 2 words. "Loud," and "fear." They lived in a 3 room house near the beach then.
The husband was 6 years old at the time and lived further away by Utah Beach. He remembers sleeping with an American soldier the first night.
They both told of their joy getting chewing gum and candy after strict sugar rations from the Germans. He said some of the soldiers made slingshots and shot candy to the kids. They gave comic books out. They laughed and won their way into their hearts.
I have often felt that the French look at Americans with a bit of disdain... except for my time in Normandy. In Normandy to this day, they think our nation has heroes.
