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Considering the passage of 60-plus years, the caissons put in place on Gold Beach at Arromanches les Bains are still in reasonably good shape. These structures formed the semicircular breakwater known as Port Winston, one of the two Mulberry Harbors. They have become a major feature of the ecosystem, providing a habitat for fish and shellfish. That in turn provides seafood dinners for many of the local people, who were out in numbers when the photography below was being done. To get the best view of caissons, plan your trip so as to arrive during a minus tide, if possible, or at least the low tide of the day.

Arromanches 360° is a theater, located on the bluff which overlooks Gold Beach from the east (the vantage point of the picture above left in the set above). Attendees stand about the room holding onto a bar whose usefulness becomes plain when the program starts — a 360° projection with historical footage of the invasion of Normandy as well as well as modern images including shots from a helicopter. It is one of the wildest rides one can experience in a stationary building.

The sun was setting as people from the town calmly climbed about the structures in search of shellfish. It provided a quiet moment to bow the head in memory of what happened here.