Footsteps of Liberators on a Path through Normandy
Much has happened since Eisenhower first drafted that triumphant call to arms some seventy years ago. The world is very much a changed place. There are no more air-raid sirens blaring over the streets of London; no more war planes soaring over the skies of Dover; no more anti-aircraft batteries booming off the beaches of France. But to go back there, to see the place where 160,000 allied troops made their landing on June 6, 1944, was for a me a walk in the footsteps of liberators.
“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.”
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe, Historical Journeys and tagged D-Day, France, normandy, Omaha Beach, world war 2 timeline by Big John with no comments yet.
How to Travel Europe on a Dime…or Less
People are always coming up to me and asking, “Hey Big John, how can I see Europe on the cheap?” and “What’s the best way to travel Europe on a dime?” and “Why are you so ruggedly handsome?” Okay, so nobody’s ever actually asked me any of that stuff; but if they did, I would have a thing or two say about it!
Big John knows about traveling cheap in Europe and really making that dollar stretch! But you don’t have to take my word for it. I was only voted the number one travel consultant in the entire industry by Frugal Travel Guru magazine (it’s one of those lesser known publications). Because you are all such loyal readers, I’ve compiled a never-before-seen list of my most cost-effective strategies to travel Europe on a dime. I would ordinarily charge thousands of dollars for this information but today I’m giving it to you absolutely free! (more…)
Posted in Europe, Tall Tales and Big Fish Stories, Travel Tips and tagged travel europe on a dime by Big John with 8 comments.
In My Rover Near the Cliffs of Dover- A Love Story
She was brilliant. She was beautiful. She was my most faithful of companions and her name was Rover. Now as I peered out through the fogged-up glass, it seemed I was losing her for good. I remember that fateful day I first brought her home with me. Everything about her seemed so pure, clean and new. I loved the way she looked… the way she smelled… that certain style that only she possessed.
They say you can’t buy love, but the 500 quid I paid for her never felt so right, nor so good. At first, I planned on only using her for awhile. You know, merely as a cheap means to get around. But then things got much more serious. I became attached and I didn’t want to lose her. I seriously considered even bringing her back to the States with me; and I probably would’ve if everything hadn’t just sort of fallen apart.
She had been mine for only a month when I first began noticing her condition starting to deteriorate. It all happened as we were returning from a romantic drive from the White Cliffs of Dover. to my home in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire. First it was merely a hiccup or sputter and but nothing to really warrant too much concern.
White Cliffs of Dover
When she started getting worse I took her to get checked out. Surprisingly they said she was still in good condition for her age. Her prognosis was really quite favorable and they expected her to last several more years. Oh, they couldn’t have been more wrong! It wasn’t but two weeks later that she really took a turn for the worse. She began overheating, discharging milky fluids, and then… (more…)
Posted in Adventurous Places, Europe and tagged cliffs of dover, England, Rover 45 by Big John with 1 comment.