Remembrance Day in Normandy: A Day at Juno Beach I Will Never Forget 🌺
From the sound of The Last Post at Pegasus Bridge to the quiet sands of Juno Beach, a day of remembrance alongside Canadian peacekeepers and military veterans.
Some journeys stay with you long after you’ve returned home.
Not because of the hotels, the scenery or even the places you’ve visited.
But because of how they made you feel.
On November 11, 2025, I had the extraordinary privilege of spending Remembrance Day in Normandy, France, alongside a remarkable group of Canadian peacekeepers and military veterans.
We were travelling on a women’s Seine River cruise aboard AmaWaterways’ AmaDante.
I’d visited Normandy before. I knew the history of D-Day and the enormous role Canadian soldiers had played in the liberation of France.
But nothing quite prepared me for what it would feel like to stand on that historic ground on Remembrance Day, surrounded by people who had themselves served.
A year later, the memories remain as powerful as ever.
At 11 A.M., The Last Post at Pegasus Bridge
Our day began with an early morning journey from the AmaDante to Pegasus Bridge.
We arrived near sunrise.
In the early hours of June 6, 1944, British glider troops landed near this bridge to secure a vital crossing ahead of the Allied landings in Normandy.
Standing there in the quiet morning light, I tried to imagine those first moments of D-Day.
The darkness. The uncertainty. The courage it must have taken.
At exactly 11 a.m., our group gathered at the memorial.
Our wonderful new Australian friend, Marie, had downloaded a recording of The Last Post.
As the familiar bugle call began, everything seemed to go still.
Beside me stood six decorated military nurses and one officer, wearing their medals and peacekeeping hats.
Their years of service had taken them to places including Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan and Haiti.
These were people who understood military service, sacrifice and the consequences of conflict in ways most of us never will.
And there we were, standing together at a place where the liberation of Europe had begun.
It was profoundly moving.
There are moments when words simply aren’t enough.
This was one of them.
🎥 Watch: The Last Post at Pegasus Bridge — A Moment I’ll Never Forget
Bény-sur-Mer: The Canadian War Cemetery That Took My Breath Away
Our next visit was to the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, near Juno Beach.
More than 2,000 Canadian service members are buried here, most of them killed during the Battle of Normandy.
Before we even entered the cemetery, I noticed a large Canadian flag flying beside the parking area.
There was something about seeing our flag so far from home, marking the resting place of young Canadians who never returned, that immediately caught me.
Inside, the grounds were immaculate.
Rows of white headstones stretched across beautifully tended lawns.
Each Canadian grave marked with a maple leaf.
And because it was November, fallen red and golden maple leaves lay scattered among the headstones.
It felt almost as though Canada itself had come to honour them.
Tiny poppies were still growing between some of the graves.
We walked slowly through the rows, stopping to read the inscriptions chosen by families.
Words of love.
Heartbreak.
Pride.
And longing.
These weren’t simply names in a history book.
They were sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and friends.
People with lives ahead of them.
Families waiting at home.
And then we came to the graves of the three Westlake brothers.
Three sons from the same Canadian family, lost within weeks of one another during the Normandy campaign.
It’s a heartbreaking story that brings to mind the premise of Saving Private Ryan.
But here, standing in front of their headstones, there was no Hollywood ending.
Only the unimaginable grief of a family who lost three sons.
I found myself wondering about their parents.
About the letters that might have been sent home.
About all the ordinary family moments that would never happen.
Bény-sur-Mer is peaceful and beautiful.
But it is also a place that asks us to confront the enormous human cost of war.
I believe every Canadian who has the opportunity should visit.
Juno Beach: An Extraordinary Honour for Our Peacekeepers
Later that day, we attended the official Canadian Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Juno Beach was where Canadian forces landed on June 6, 1944, as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy.
And on November 11, 2025, Canadians and French citizens gathered there once again to remember.
One of the most meaningful moments for me was seeing the peacekeepers travelling with our group formally recognized and honoured with front-row seating.
Together, they represented more than 120 years of combined military service, including service in the Canadian Armed Forces and New Zealand’s military nursing, air force and naval communities.
I was so proud to be there with them.
The ceremony itself was beautiful.
Students from Crescent School in Toronto recited In Flanders Fields and sang.
We heard a poem by Bill Best, The Last Post performed by John Buckley, and the Act of Remembrance read by Catherine Dwyre of the RCMP.
Students led the Commitment to Remember.
Canadian and French representatives laid wreaths.
And the Courseulles-sur-Mer Municipal Band performed the national anthems of both countries.
I found the students’ participation especially moving.
These young Canadians were born generations after the Second World War.
Yet there they were, standing on the same coastline where Canadian soldiers had landed more than eight decades earlier, helping to ensure that their stories would not be forgotten.
Remembrance isn’t something we inherit automatically. It’s something we must continue to teach and share.
And seeing our peacekeepers recognized that day reminded me that remembrance honours not only those who served in the Second World War, but generations who have served since.
🎥 Watch: Remembrance Day at Juno Beach — A Ceremony I Will Never Forget
Walking the Sands of Juno Beach: The Freedom of an Ordinary Day
After the afternoon ceremony, I stepped onto the sands of Juno Beach.
The wind was blowing.
The waves were rolling in.
And there were windsurfers out on the water.
It was such an ordinary, peaceful scene.
People enjoying a beautiful stretch of coastline, going about their lives.
We picked up small stones, walked along the beach and paused at the shell memorial.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about the young Canadian soldiers who had come ashore there 81 years earlier.
Many were barely adults.
They had families, friendships, hopes and dreams.
They expected to have futures.
And so many never had the opportunity to grow old.
Looking out at the windsurfers, I was struck by the contrast between the peaceful life being enjoyed on that beach and the terrible events of June 1944.
The freedom to live an ordinary day is something we should never take for granted.
We stood quietly, listening to the wind and the surf.
Sometimes silence says more than words.
🎥 Watch: Walking the Sands of Juno Beach — A Quiet Moment of Remembrance
Why the People Made This Journey So Meaningful
I’ve travelled to Normandy before, and I’ve sailed the Seine on other occasions.
It’s a beautiful part of France, filled with history, art, charming towns and remarkable landscapes.
But November 11, 2025, was different.
What made that day extraordinary wasn’t simply where we were.
It was who I was privileged to share it with.
The military nurses, peacekeepers and veterans brought their own experiences of service, sacrifice and caring for others.
They had served in places most of us know only through news reports or history books.
Their presence reminded me that remembrance isn’t confined to the distant past.
It also honours those who have served in more recent conflicts, peacekeeping missions, medical roles and humanitarian efforts around the world.
And the families who supported them, worried about them and sometimes grieved for them.
As a travel advisor, I often talk about the importance of meaningful experiences.
I believe travel can deepen our understanding of the world and connect us to people and stories we might otherwise never encounter.
But this was one of those occasions when the meaning of a journey went far beyond anything I could have planned.
I was simply honoured to be there.
A Year Later, I Still Hear The Last Post
As we mark Remembrance Day on November 11, 2026, I find myself returning to those moments in Normandy.
The sound of The Last Post at Pegasus Bridge.
The Canadian flag flying above Bény-sur-Mer.
The fallen maple leaves resting among the white headstones.
The three Westlake brothers.
The students reciting In Flanders Fields at Juno Beach.
The peacekeepers in our group being recognized for their service.
And the quiet sound of waves washing onto the shore where Canadian soldiers landed on D-Day.
These are memories I will carry for the rest of my life.
I hope we continue to visit these places, share these stories and teach younger generations why remembrance matters.
Because remembrance isn’t simply about looking back.
It’s about honouring those who served, recognizing what was sacrificed and carrying their stories forward.
To all who have served, those who continue to serve, and the families who have supported them:
Thank you.
Lest we forget. 🇨🇦🌺
Sheila Gallant-Halloran
Founder, Lush Life Travel | Ottawa, Canada
Live Life. Love Travel. Return on Life.™