BigWeather's Blog

Our alarms (yes, alarms) were set for 6a but we didn’t roll out of bed until 6:30a.  Headed down for breakfast shortly after 7a and ate breakfast at Hotel Phileas.  It wasn’t bad at all — baguettes, cold cuts, jelly, eggs, chocolate croissants, etc.  On a scale from Holiday Inn Express (1) to Full English breakfast (10) I’d give it a solid 7, better than the typical Continental breakfast.  After returning to the room we napped for a few minutes before packing our two backpacks for our one-night stay in Bayeux.  We checked out of our room and handed our two suitcases to the hotel to keep in safe keeping until our return on Tuesday evening.

Michelle and I went to Gare Saint-Lazare across the street and waited for our train.  While waiting we bought a few snacks (some strawberry breakfast bars and chips) and I popped outside to take a couple pictures of the station’s exterior now that the weather was much more photogenic.  Eventually a platform was assigned for our train, 24.  Heading that way we encountered a large line that thankfully moved right along and we were seated with plenty of time to spare.  The train was nice, if a little warm, with nice padded seats and ample leg room.

We pulled out of Paris Saint-Lazare and were zipping along in short order.  Though Michelle slept most of the way and I nodded in and out we did see some neat things.  We saw a few neat skyscrapers, including one that had trees and green areas every ten floors or so.  Our route crossed the Seine a few times and also passed through a few forests (set aside as “wilderness areas”) — though the forests were minor compared to the sprawling mass of trees that is eastern North America it was still nice to see.  There were a succession of small towns each with a quaint church in addition to some farms / manors with protective walls.

We arrived in Caen in about two hours and Bayeux about a half hour after that.  In Caen we saw a train with the Normandy coat of arms — two yellow lions reposing on a red field — and in Bayeux I noticed the symbol for our train’s region, Basse-Normandie — the shape of the region itself represented as a Norman Longboat’s prow.  I had never noticed that it was shaped like that but now I can’t unsee it.  That is how you do graphic design, though it still doesn’t beat this absolute stunner from our trip in 2010.  As we were getting off the train we noticed a large group of elementary school students getting off the coach ahead of us — whew, dodged a bullet not being on that one.  Bayeux’s station being a tiny two-track affair we climbed some stairs to cross the tracks and descended on the Bayeux side and began the short walk into town.

The walk was very pleasant not only due to the near perfect photography weather of blue skies punctuated by puffy white clouds but also a variety of interesting buildings and pleasant gardens.  Downtown (downvillage?) itself was also very charming with narrow streets and interesting signage (seriously, why is this not a thing in the United States?).  We also saw Bayeux Cathedral’s towers dominating the town’s skyline.  It’s astonishing how much power it projects even now, can you imagine the effect it had during Medieval times?

We located our lodging for the night, the Churchill Hotel, and after a quick check-in went to our room to freshen up.  Not quite as nice a room as Hotel Phileas but not bad.  One unusual thing was a large 5 foot by 8 foot or so picture of Bayeux Cathedral hanging above the headboard of the bed.  We’d later discover it had a backlight.  Odd.  Anyhow, headed out after freshening up and walked around a bit in search of lunch.

We first walked out to the Place de Quebec behind the hotel before walking across the Aure River, the raison d’etre for the two thousand year old town.  We passed some souvenir shops, a creperie, an ice cream merchant, and some other small stores.  The ice cream store was adorned with the “bomber art” popular during World War II.  The whole town is an interesting mix tourist attraction-wise — on the one hand it’s a beautiful Medieval town with a mill, half-timber buildings, a cathedral, and the frickin’ Bayeux Tapestry; on the other hand it was the first town liberated by the Allies in 1944 and is the closest main town to the D-Day landing beaches.  An embarrassment of riches.

We turned south and walked along another street looking at restaurants (some fancy, many not-so-much) before settling on a small snack restaurant with crepes, burgers, hot dogs, paninis, etc.  Michelle had a ham and cheese (jambon et fromage) crepe while I had a ham, cheese, and egg (as Michelle’s but just add an oeuf) crepe.  We shared a generous portion of fries and a bottled water as well.  Afterwards we headed back to the room briefly then set out for the museum that has the Bayeux Tapestry on display.

It was a short walk through the Place de Quebec and along the Aure River to the brown stone building with a courtyard flying both the French and Norman flags.  We shelled out EUR 9.50 each for admission and got an audio guide that lead us through each of the 50+ sections of the tapestry (really an embroidery).  A brilliant move on their part as it kept us moving through the 220 foot length of the tapestry, first in one direction then around a sharp turn and back to nearly the original point.  It portrayed the saga of William, Duke of Normandy and Harold, King of England from 1064 through 1066.  In brief, King Edward of England sent Harold to inform William that William would be the heir to the throne.  William was in a war with Conan (yep), a duke in Normandy and Harold assisted him.  Harold then swore fealty to William and returned to England.  Upon Edward’s death in January 1066, however, Harold did not honor his oath and succeeded Edward.  This caused both Harald of Norway and William to march on Harold’s army.  Harold managed to defeat Harald but was unable to defeat William at Hastings in October 1066.

The Bayeux Tapestry shows these events in incredible detail, from William rescuing soldiers caught in quicksand to Harold swearing fealty with one hand on relics and the other on an altar to Halley’s comet appearing and being interpreted as an omen that Harold’s reign as King of England was doomed from the get-go.  Craftsmen fell trees and construct the fleet while arms, armor, and horses are assembled.  A feast where the common soldiers are using their kite shields as platters.  The landing party pillages in order to feed itself (and get a little rich, I’m sure) until Harold’s scouts see them.  Shortly thereafter the fourteen hour battle is engaged and depicted in gory detail — decapitations, slain horses, Harold taking an arrow to the eye, etc.  The main panels are not just pictures but also Latin text that narrate the whole affair.  Above and below the panels are much smaller (a few inches high each) depictions of various things — bodies strewn about as a result of the battle, fantastic creatures, victors stripping dead soldiers of their armor, and even an odd Adam and Eve vignette.  Odd.

Afterwards we waited about thirty minutes for a sixteen minute English film to begin.  It was decent though I must admit I slept through a wee bit of it.  We headed down to the first floor (American second) for the final part of the museum, several exhibits that showed how the tapestry was made (including the three plants that led to the ten colors found) and a discussion of the various theories as to who made it.  General consensus is that it was made in southern England (likely Cambridge) as the embroidered lettering matched that of earlier Anglo-Saxon work.  Compelling theories, however, exist for it being made in Normandy.

More remarkable (to me) than how it was made and by whom was that this nearly one thousand year old piece managed to survive to the present day.  For centuries it was displayed in Bayeux Cathedral for two to four weeks in the summer and placed in a chest the rest of the year — and somehow surviving two fires that ravaged the cathedral.  During the French Revolution it was used as a tarp for a weapons cart to be sent to Paris and was rescued at the last moment.  Additionally, there were even plans to cut it apart to decorate a parade float in the early 1800s.  Also on display was a replica boat similar to the ones the Normans used as well as weapons and armor and a couple of dioramas showing Norman castle building techniques (Motte and Bailey, etc.), the Tower of London, and an English Manor.  There was also a replica Domesday Book that was neat to see (the Domesday Book being a full accounting of all of the property in England ca. 1070s and the best record of an early Medieval kingdom.

By the time we stepped into the late afternoon air it had gotten quite chilly.  We swung by the Bayeux Mill with its water wheel and sluice gates and idyllic location then Bayeux Cathedral.  It is impossible to capture the enormity of a cathedral on camera, the best you can hope for are a couple of wide shots then trying to find interesting details or angles to take pictures of.  This one had interesting details and angles in spades — gargoyles (and wailing nuns!) as rain spouts, flying buttresses, a moss-covered roof, etc.  While I was just trying to soak it in and get interesting pictures with the interesting dusk light we were treated to the bells ringing the hour.  Very neat.

We walked back towards the hotel looking at restaurant menus but coming no closer to a decision.  We decided to eat at one of the smaller snack stands again but they all had closed.  The concierge at the hotel recommended La Table du Terroir (no, it isn’t “The Table of Terror”, though that’d be interesting!) but a short walk from the hotel.  We lucked out and were seated despite not having a reservation.  Michelle had chicken fillet done Normandy style (apple and mushroom sauce, lightly breaded) with a green salad and fries (they LOVE fries, even at fancy restaurants!) while I had the rib steak au poivre with fries and an onion soup (really French onion soup, but they drop the “French” part).  It was great!  For dessert Michelle had a lava cake with vanilla ice cream that she loved while I had two scoops of coffee ice cream that was decent — not the best but far, far from the worst.

Satisfied, we walked back to the hotel, stopping first at Carrefour City grocery for two bottled waters.  I blogged while Michelle slept, though sadly I couldn’t actually back up nor upload the blog due to abysmal upload speeds.  Grrrr!  Finally slept about 1a.