We pulled into Bayeux at about 2:30, made a quick stop at our hotel, the Villa Lara, and then took a short walk to see the Bayeux Tapestry.
Right at the beginning of the exhibit we learned two things:
1. No photos!!!!! (Boooo!)
2. It is NOT a traditional tapestry (as we have known and loved them)!
A tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. This work is totally embroidered. It is about 70 meters (200 feet) long and 50 cms (20") high (again, unlike a tapestry which is usually one large panel). There are nine physical sections which represent about 70 scenes. Part of it even refers to and has a picture of Mont St. Michel!
Much like the stained glass windows in a church which relate tales from the Bible, this piece was created to tell the story of William the Conquerer's victory at Hastings in 1066. Originally, it was displayed twice a year at the Bayeux Cathedral for the benefit and elucidation of the illiterate and uneducated masses. Now it is on permanent display in its own building nearby.
(internet photo)
Heads up: if you are planning to visit it in the near future, be aware that it is being loaned to England sometime next year; the first time it will leave the country in over nine centuries!
In the meantime, here is a good way to see it: click. It really is amazing...the level of detail and the craftsmanship (or perhaps crafts-womanship… no one knows who actually created it). However, the figures do not actually move like they do in this video!
We then walked a few blocks to the cathedral where the tapestry was formerly displayed.
After a short rest, it was time to eat again! Near the cathedral is Restaurant Le Pommier. Meaning "apple tree", it certainly reflected the region, as Normandy is known for its apple production. These are used for eating, but also to make calvados (apple brandy), pommeau (which is apple juice mixed with calvados! So slightly less alcoholic), and cidre (which is hard cider). Oddly, only one dish on the menu (a dessert) featured apples!
As we were still quite sated from the large lunch, we decided to split our food. First they brought a tapenade with bread crisps and cheesy mini-muffins. We ordered the soup du jour (hey..we have that soup in the US too!), which was carrot-onion-tomato-potato. It would have been better if they were 4 different soups.
Then we shared scallops (twice in one day!) with leeks, zucchini, and rice in a coconut sauce. This was tres bien!!!!
Dessert was profiteroles (Wendy's favorite) and a chocolate-pear cake. Both were quite tasty!
Monday, March 11
Today was dedicated to visiting D-Day sites.While we've seen most of the movies, nothing replaces seeing and walking the areas where history happened. Val explained that to do a thorough D-Day tour, you need 2-3 days at a minimum. We had known that our time would be limited and she assured us that we would see the highlights. We made four stops: Pointe Du Hoc, Omaha Beach (one of the American invasion locations) with the French and American Memorials, the largest Normandy American Cemetery, and Avranches. More thorough tours include visits to the British and Canadian sites, Caen, Cherbourg, all the museums and all of the cemeteries. For some travelers, those extra stops would be a must--not so for us. And though the weather was rough, we were again fortunate not to have to be shoulder-to-shoulder with the millions of tourists who visit each year. And this year, being the 75th anniversary, it will probably be even more crowded. In preparation for this, some of the parking lots and buildings were closed for renovations! (Not to be political, but Val told us that if our esteemed president decides not to attend the commemoration, he would be the first US president to do so. Hmmm)
Here is a map showing the relative location of these sites:
Starting at the beginning... it was still a little chilly and being on the coast--it was quite windy. Actually very windy. Actually, we held on tight to each other or we were sure we would literally fall off the cliffs! Val said it is always windy along the coast, but especially so at this time of year.
We began at Pointe Du Hoc. This battleground is often overlooked by the casual observer, as it was a precursor to the main landing force several miles to the east. Point Du Hoc lies midway between Utah and Omaha beaches (by the way....the locals still call these beaches by those names even today!). This was the site of a large German battery, high up on the cliffs (yes....to the east and west are beaches, but here the land ends abruptly high above the sea; much like Dover just across the Channel). Before the war, this area was primarily flat cattle pastures. As D-Day approached, US and British bombers pummeled the coast with thousands of tons of bombs. Today, we could still see crater after crater where they had hit and exploded.
A view from the bunker
This battery (one of 40 such along the entire northern coast) had canons big enough to reach 20 miles in either direction....enough to hit Utah and Omaha. So taking it out prior to the beach landings was a necessity. A force of 250 US Rangers came in on 10 small boats in the pre-dawn hours, then rappelled up the cliff and fought hand to hand to seize control. Success here was critical to the entire operation.
Next we drove 20 minutes to Omaha Beach. Here is where many of the 250,000 soldiers came ashore that day. It is hard to imagine what kind of hell it must have been.
A memorial was erected right on the sand as part of the 60th anniversary commemoration.
It is called Les Braves. The memorial represents three elements: The Wings of Hope, the Rise of Freedom, and the Wings Of Fraternity.
We went another 15 minutes east, to the Cemetery. Val told us that the soldiers were originally buried on or near the battlegrounds where they fell. But a few years after the war ended, the idea to create one big American cemetery was proposed (there are also large British and Canadian cemeteries). The family of each soldier was contacted and asked if they wanted the remains to be moved to the new grounds or repatriated. About 60% chose to leave them in France.
The 9,387 graves (of which only 4 are women) are arranged in sections, each one made up of rows and columns. There is no kind of organization or hierarchy at all. Not alphabetic, by rank, by date of death, home state, religion.....nothing. Indeed, the graves of the 400+ Jewish souls buried here (indicated by Stars of David) are interspersed randomly throughout. Each cross/star indicates: name, unit, state of residence, and date of death.
To those of our generation, WWII is history...something that happened far away; to our children's generation, it is ancient history (if thought of at all). But to many of the people of France, and especially those of Normandy, it is an ever-present part of their lives. Val told us that her father grew up on the family's farm and he remembered, at age 9, seeing the Americans roll through as they liberated town after town. She also remembers her grandparents sharing how they sheltered Canadian soldiers during the invasion and how they could have been killed for doing so.
Being at the cemetery was heartbreakingly sad and chilling. In Normandy alone, we lost more than 9,000 souls. While the outcome (ending the occupation of France) and aggressively moving toward victory was positive, the price was so high.We heard about several families (remember the movie, Saving Private Ryan) who lost multiple sons here. Tragic.
We had much to think about after we left, and food was not on our minds. But, it was getting close to 1:00, so eat we must. Val drove us to the small fishing village of Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, and to La Marine restaurant, where the fish are practically taken right off the boats.
The specials of the day were Matelote de Poissons and (wait for it) Tagliatelles de Coquilles (scallops!) St Jacques et creme du Homard.
The matelote was a fish stew (kind of like a Normandy-style bouillabaisse without the tomatoes) of hake, skate, sea bream, sole, potatoes, and a scallop thrown in for good measure. Magnifique!
The scallops, pasta, and sauce were also outstanding, though we have now reached our scallop quota for the year.
We chose to split a dessert (yes...we had to force ourselves), which was listed as "lemon tart" on the menu. But, it sure tasted like key lime pie.
Small mounds of lemon (lime?) creme on a crunchy graham cracker crust, with a few meringue kisses thrown in for good measure. Delicieux!!!!!!
We were quite the happy group at that point.
Our final stop was at a WWII museum in Avranches, the site of some of the fighting of Operation Cobra, which began 7 weeks after D-Day.
By this time, we had to head back to Bayeux to make our connection for the drive into Paris. Wendy had mentioned (several times) to Val about her donut obsession. So she was up to the challenge of finding an authentic French beignet. She checked out a boulangerie in Avranches, but said they had sold out. We found anther on the road back to Bayeux, but were not impressed. Then....the best one... right in Bayeux! Look for a donut blog posting for details.
We even had enough to share with the Villa Lara staff!
The rest of the choir had arrived earlier in the day, and a group dinner was planned. We had hoped to make it back in time to join them, but the long day of touring and the 2.5 hour drive (including some rerouting caused by a "deviation" (French for "detour") made that impossible. We got to the Hotel California (yes!) at about 8 pm, had a quick bite (salads...no scallops) in the hotel bar, and called it a day.
Jusqu'a la prochaine fois,
w&w...................
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