This was a pretty exhausting day of tourism. We had some great moments, but there was more time in the car than we planned on, and for quite a bit of it we were not sure if we were even going in the right direction. We never did get lost, but endless French roundabouts loaded with signs for every destination possible, and toll roads where you have no idea how much you need to pay until you arrive at the agent's window made driving exhausting.
Our first stop, after about an hour on the road, was the small city of Bayeux. The main attraction here is the famous tapestry which depicts the conquest of England by William of Normandy. It one of the oldest depictions of life and warfare in the early middle ages, and, though done with relatively primitive materials, has some astonishingly great artistic touches. There is no photography of any kind anywhere around the tapestry, so you will have to Google some images later. This is John and Vicki standing outside the building where it is housed with a replica of one of William's ships behind them.
The other major tourist sight in the city is the Cathedral. Michelin describes it as a "harmonious blend of Romanesque and Gothic" which is largely pretty accurate. There are also some less harmonious 18th and 19th century additions. But the best parts for me are some of the 15th century frescoes in some of the chapels like the one below. The photograph, taken in dim light, does not quite capture all the expressive details of the faces.
From Bayeux we continued north to Omaha Beach. There are a number of monuments to the landing. This is one of the newest and largest called "Les Braves".
Just a little to the east of this sculpture, about a mile or so, is the American Cemetery. For some reason, this place was absolutely packed with people when we were there. We were afraid it was going to seem like Disneyland, but the solemnity of the place seemed to work despite all the people.
From there we continued on to Arromanches. Here you can still see the remnants of the artificial harbor created by the allies to bring war supplies from England to Normandy. The allied war commanders understood that a reliable supply chain was essential. So, once the coast had been secured, massive concrete breakwaters were hauled across the channel to protect from the bad weather. They then installed huge steel piers. These went out quite a distance as the Channel shore is quite shallow and has big tides.
From Arromanches we went back to the motorway and went to Deauville for the evening. I do not really get the attraction of these famous Normandy seaside towns like Deauville or Le Touquet. I can understand why they were popular in the 19th century, but they seem over developed now with endless blocks of condominiums on the beach. Once you are off the boardwalk, you scarely have any sense of being at the shore. Still, with their casinos and expensive shops, they remain popular summer destinations for the French.
Here is the Marie - town hall - at dusk.
I noticed a statue outside a confectioners shop which looked a lot like Jonathan Winters dressed up as granny. John dared me to give her a kiss while I took a picture. I was too embarrassed, but, as you know, John is never shy.
Not sure what adventures tomorrow holds. The weather has been better than the Cotswolds, but still cool and cloudy.
