A Long Journey to Look
at Embroidery
Bayeux and its amazing tapestry
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| I
arrived in Bayeux at 2:15 pm at the train station. After two
weeks in France, I would learn that Bayeux's train station is on the
small side. |
From
the train station I walked to Hotel Tardif, where I
had reserved a room. The courtyard gives a marvelous first
impression! |
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| This
was my room ("Cambrai") at Hotel Tardif. It had a very
comfortable bed, armoire (with hangers), desk, TV, window, door to the
garden, shower, sink, and a cool-enough temperature without a fan or
A/C. The included Wifi didn't work from my room, but it worked in
the front courtyard. The rate was 60.70 euros ($85). |
I
was sleepy, but after checking in, dropping off my bags, and paying
my hotel bill (a mistake--I got on the owner's bad side and couldn't
recify it), I went to the tourist
information office and walked around town. I visited the Bayeux Cathedral (neat to imagine the Bayeux Tapestry hanging there) and the building pictured above, the Lace Conservatory. Inside, there were three women making lace by hand, an amazing feat to watch. |
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| While
wandering around town, I got to see this tree (which is more than 200
years old!). It reminded me of the Comfort Maple. |
Another
pleasant sight around town were the working water wheels. Always
fun to see! |
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| I
had come to Bayeux for only one reason: to see the Bayeux tapestry. The
building that houses it is big and non-descript, but the tapestry was
absolutely wonderful to see. It cost 7.80 euros ($11) and
included a good English-language audio guide and movie. I also
enjoyed the translated version of the tapestry in the room outside the
movie room. While seeing the actual tapestry was incredibly impressive, click here for a link to pictures of a copy of it. (No photos are allowed of the original!) |
I
went to the grocery store and got a chicken sandwich and orange juice
for dinner (4.40 euros or $6)--I ate it in the back garden at my
hotel. After that, I walked to the train station to buy my ticket
to Mont Saint Michel for the morning (20.10 euros or $28). On the
way to the station, I noticed that the shutter holders had little faces! |
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| Here
is a close-up. I just thought they were pretty neat! |
After
buying my train ticket, I walked to the Bayeux War Cemetery. On
the way, I could see the Bayeux Cathedral in the distance. |
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| The
Bayeux War Cemetery is on the outskirts of town near the war
museum. (I hadn't realized until looking back that it is named in
English.) |
Across
the road from the cemetery is the British War Memorial. |
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| I was
surprised at the number of Polish and German soldiers buried in the
Commonwealth cemetery. |
I was
also surprised at how beautifully maintained the cemetery was. It
was only days after the 65th anniversary of D-Day when I visited, and
there were many memorials from families. All through the
cemetery, though, were beautiful planted flowers. |
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