Our heads still swimming with information from our
DDay tour, Mom and I spent the next day and a half getting to know Normandy. This beautiful region is divided into the Upper and Lower regions, with the former centered around Rouen and the latter around Caen.
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| We stayed in Bayeux, just northwest of Caen |
We began the morning with a quick visit to the Bayeux cathedral. It would have been impressive anywhere, but in such a tiny town, it
was remarkable! Built on the site of an earlier church, the Bayeux
cathedral was consecrated in 1077 by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, who just
happened to be the half-brother of William the Conqueror, king of
England and duke of Normandy (of Battle of Hastings fame).
From the cathedral, we caught a train to nearby Caen to pick up our rental car so that we could explore a bit farther afield. Maneuvering
our way out of the center of town and mastering our communication system for navigating the ever-present roundabouts
‒ "exit where
that car did!"
‒ we hit the road.
Our first stop was Honfleur, a quaint port city on the opposite side of the Seine Bay from Bayeux. We had a great time walking around the old town, admiring the pretty buildings, taking photos, and poking around the cute shops. It was a perfect stop for an hour or two. I would definitely recommend it for a stroll and lunch by the harbor!
From there, Mom and I continued on to Etretat, which is known for the beautiful Alabaster Cliffs beside the town. Picking up a map at the tourist office (thank goodness for tourist offices!), we walked a trail that follows the coastline and provides fabulous views of the falaises, i.e., cliffs. The landscape was otherworldly!
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| First glimpse of the most famous falaise, nicknamed "The Elephant." |
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| The Elephant from the other side (with the afternoon sun) | |
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| Walking around the bend towards the second falaise! |
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| The second falaise! |
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| The second falaise from the other side! |
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| See the path leading up to the church on the hill on the other side of the beach? It was steep, but we walked up to get nice views of the third falaise and the cliffs extending all along the coast. |
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| View from atop the third falaise |
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| Etretat waterfront |
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| Terrasse Claude Monet along the Etretat waterfront |
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| Plaque showing a painting that Claude Monet did while standing in that same spot on the Etretat waterfront! |
Tearing ourselves away from the spectacular scenery that evening, we considered squeezing in a quick stop in Rouen, but ultimately conceded that it was time to turn back to Bayeux. We arrived about an hour and a half later, exhausted and hungry, but thoroughly satisfied with our adventures. Rounding out the night with pizza at a restaurant near the cathedral and dessert crepes and a glass of calvados in our hotel restaurant, we fell into bed to recharge for the next day!
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| Pizza dinner at Domesday! |
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| Calvados is an apple brandy that is typical of the Normandy region. |
The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel and then took advantage of our last few hours in Normandy to explore more of Bayeux. First up was visiting the Bayeux Tapestry. I have to admit, we were both a little skeptical of this tapestry, despite the fact that it is far and away the top site to see in Bayeux. But that's just because we were ignorant of its pure and utter awesomeness. The 70-meter long embroidered fabric scroll, which depicts the key events in the Norman conquest of England through the Battle of Hastings, blew us away!
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| No one else was there yet when we arrived that morning, so we had the tapestry all to ourselves |
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| The level of detail in the embroidery is amazing ‒ each horse and rider is unique |
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| The audioguide explaining the tapestry was one of the best I've used. Nice job, Bayeux! |
After marveling at the tapestry, we stopped for a few minutes in the Lace Conservatory to watch a handful of women make lace by hand. The craft was first introduced in Bayeux in the 17th century, and the town was a center of production for several hundred years! Today, however, only a handful of people still produce lace by hand. It is an incredibly intricate, painstaking process
‒ I have a lot more appreciation for it after our brief visit! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I found a few pictures on google to give you an idea:
With that, it was time to race back to Caen to drop off the car and grab lunch before catching the train to our next stop: the Loire Valley!
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| Mom thoroughly enjoying her lunch at La Boucherie in Caen while waiting for our train! |
