Bayeux and Beyond

Last week I wrote about some sites we have visited recently not far from our home in Normandie. This week I’ll write a little more about two of these locations, Beuvron-en-Auge, and Bayeux.

After visiting Château de Canon, we headed to Beuvron-en-Auge, one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, for lunch. It was a quick drive from the château, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around this beautiful little town before finding a place for lunch. Beuvron-en-Auge is famous for local artisans, 17th century half-timbered structures, and antique shops.

After our walk, we found a lovely little sidewalk cafe, called Café Forges, for lunch. Not long after being seated at our table, and served an apéritif, a family walked by with a dog, and mentioned to the server that the dog had been following them for a long time, but was not their dog, at least this is what I discerned from the conversation in French.

I was so impressed how the restaurant employees burst into action to help this wandering canine! The server called another server to bring some water, (it was a hot day) and she immediately got on the phone to the gendarmarie. The dog was quite agitated and would have nothing to do with the water, even though she was panting heavily, and wandered several times into the street, much to the horror of the restaurant customers.

At one point, a car zipped past too quickly and everyone hollered at the driver, who quickly slowed down when he was just inches from the dog! He got a severe scolding (deservedly so) from many of the restaurant patrons, one woman yelled at him, “ralentie! Ce n’est pas Paris! Slow down, this isn’t Paris!

The dog continued to wander between the restaurant and the street, panting heavily, for another ten minutes or so, until finally a driver came by, and the dog quickly hopped into the passenger seat. At this point all the customers cheered; apparently the owner had been located and he and the dog were reunited; whew!

After a not so relaxing but delicious lunch, we continued to Bayeux. the home of the famous Bayeux tapestry and gateway to the D-Day Beaches. We arrived in the late afternoon, and after settling into our hotel, walked to Bayeux Cathédral. This 13th century cathédral is a beautiful place to visit, and quite cool inside on a hot day.

The famous tapestry was also on our bucket list for Bayeux. Since we were visiting in mid July, and heard more English spoken than French while we were out and about, we figured we better get an early start the next morning. We arrived right around opening, and were ushered right in to the museum! I guess the early bird gets the worm, or quick admission in our case.

The Bayeux Tapestry is an amazing, 270 feet long piece of embroidery that tells the story of the Norman Conquest of England beginning in 1066. The battle between Harold II, King of England and the Duke of Normandy, William, is displayed throughout the tapestry. There are 58 scenes on the intricately embroidered tapestry. The tapestry is housed in a dark, temperature controlled room to be sure it’s preserved for future generations to witness, so photos are not allowed. However, there is a replica on the second floor of the museum.

Here are a few photos of the replica.

The tapestry is said to include the first known siting of Halley’s Comet. Photo curtesy of CultureTrip.

After leaving the museum, and seeing the long lines outside, we were thankful for our early start. We wandered through the pretty town of Bayeux, enjoyed a cup of tea, and another long, leisurely lunch – hey, it’s France!

You’ll find a wide variety of accommodations in Bayeux, including hotels, inns, rentals, and camping. We stayed at Hotel d’Argouges right in the heart of the city, and within easy walking distance to major sites. Our room came with a delicious breakfast and free, onsite parking.

Even though Bayeux was filled with tourists from all over the world, I am so glad we visited this beautiful town with its important, historic significance. Not far From Bayeux are the D-Day Beaches and WWII Military Cemeteries. Check back next week when I write about these sites.

As always, I would love to hear from you, so leave a comment if you’re so inclinded.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia