You may wonder why I've already posted entries for the return ferry ride as well as Omaha Beach, but this is because--to my husband's silent chagrin (I can read his mind)--I switch back and forth between a chronological and thematic organization of events. So, it didn't make sense to write about Utah Beach (which we saw before Ireland) without writing about Omaha Beach (which we saw afterwards). In honor of my husband though, from now on I will stick to chronology.
As with most of the trip, we drove well into the afternoon before pulling into a wayside to make reservations at a hotel farther along, and to be honest, living the nomadic life was getting a bit old. But this time we were lucky enough to find lodging in a hotel recommended by our Rick Steves' guide which was within a short walking distance to the main cathedral, the Bayeux Tapestry, and the British WWII Cemetery (also referenced in http://wirthsummer2012.blogspot.com/2012/10/normandy-part-ii-beaches.html).
If you're rolling your eyes right now because you can't imagine why anyone would stop in the north of France to see a famous rug, you sound exactly like me. In fact, my husband received no end of abuse in Ireland when I repeatedly asked when we expected to see "the rug." To be completely honest, the abuse was in no small part because the kids and I didn't want to leave Ireland. In fact, we were upset that divine intervention hadn't provided high enough seas to cancel our return ferry (though it got close). We even fantasized about changing our return ticket to leave from Dublin Airport, instead of Zurich, and sending the car back to France on the ferry alone or with my husband as its only occupant.
So, we were in a bad mood, and I refused to make the call to Bayeux to book the hotel. I said I was tired of being the family's only French-speaking (though barely) spokesperson, but in retrospect, I was just pouting. Worse than that, my eyes shot daggers at Brian when he did his best to make the arrangements himself. So, it wasn't a proud moment for me, though I didn't realize it until we arrived at the hotel in the middle of a charming town which displayed signs of welcome in English. There were American and British flags everywhere, and a lovely creek running through the middle.
As I've said in previous posts, the difference between loving and hating a city is often your proximity to its historical center. This is especially the case when two children and their mother want to lie on a bed and stare at the ceiling until it stops spinning while their father grabs a camera and sees the sites himself. So, this was the case in Bayeux the first afternoon. But by 10 pm, we had given up pouting, and ventured across the street from the hotel to find the city had come alive with light-painted buildings.
Below: The Bayeux Cathedral after dark
In the summer, beginning at 10:30 PM on certain evenings (if memory serves, it was Tuesdays and Thursdays) the courtyard opposite the Bayeux Cathedral hosts a light show against the canvas of the Hôtel du Doyen. The narration is in French, but it gives visitors a historical overview of the city using imagery and sound which transcend language. Here's a video someone else taped: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvPVKU0-eko and below are still pictures from our visit:
The Tapestry plays an important role in the light show (see above picture) (one of my favorite parts is 9 minutes and 15 seconds into the video [referenced above] when the Beatles play "All You Need Is Love" while the Norman invaders and the English defenders slaughter one another), but no greater than that of WWII (this starts 3 minutes and 7 seconds into the video referenced above) and the soldiers and countries who liberated its residents (see picture below) because this is the town where you will see pictures of American servicemen on buildings and a "Welcome to our Liberators" sign outside the restaurant closest to our hotel.
You will also see American and British flags inside the Cathedral alongside plaques commemorating Allied soldiers (see below).
One thing I didn't know about the Bayeux Tapestry before we visited was that it's not a square rug on a wall, and it's not really a tapestry at all. It's a 1.5 foot by 70 yard embroidered cloth which is long enough to wrap around a large portion of the Bayeux Cathedral's nave (pictured below). It's also not your grandma's embroidery since there are pretty graphic depictions of decapitations, loss of limbs, and arrows through throats, chests and heads.
The Tapestry does a pretty good job of stating the Norman case for invading England--and you'd expect that since it's sitting in Normandy--but it was created in England by--one assumes--either nervous English women or women who hadn't lost their French accents yet. (Spoiler Alert!) It says that Harold swore allegiance to William the Conqueror during a trip to Normandy, yet Harold usurped the English throne once King Edward the Confessor died. I'd like to take this time to call BS on this story.
According to the Tapestry (and one or two books), Harold was sent to Normandy with the sole purpose of telling William that the King had chosen him as his successor. But why King Edward sent Harold to deliver this news instead of someone who didn't have designs on the throne stretches credulity. After all, I'd like to think I could be trusted with telling my sister that she's my mom's favorite and will, therefore, inherit Great-Grandma's platinum wedding ring, but I might not bank on it.
My suspicion (with very little evidence except what I know of human nature) is that Harold was visiting only to secure the release of his brother or his nephew (there are conflicting accounts) who was held captive by William at the time. What's not in question is that Harold was captured upon hitting Norman shores (not a very nice welcome if his only mission was to say, "You've won a kindgom!") and was made to swear allegiance to William before going home. After the ceremony, the trunk on which Harold held his hand was revealed to contain a Bible and a relic which would've caused no end of cursing by Harold if he didn't have his heart in his pledge of allegiance. In any event, William was so sure that Harold would honor his oath that he did some cursing of his own when news of Harold's ascension to the English throne found him. (Again, I have no evidence, but I know people.)
Once the boats were made and the wind was right, William and his entourage headed across the English Channel and Harold didn't see the year 1067.
So, whether or not you buy the details of the story (Don't! It's ridiculous!), you have to appreciate the artistry and work involved in the Tapestry's creation, and the pure dumb luck involved in keeping nearly 1,000-year-old fabric in pretty amazing condition.
We couldn't take our own pictures of the Tapestry, but here's a picture taken by the French Tourist Bureau:
So, if I had my way, we would've skipped Bayeux and gone to Paris instead, but that would've been a huge mistake because the Tapestry wasn't just a rug and we liked the town well enough to extend our stay by two nights, leaving only three nights to visit Alsace and Bern, and make it to Zurich Airport in time for our flight. That said, we have no regrets. As Brian says, we came to Bayeux for the tapestry, but we stayed for the town.
© 2013 Nicole Wirth
Author of: Letters to Salthill 
No comments:
Post a Comment