Bayeux 10/18-21
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux: The Cathedral of Our Lady of Bayeux: Yes, another “Notre Dame.” This one goes back to the time of William the Conqueror and was likely the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which is still not far away. The cathedral is in the Norman-Romanesque architectural tradition.
The Bayeux Tapestry: This amazing historical embroidery is almost 70 meters long. Like a cartoon narrative, its pictures tell the story of the Duke of Normandy’s 1066 conquest of England, the crossing of the English Channel with hundreds of boats and the subsequent Battle of Hastings. Thus William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Invasion and became known as William the Conqueror. The huge tapestry is lovely, and the museum provides an audio narrative to tell the story and point out key details in the images. The museum provides a short documentary film about the invasion and a nice museum reflecting many aspects of daily life in the 11th century.
Visiting the D-Day Beaches: Our goal was to visit the D-Day Beaches, the site for the largest, most ambitious, and most deadly invasions in the world’s history. Like our prior visit to Auschwitz/Birkenau, this is not a “fun” destination. Nevertheless, it is important to understand our history, to appreciate the huge, international effort that eventually defeated Hitler’s Third Reich, and to honor the thousands who gave their lives so that others would live in freedom.
To prepare ourselves ahead of time, we watched The Longest Day (1962) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Both films cover the American landing at Omaha Beach, where hundreds of American soldiers died in the first hour of their assault on the beach. We have recently watched Masters of the Air, and we plan to watch Band of Brothers again when it’s available.
D-Day was June 6, 1944, but the tragedy and triumph of the invasion of France was not accomplished in a single day. The Battle of Normandy took months to gain territory and to send the Nazi forces east, back to Germany.
On D-Day, American forces targeted Omaha and Utah beaches, British forces attacked Gold Beach and Sword Beach, and Canadian forces landed at Juno Beach. Despite all that went wrong – like the terrible weather on June 6, and the air attack dropping parachuters far from their intended targets – this amazing assault was enough to overwhelm the enemy and to begin the end for the Nazi empire.
Although our day began with clouds and rain, later the sky cleared, and the afternoon was fine. We chose a daytrip with an “Overlord Tour” of the D-Day Beaches. This one focused primarily on the American viewpoint, but it’s important to remember that the British and Canadians, as well as the French Resistance, were all involved.
We began on Omaha Beach; where the allied invasion – particularly the American Army — suffered great losses in just a few minutes. Then we visited the beautiful American Cemetery, the resting spot for 9389 who lost their lives in the Battle of Normandy. At Utah Beach, the landing went more smoothly. Monuments here celebrated the American Navy. We also visited Point du Hoc where the Germans were well fortified and enjoyed viewpoints over Omaha Beach to the east and Utah Beach to the west.
We stopped at Sainte-Mere Eglise where the parachute of John Steele, caught on the tower roof and the spire of the town church. He was left hanging for hours on the side of the church. He survived the fighting, was taken prisoner, and later escaped to rejoin the American ranks. Today the church features a stuffed paratrooper hanging along its side as a reminder of Steele’s story. At Sainte-Mere Eglise, we also visited the Airborne Museum that focused on the experience of the Army paratroopers. Another stop was at the small Church at Angoville where two young medics saved many lives, including of some Germans. Today the church includes a memorial honoring their work.
Back on our own in Bayeux, we found the Battle of Normandy Museum which told the larger story of those months when the Allies fought the Nazis to liberate Normandy.
Normandy is so full of D-Day monuments and museums that one could easily spend a busy week and still never see it all. We certainly did not see it all, but we’re glad we came and now understand this great conflict more fully.
Mont St. Michel 10/22
To end our time in Normandy, we chose to visit Mont St. Michel, one of the most iconic sights in France. It’s a small mountain/island that sits in a tidal bay. When the tide is out, the mount is surrounded by muddy land: when it’s in, the mount is an island, surrounded by water.
According to the legend, in 708 Aubert, the Bishop of Avranches, dreamed that St. Michael the Archangel called for him to build a church on Mont Tomb. Thus, the first church was built on the island. By 910 it had become a Benedictine monastery and the preferred destination for religious pilgrimage. If you couldn’t make it to Jerusalem, you could make your journey here.
Today the Abbey of Mont St. Michel remains a pilgrim destination, but it’s also a most popular tourist destination. Many buses arrive in the late morning bringing hundreds onto this small island. By afternoon, the restaurants, shops, and streets are very crowded, but most tourists will depart by early evening.
We chose to spend one night here to enjoy a quieter evening and a quiet morning before leaving the island at midday. Good choice. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this lovely, medieval setting. On a guided tour of the Abbey, we learned about the history of the island and the various challenges to construction over the years as the abbey grew.
Where to Next? Leaving Mont St. Michel, we drove to Caen where we spent a single night, (10/23) returned our rental car, and took a train out to the Charles De Gaulle Airport, where we spent a single night (10/24) before flying to a very different landscape and culture: Destination INDIA.
