Bayeux 05.05

Easy journey to Bayeux and thanks to six photos of where to find key pad, then door to Appartments and then Appartment itself, I got into my very cosy two-storey flat with narrow winding stairs to the bedroom and bathroom. Have to be careful!

Well, it was somewhat strange to be sitting on my own outside a pub in Bayeux, after a week of constant company. However, it was beautifully peaceful and I savoured the delicious cider, and people watching.What an attractive and diverse town this is. Bayeux was the first city to be liberated in 1944 and was thus spared bombings unlike its neighbours in Caen. 

This was one of the first buildings, dating back to 13 th century. 

i was really looking forward to eating a lot less even though I had really appreciated all our food on board. A local Galette, filled with bacon, tomato cheese and mushrooms was perfect.

not quite sure what this house was offering?

It was a day full of interesting, though very sad places. The first was the Battle of Normandy museum, which I left far more knowledgeable than when I had entered. It was super informative and absorbing.

The Commonwealth cemetery, the largest in France, with around 4000 graves was hugely touching and saddening. So many young lives lost, some as young as 18, and rarely anyone over 40. 

Although I vowed to take no more cathedral photos, these pillars are just too magnificent to omit. Mostly 13th century, though some parts date back to 11th century.Wow! I had not imagined being so impressed by a tapestry, but one 70 metres long, made in the 11th century , is truly a remarkable work of art, telling the story  in picture form, of how William the conqueror became King of England . After all these years, thanks to careful handling of the tapestry, under the correct temperature, this masterpiece is simply perfect.

Putting sad history, and art behind me, I had a fantastic afternoon strolling along the River Aure through old Bayeux. Very pretty.

After a while, I left homes behind me and found myself in some very lush gardens and forest. 

There were some fascinating, colourful, little doors, like something from Alice in wonderland.

To end a most interesting, though often sombre day, I joined a queue of locals to go to the cinema. A touch of normality from tourist life. Marvelous film based on a true story of two brothers, Frères. 

I decided to check timing for walking to the station tomorrow, and as luck would have it, I passed this incredible area of protected wetlands, Marais in French Not only was it a fantastic area to walk in the fresh air , with views of the splendid cathedral, but also a wildlife reserve with ponds teeming with hundreds of mating frogs making a deafening noise.