Fun things to do in Bayeux

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Probably most people who have ever even heard of Bayeux did so in conjunction with its largest tourist attraction, the Bayeux Tapestry which was made to commemorate the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Legend has it that it was made by William the Conqueror’s wife, Mathile, but most scholars doubt this. Whoever made it, it is an amazing piece of work, some 230 feet long and intricately embroidered with 50 scenes from the invasion and the Battle of Hastings including the death of Harold.
The tapestry originally was housed in the Cathedral which was built by William’s half-brother, Odo who was the Bishop of Bayeux. Some speculate that Odo commissioned the tapestry and used it at the dedication of the cathedral in the decade following the conquest of England. Odo went with William and was made Earl of Kent, so had a lot invested in the venture and gained a good bit of wealth for the cathedral (and maybe himself?) from it.
It is now housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux. It is well displayed and there is a very good audio-guide which steps you through the events and the characters portrayed.

The museum is open pretty much every day from 9:00 until about 18:00.

Adult admission is 7.80 Euros for adults and about half for children. Under age 10 is free.

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I have read every book I could about the Normandy invasion. I am better than average with a map. So I felt well prepared to find my own way as I toured Normandy. After just a few hours it became clear that I was going to miss many of the things that I wanted to see because Normandy I huge and the places that I really wanted to see were small and very specific. Add the kicker that many sites are privately held and restricted to guided tours. So I luckily found a great guide in Dale Booth.

He was smart, very well prepared, approachable, super knowledgeable and energetic. He draws on a life time of study, personal contact with many veterans of Normandy and years of guiding experience. I used him for two days and was very satisfied. He took me to many sites that I would simply been unable to find. He quickly and expertly put things into context and filled in details with accurate information. He was very approachable and welcomed any and all questions.

I am a bit of a cheepo and it was hard to part with the guide fee. In retrospect I have no regrets. I know that I had a much more meaning full time in Normandy because of using this guide.

"Mulberries" are artificial harbors created at Arromanches (Gold Beach) and St Laurent (Omaha Beach). These artificial harbors were conceived because the Germans knew the Allies would need a deep-water port to move troops and supplies inland... therefore, the Germans heavily defended all of the major ports. The Mulberries were constructed by the Allies to allow them to attack less defended areas, then create artificial harbors to enable movement of the critical wartime supplies as needed. The Mulberries consisted of sunken ships and concrete blocks to act as breakwaters, along with floating piers for unloading the ships.

Parts of the Mulberry at Arromanches are still visible in the water around the town.

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The center of Bayeux is Bisected with a canal. All along it’s edge there are wonderful paths. It is traffic free and is very peaceful. There are parks, gardens and benches all along the way. There are some old mill works to view. It is ripe with romance and photographic opportunity.

So get out and walk about during your stay. It will be one of the highlights of your stay.

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We were renting an apartment south of Caen and our landlady told us not to miss the market in Bayeux on Saturday morning. It was her favorite. So Saturday morning we dutifully breakfasted and drove to Bayeux. It was not hard to find the market. We simply went the opposite direction of all the people carrying away bags of various things.

The market was wonderful. They had fresh produce, wonderful cheeses, flowers, clothes, table linens, furniture and people all over the place. Our apartment came with a gardener who delivered fresh produce so we limited ourselves to cheeses at the market. We hadn't intended to buy anything but as we walked by one cheese monger, she cheerfully asked if we knew what a certain cheese tasted like. We answered, no, so she insisted we must try it for the experience. Well . . . it was so good we bought some of that and then slices of several others. Normandy is a great place to explore cheese!

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By the time we made it here to Point du Hoc it was freezing and rainning pretty hard. It was interesting to see where the Germans were bunkered. Germans positioned long range guns which they aimed at passing ships from this point. The allies suffered huge losses as the Germans fired down upon them from the cliffs but eventually secured the area, finding that all the long range guns had been moved just days before to Calais in expectation of an Allied attack further along the coast.

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Since planning my trip to Paris I really wanted to go to the Dday beaches. I am really glad I did. It was emotional but also very inspiring. We did a day trip out here and it was so worth it. The Normandy American Cemetery is overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. It is so peaceful and quiet here that it is hard to imagine that a war took place here.

This discount card came in useful in cutting down the cost of going to museums and other attractions around the Normandy area.

It only costs 1 Euro and gives you discounts on at least 26 different sights.