Bayeaux and its environs

Normandy had never been high on our agenda, as we are basically sun worshippers and like to combine our sightseeing with decent weather. However, we decided it was essential to explore under overcast skies and a spot of rain. We were prepared with “sensible shoes” and waterproofs. And guess what, the Normandy weather obliged. It bucketed down, and we were drenched on more than one occasion. But we saw on our travels some magnificent buildings, and it was a change to be free of Roman antiquities (I don’t think the Romans made it over to this side of the country!).

Other than the places I’ve written about in separate journal entries, there are some delightful little villages. Villedieu-les Poeules (we followed a friend down the Cherbourg peninsula, and he said we’d meet at Villy doo les pearls!). This is a small and fairly unique town, with the shops on the main street bedecked with the shiniest of copper and brassware (you can guarantee that this shininess is down to hard work, and they will assume a lack-lustre appearance when they get home!). This is an old settlement, dating back to the 12th century when it was a staging post for the Knights of St. John on route to Mont St. Michel. Make sure you pop down the small alleyways off the main street, as these will take you back (in your imagination) to medieval days. They actually manufacture bells here, and if you want to explore this art a little further then I’d recommend the “Fonderie de cloches” for a guided tour.

Give time to tour the small, but perfectly formed Mont St. Michel. This is a massive tourist attraction, and again I reckon a unique entity. A shame that the tacky tourist trade has arrived here in force, but close your eyes to that and just enjoy the fantastic views of the mainland, the Gothic architecture, the superbly maintained cloisters, and the medieval feel of the main thoroughfare. A rare-treat, if you can make it outside of the holiday season.

Normandy's not just Bayeux and beaches—there’s some superb countryside inland, with some amazing chateaux (at Argentan, Brecy, and Harcourt), delightful country mansions (Coupesarte is perhaps the most notable), and Gothic churches and cathedrals all set in lush countryside. Despite the hoards, we found many a peaceful spot in Normandy’s countryside.

Quick Tips:

Summer is an incredibly busy time around Bayeux and the major towns, with the region being popular with Parisians and foreign tourists. Certainly the English seem to go in their droves, so if you can avoid school holidays you’ll have a much more relaxing tour of the area. We went thinking that we knew much more about the battle of Hastings than we really did, so had to learn as we “did” the museum. I’d strongly recommend that you do a wee bit of historical research into those early “tensions,” because it will make the tapestry much more of an understandable and enjoyable experience. Not critical, but I can guarantee that it will enhance your viewing.

Do make sure that you taste the local creations. Calvados, a specialist spirit of the region, is made from their ample supply of apples. In effect, this is Normandy Brady and double distilled as a brandy. There are different grades—when you first sample it, make sure you go for the higher quality. Indeed, if you like it sufficiently well to export some home (it is an acquired taste), do make sure that you buy on quality rather than price. The lower grades are like drinking fire water—rough and burning. In addition to this alcoholic drink, Normandy is renown for its Apple Cider. And again, the high-grade “cidre” is pure nectar.

The French pride themselves for their quality food, and folk from Normandy are no exception. If you have a sweet tooth, then go for the (yes, you’ve guessed) the Normandy Apple pie. A dash of cream is all that’s required as an accompaniment, and it makes a perfect afternoon snack. Quality.

Other food to try is the sea food—fish is fresh, and often served with a calvados or apple dressing. And mussels abound in a tasty garlic, and (yes) they also are cooked in Calvados. These are farmed from the local beaches—the very ones that were involved in the D-Day landings. Mussels were my wife’s pet-hate, until she tried them in Normandy—now there place on the menu is a prerequisite when considering a restaurant to book!

Best Way To Get Around:

Like most of France the best way to get around is by car and usually parking is never a problem. The exceptions will be in finding car parks in major towns, but have a bit of patience and follow the signs and then there’s no problem. At out of town sites, the French are very aware that parking needs to be convenient, and they’ve responded exceptionally well. Certainly, if you want to “do the D-Day landings tour,” all of the beaches have parking. Car rental in France is really easy and available via the Internet, or “on demand” in all large towns.

Once parked, the preferred way of sight-seeing is on foot. The towns are easy to wander around, but there’s a bit more of a trek if you’re “doing the beaches.” If you’ve read any of my other journals, you’ll know that I always advocate a stroll round the towns on your own. You can easily orientate yourself (with a map from the local office de tourisme) and investigate key sites in more detail. Of course, the local shops act like magnets for my wife, so I always need to “budget” extra time for that eventuality. In Normandy, the bar-restaurants with crepes and cider on the menu may slow you down that extra half-hour or so.

Towns are well served by public transport (trams, and buses), and getting between the towns can easily be done by train (although don’t expect to see the more out of the way sites by this mode of transportation).

Normandy has loads of offers to arrange a tour of the region, and although this is convenient (insofar as you’ll be guaranteed to see the important aspects), you’ll miss out on flexibility and I reckon will spend time hanging around for stragglers or rushing around to make sure that you’re not delaying others. I’ve never found this a satisfying way of seeing the sites. I’d much prefer to get a good map and do decent pre-holiday preparation.

Just to mention taxis (we’ve never used them, but friends have), they are readily available, but expensive. If you want to keep fit, then you might want to think about cycle hire. France is very bike-friendly, and cyclists are seen hanging around virtually everywhere!

We were camping just outside of Bayeux and the weather was atrocious – not intermittent showers but continuous buckets being thrown at us. This was a little disappointing because we fancied a gentle meander through the back streets of the town. However, our main purpose in staying near Bayeux was to view the famous tapestry. This 230 foot long by 20 inch high tapestry is embroidered in wool on linen and is described as an 11th Century masterpiece. That description I, in my opinion "spot on" as it’s in superb condition and perfectly recounts, in 58 episodes, the epic story of the invasion of England by William the Conqueror.

The tapestry is believed to have been "commissioned" by Bishop Odo of Bayeux who was William’s half brother. The work was carried out by the women of Kent and it isn’t clear if they participated in the work willingly but it seems certain that the original home for the tapestry was in the cathedral. So this masterpiece would have been blessed by the Bishop and then displayed in the newly consecrated Cathedral.

The tapestry is now housed in the Centre Guillaume-le-Conquerant, an old seminary built in 1693. The tour of the tapestry is best done with individual headsets and we found that the "pace" of the tour was a little brisk, but there is an awful lot of it to see and we were happy to take in its enormity and wonder at how well it has worn over the years. The main themes of this medieval cartoon are divided into thirteen separate scenes. It starts by setting the scene and shows the meeting up of Harold and King Edward the Confessor in Westminster Palace in 1064. Don’t expect to see the Battle of Hastings in the early scenes in the early part of the work as the tapestry goes on to set the scene and identify some of the motivation for the invasion of England by William. It shows Harold journeying to France, his capture and imprisonment and, before his release, his apparent support of William in a "swearing in ceremony". This was an apparent affirmation that William would be rightfully crowned as King of England when Edward, his cousin, died.

However on the death of Edward Harold accepts the Crown (both the funeral and coronation ceremony are ably depicted on the tapestry) and William is, to put it mildly a "wee bit upset". So he plans to re-possess his rightful position as King of England by taking on the usurper and the next two scenes show his careful preparation and the building of a navy to make the crossing to English shores. The landings and the building of a fort precede the graphic battle scene with limbs a-flying, culminating with the famous arrow in Harold’s eye and his death scene. This is a fascinatingly unique piece of history that I’m really pleased to have seen.

Although it was still overcast when we left the Tapestry Museum, the heavy rains had gone and we decided that we would—after all—explore Bayeaux a little more. The town, despite its massive tourist attraction, seems to have retained its sense of decorum (it is, after all, the capital city of the Bessin District), and we didn’t feel we were in the middle of a tourist trap.

Bayeaux’s Cathedral was originally consecrated in 1077 but little remains of that church (only the crypt and part of the west tower) the vast majority being rebuilt in the 13th century, but the central tower was added in the 15th century, and (now considered to be a monstrosity) the dome was added in the 19th century. The decorated arches in the nave were superb, the vaulting immaculate, and the 18th-century pulpit was a delight. As we wandered the outside of this magnificent cathedral (that remarkably was undamaged in the bombing raids of World War 2), we were both fascinated and amused by the Gothic gargoyles that adorn its dizzy heights, and the sculptures around the entrances. They kept us busy for some considerable time.

Bayeaux operates a "petite train" to guide you through the sights of the town, but it’s not a difficult place to walk round, and the tourist board has placed numerous informative signs up around the streets. At least walking you can "call the shots," although the "train" may be a good way of orientating yourself.

We headed off for the tree-lined Place Charles de Gaulle to the lace-making museum (the main occupation for Bayeaux workers in the 1800s). This was a particular interest, as living in Nottingham (a major lace manufacturer that in effect removed the lace-making business from France) we were interested to read about and view their perspective of the history of manufactured lace. The square itself was named to celebrate the visit of the great leader, who visited the town in 1944.

We thoroughly enjoyed our exploration of the banks of the River Aure and the fine old properties that butt right up to the water’s edge. Rue St. Jean offers advantageous views of the old tannery and dying area of the town as the narrow river offered essential waters for the processes. A walk around the medieval ramparts made for an interesting city walk, with the ancient half-timbered houses forming archways with the old defensive walls.

Of course Bayeax is an ideal place to stay if you want to investigate the beaches of the Normandy Landing (Sword, Juno, Gold, and Omaha) and Arrowmanches-les-Bains offers great views of the beaches and a chance to spot the remains of the artificial harbour that was towed across the channel as part of the invasion strategy. If you’re travelling down the coast, make sure you check out the famous bottleneck, Pegasus Bridge, at Benouville. It’s stunningly stark, and will offer a chilling reminder of battles lost and won.

Rouen is the biggest city in Normandy and is a peach of a place to visit. Once parked, it’s eminently walkable; and with the elegant cathedral, old buildings and attractive shops I’m sure you, like us will find plenty to do.

Rouen has a superb market square that has been on the go for around 1,000 years. There’s a market every morning (with the exception of Monday), and the place was a mass of colour when visited with bright freshly cut flowers and equally fresh locally grown vegetables. There are tall half-timbered houses that surround this historic square and it was a chilling thought, as we join the bustle of shoppers that Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in this very square. A few ancient stones mark the spot, and the modern church (aptly called Ste Jeanne d’Arc)—with its 20m cross—serves as an enduring memory to this famous martyr. The museum on the square gives an eloquent description of her short life with wax figures, taped commentary “from her friends and associates.” But I guess the stunning part of the exhibit is a small, apparently inconsequential drawing of the woman (doodled by a clerk at the trial). This, apparently, is the only contemporary drawing of Joan.

The streets of Rouen are a pleasure to wander through as those in the centre are pedestrianised and the narrow routes, lined with tall half-timbered houses house some quality shops and dinky bistros and cafés. On a good summer’s day you may have to run the slalom of tables and chairs and resist the exquisite smells and tempting array of food that the outside diners are enjoying. This is a city with a great ambiance and a whole bundle of history. It has attempted to tastefully merge new development amongst the old historic buildings.

The cathedral that dominates the town is particularly impressive from the shady banks of the Seine (an area that we found easy for parking). Check out the spectacular carvings around the North entrance (angels and monsters abound), and in a mirror position on the south side the 14th-century Portail de la Calande, which is absolutely rammed with fascinating sculptures. The inside of the cathedral is subtle and understated, with its finally ribbed slender pillars seemingly going upwards forever to support the structure of this mighty building, and directing our attention to the myriad of colours projected through the stained glass windows. Booksellers’ staircase (an exquisitely sculptured staircase, that would not be out of place in a scene from Romeo and Juliet) and the choir’s misericords are, as is usual in magnificent cathedrals, full of surprises.

Morbidly I always “enjoy” inspecting the fine tombs with their elaborate carvings and grandiose testimonials to the greats (or generous benefactors). Rouen gave me plenty to explore.

Make sure you see the 14th-century clock in Gros-Horloge Street, and enjoy the gloriously Gothic Palais de Justice. Time just flew by in Rouen.

We’d landed in Dieppe on many occasions but driven straight out of town. This time we decided to check out the town and venture a little further than the port and harbour area.

It is an interesting place, and we were pleased that we’d made the effort to drive to the top of the hill to the "vieux chateau." We parked just outside the walls, and some of the views from the top across the rooftops out to the harbour and beyond are quite superb. Indeed, I later read that several accomplished artists (Pissarro, Renoir and Delecroix) had been inspired to paint the scene. That must tell us something! The "solid" looking chateau, with its three pepper-pot towers (there were four originally), was originally constructed back in the 15th century to keep the marauding British at bay; was a prison during the French revolution; and thereafter was an army barracks. From 1906 it was unoccupied and was very close to being demolished until the authorities stepped in and declared it would be retained as a museum. Now there’s ever a changing set of exhibitions alongside Dieppe’s debatable art heritage of finely carved ivory—now frowned upon but nevertheless these were painstakingly carved by sailors whiling away the long days at sea or more accomplished sculptors.

We decided to follow our noses and walk down to the harbour (the car was well-parked and we didn’t fancy finding another spot) although we had to remind ourselves that walking down did also require us walking back up! However, the lure of a fish lunch in one of the many harbour restaurants was enough to convince us that the effort would be worth our while.

Dieppe’s St. Remy Church looks forlorn and somewhat dilapidated, but it is worth pocking your nose inside because this 16th-century church (that’s when work started although it wasn’t completed until well into the 19th) has some fine Renaissance decoration, interesting windows, and a superb rococo organ.

The Porte des Tourelles is the only part left of Dieppe’s ramparts, and the other side of St. Remy is one of the oldest inns in Dieppe, Café des Tribunaux. You won’t be able to miss this tall white building with the clock face at the top right in the centre of Dieppe. It dates back to the late 1600s but in the 1730s it was known as cabaret de l’Horloge (I wonder why!). Keep an eye out for the oldest building in town, a timber-framed building built in 1621, and I’d recommend that you check out the church of St. Jacques. This place has some superbly grotesque gargoyles and small chapels, fantastically lit by the light through the intricate stained-glass windows.

On a Saturday the streets are rammed with market traders selling all manner of local products including, of course a wide variety of fresh catches from the sea. And then we wandered around the busy quayside enjoying the smells, sounds and bustle of Dieppe’s livelihood.