Tag Archives: Bayeux

Photo Of The Day: The Tourist Train in Bayeux, Normandy, France

As I mentioned in yesterday’s photo essay, Bayeux is both charming and VERY easily walkable. But apparently some people don’t want to ramble around the cobblestone streets discovering fabbo little photo ops — or maybe they just have tired feet, eh?

The local tourism board has sorted that out then with this Tourist Train that departs from the Bayeux Cathedral and rolls you along in comfort though the streets of this very pretty town in northern France.

The tourist train in Bayeux, a lovely town in the Normandy region of France.

Back To Bayeux

In several previous posts, I showed you some glimpses of the glorious Bayeux Cathedral, the outside of the Bayeux Tapestry building, and some of the wonderful gargoyles and grotesques on the exterior of the very ornate cathedral.

Today we are just having a bit of a walk around the town itself. It is quite lovely, very walkable size-wise, and is blessed to still have rather a lot of the original architecture since it was less impacted by World War II than most of the Normandy countryside.

The charming streets of Bayeux, a very pretty, historic, and walkable town in Normandy, France.

People walking down a small cobbled street in the shopping district of Bayeux in Normandy, France on a bright and sunny day.

Looking down a narrow one way street in Bayeux, Normandy, France towards the 11th Century medieval cathedral at the end of the block.

Close-up details of the upper third of the dark red doors of the Bayeux Cathedral.

A poignant war memorial on a side street in Bayeux, Normandy, France. As a French soldier is shot and begins to fall, the young boy takes the weapon and will carry on.

Apologies for the return of the slightly larger watermarks again. I discovered several of my images being used on a German website where the person in question posted 3 of my images and claimed that they were his vacation pictures from Paris! Obviously the fact that they were all watermarked (and he cut that part off) and there is a COPYRIGHT notice posted in both my side bar and at the bottom of each page or post made no difference to this man.

After making direct contact with the person and receiving no response, I notified their ISP about their use of my image without payment or attribution. I gave them a link so that they could see that they were indeed my pictures and I told them that I had contacted the person and suggested that they just pay the bill for using the images.

The person in question apparently decided to ignore the issue, even after being contacted by me and by the ISP. So thankfully the ISP stepped in and the man’s site is no longer active. Good! It’s rather scandalous that people continue to troll the internet and use other people’s images as their own — but I am VERY PROACTIVE about pouncing when I discover that sort of blatant theft!

Stone Cold Ferocious

The stunning Notre Dame de Bayeux or Bayeux Cathedral in the Normandy region of France is a medieval masterpiece with a heavily ornamented exterior.

Amongst the elaborate gargoyles and grotesques that are liberally sprinkled on the surface are these ferocious stone dog-like creatures — forever glaring outward in a sinister manner. Although some of the similarly shaped carvings along the roofline appear to be true gargoyles that transport water into the downspouts, these examples seen below are instead known as grotesques, not gargoyles, and I discovered them on the side of the cathedral closest to the grassy square.

The common interpretation for the usage of this type of imagery is that the ordinary citizen of the medieval world was unlikely to be educated, therefore simple lessons were often told quite effectively ‘in stone’ via images and sculpture. Previous spiritual beliefs in the pre-Christian world embraced the concept of monsters and demons or spirits that could be capriciously good or evil. In the case of these types of ferocious stone carvings, it was believed that they would stand guard over the church and its ‘good people’ and protect them from the intrusion of dark forces.

Ferocious stone creature on the side of the Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France

Photo Of The Day: The Furniture Maker

In the midst of our travels, I always try to keep an eye open for interesting signs or clever advertising. This unique sign contains a man working with a wood plane and advertises a furniture maker in the old quarter of Bayeux in Normandy, France. I love the simplicity and almost cartoon-like quality of it. But it instantly tells any observer what goes on in that building. Brilliant!

Furniture maker sign in Bayeux in Normandy, France

Beautiful Bayeux Cathedral

The spires thrust high into the skies over Normandy — asserting themselves proudly over the smaller stone or timber and plaster buildings all around. There are far too many ancient cathedrals and churches to count in France, but this one had a special air about it that broadcast its importance.

Bayeux Cathedral -- Notre Dame de Bayeux exterior

Ornate roofline and spires of the Bayeux Cathedral

The historic Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy, France is such a beautiful building and has such a wonderful atmosphere that I thought it deserved a separate photo essay of its own. This was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry, now housed in a separate museum a mere few blocks from the cathedral. It was consecrated by William the Conqueror, also known as William, Duke of Normandy and King of England, on the 14th of July 1077 — a mere 11 years after the Norman conquest of England.

Heavily detailed exterior of the Bayeux Cathedral

This 11th-13th century masterpiece of architecture is astonishingly light and airy inside due to the number of windows which punctuate the deep stone walls. The ornamentation is simply beautiful, so I have included several photos of interesting details.

Interior of the Bayeux Cathedral

Quatrefoil detail in stone inside the Bayeux Cathedral

Ornate details on interior of Bayeux Cathedral

The Dragonslayer in a side chapel at the Bayeux Cathedral

The crypts have an energy all their own which is quite different from the hustle and bustle of the ‘upstairs’ main church. But occasionally when there are other people down in the crypts, some rather annoyingly ignoring the signs indicating that NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY is to be used, you simply have to wait for a few minutes for the clattering and shuffling in and out to cease.

Entry to the crypt from the side aisle of the Bayeux Cathedral

Frescos on arches in the crypt of the Bayeux Cathedral

Angel fresco on top of a column in the crypt of the Bayeux Cathedral

Then, in that tiny space of a moment or two, you can feel the energy shift back to an interesting state of otherworldliness and even the sound of your breath looms large. This is a very popular tourist site, even out of season, so you must purposefully snatch those moments of serenity whenever it is possible.

Mark absorbing the brief and fellow-tourist-free serenity of the crypt at Bayeux Cathedral

Bayeux in France: The Tapestry and Beyond

Bayeux — another French town that bears the unfortunate description of ‘badly damaged by World War II bombing.’

Memorial to the 50th Northumbrian troops killed in and around Bayeux during World War II

But the real claim to fame is that it hosts the amazing Bayeux Tapestry. We’ve been looking forward to viewing this ever since our first visit to Normandy earlier in the year, so I was quite pleased that we managed to fit a day’s expedition to Bayeux into this particular multi-month stay in Normandy.

It’s a charming small town and, in contrast to the concrete bunker-ish appearance of the reconstructed St. Lo, this town has been rebuilt with sensitivity to historic style by using the traditional building material of stone.

Late autumn amongst the stone buildings of Bayeux in Normandy, France

A street in Bayeux in Normandy, France

Entry to the Moulin Restaurant in Bayeux, Normandy, France

We rambled down the cobblestone streets and decided to go see the beautiful Bayeux Cathedral (also called the Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux) that we had glimpsed peeking over the roofs of the surrounding buildings. This was the original home of the Bayeux Tapestry. It is a simply splendid cathedral and well worth a visit if you are in Bayeux to visit the famous tapestry. It’s a mere few blocks to walk from one site to another, so it’s quite easy to see both places if you only have a few hours to spend in the town. I’ll post a large selection of photos of the cathedral exterior, interior, and the wonderfully atmospheric crypt in a future article.

The lovely Notre Dame Cathedral in Bayeux, Normandy, France

We arrived at the museum, stood in a short line to gain entry (€7.60 each for admission), and then proceeded into the large display room. Every visitor is assigned a self-guided-tour device in their choice of language and that device auto-activates as you stand in front of each numbered section of the tapestry.

Museum containing the Bayeux Tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, France

The Bayeax Tapestry isn’t actually a tapestry done in needlepoint at all! It is a rather vast embroidery done on a very long swath of linen.

Because of the age of the item and the need to protect the fragile 70 metre long fabric from the light, the display is in a darkened room and absolutely no photography is allowed. So I have no firsthand photos to show you. But you can click on the highlighted links above and below for more information.

What struck both of us was the almost comic-book like quality of this vast piece of embroidery that has survived invasions and world wars! In centuries past, the Bayeux Tapestry was exhibited once each year within the Bayeux Cathedral to show the citizens the history of the Norman Conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This marvelous piece was commissioned to be created quite shortly after the battle itself. We found it fascinating to look at and we had several laughs at the humour that was quite effectively portrayed in the embroidered illustrations.

Cartoon-like whispering courtiers behind the king as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry in Bayeux, Normandy, France.

As we left the museum, Mark remarked that it was a funny place to see the Emergency Room entrance to the local hospital — right across the narrow street from the tapestry museum.

Emergency entrance to the Bayeux Hospital directly across from the Bayeux Tapestry Museum

For a change of pace from the World War II history in Normandy, Bayeux is certainly a recommended spot for a day out.

A Wanderful Life

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