June 26, 2022 - Bayeux, France

I needed a good night’s rest last night and thankfully got it.  I was awakened by very loud church bells.  I am staying in an AirBnB across the street from the cathedral, jumped out of bed for fear that I’d miss church, only to find that the bells start ringing (and don’t stop) for a full half hour before church service.  Worship is always interesting when you don’t know the language or the traditions and it made me wonder and spend a lot of time thinking about how much of what we do in our own churches in the US are just as foreign to people living in our own communities today.  I showed pictures of the inside of the church yesterday.  Here are some pictures I took of the outside.  The Cathedral was consecrated on July 14, 1077.

Bayeux was one of the most influential regions in what we now call France many years ago.  It was the northwestern part called Normandy in the 10th-12th Century, a cultural mix of West Franks, Gallo Romans and Norse Vikings.  After many years of fighting among the various tribes of the region William became the Duke of Normandy in 1035.  At the time, Edward was king of England, who had a brother in-law by the name of Harold, who was the Earl of Wessex.  Knowing that Edward had no heir to the throne, William of Normandy made Harold of Wessex promise his loyalty for William’s claim to the English throne when Edward died.  However, when King Edward passed away on January 5, 1066, the council (known as the Witenagemot) chose Harold to succeed him.  He became the first king to be crowned in Westminster Abbey.  Having heard the news that Harold broke his promise and was crowned king himself, William gathered his forces in Normandy and marched into Hastings (southern England) to rage war against Harold for the throne.  Harold died in battle becoming the last Anglo-Saxon King of England and William (the Conqueror) became King of Normandy and England.  

The Bayeux Tapestry, commissioned perhaps by William the Conqueror’s wife, Queen Matilda, or his brother in law, Odo the Biship of Bayeux depicts the story of his conquest.  It is called the Bayeux Tapestry because it resided in the Bayeux Cathedral for centuries and was put on public display for two weeks each year in the church until it got a permanent home in the Museum of Bayeux.  The tapestry is nearly 1000 years old.  Obviously, I was not allowed to take any pictures, but I found this on the website to show you.  The tapestry (actually an embroidery) is in nearly mint condition with the vegetable dyes still holding up after all these years in bright reds, golds, browns, and greens.  It is 230 ft long and 20 inches tall.  The audio guide that leads you through viewing the tapestry was quite educational.

After church service and viewing the Bayeux Tapestry, I wandered around town.

The last picture above is the courtyard of my next door neighbor’s home.

I went French fancy for dinner tonight.

A Chicken Terrine with potatoes, a single carrot, peas, and mushrooms.  I know people have some difficulty with the process of making foi gras, but I love it.  And it was delicious.  Dessert consisted of a chocolate mouse, white chocolate whipped ganache, walnut crumbles, and pixy pop sticks (I think that’s what they are called).