Iter Facere

Bayeux

Drove from Honfleur to Bayeux via the D-Day beaches. Our first stop was Pegasus Bridge where a British glider force plunged out of the sky to secure two bridges over a canal and river. The plywood and canvas gliders would hit the ground at 90 mph and break apart on landing. No seat belts or safety equipment inside for the troops. That would be my day, surviving (maybe) a 90 mph accident, but these guys then jumped out of the wreck with people trying to kill them. The bridges were captured and they then waited for the German tanks to attack them.

After the bridge we drove along the coast road past the British and Canadian beaches toward Omaha beach. It's now a crowded beach community. Beautiful flat sandy beaches, with miles of flat land behind them. Like all battlefields it is quite incongruous, the current peacefulness and the past violence.

We had lunch in Port de Bassins, a busy little fishing port just below a massive German artillery battery. From there we drove to the American cemetery above Omaha beach. Again the contrast between the idyllic beach on one side and the 10,000 headstones on the other was jarring.





Monday we awoke to the continued solvency of the US(!) and walked to the Bayeux tapestry. Fabulous. I was surprised to find that it is 70 meters long, as opposed to my original guess of 10 or so. It's surprisingly easy to follow, especially with the convenient audio guide. The rest of the museum is interesting also. There was a special exhibition of Japanese scroll paintings, which emphasized their similarity in technique to the tapestry.

Next stop Bayeux Cathedral. Very nice, austere towers over the entrance with a flamboyant tower in the center. Also nice Romanesque arches with Gothic windows.










After the cathedral we headednto St. Mere Eglise, the location of the American airborne landings. Interesting museum and town. Then on to Utah beach, and then to Point du Hoc, where 255 Rangers scaled a 200' cliff on D-Day. Unbelievable.
Distressing to remember that the people landing on those beaches were the same age as Sean and Jenny.

Location:Bayeux

posted by Jim @ 10:12 PM