Fighting our way across Normandy

Well that may be a little over dramatic, but at times it sure has felt that way. Tonight we are in Bayeux, France. The first French city liberated by the Allies in 1944. It's beautiful. The architecture is spectacular. Because the Germans were not seriously defending Bayeux, the Allies decided that they did not need to bomb and the result is a beautiful, old city, made even more beautiful by a Christmas layer of snow.

Yes, I can say that now. The snow is beautiful. Yesterday it did not really feel that way. We left Brussels Friday morning facing my worst fears. On Thursday, I had finished school and that meant we had three days before we meet Christopher and Kate in Paris. We thought it might be nice to rent a car and drive through Normandy - unless it's snowed... It doesn't snow much in Normandy, does it?

Actually it doesn't. We asked. We were told that before last year it hadn't snowed in 10 years. We also heard on TV that this is the coldest December in France since 1910.

Our first stop was Honfleur, a four hour drive from Brussels - unless it snows. Which it did for nearly the first half of the trip. The extra time was not a big deal, it was the condition of the roads and knowing that all the drivers (including me) were not very experienced and probably driving cars not really equipped for snow. Eventually, we made it and it was worth the drive.

Honfleur reminds me a bit of Sausalito. Pretty buildings and lots of art galleries.

If it were not for tourism, you wonder what they would do. I don't think they are worried though. They get lots of tourists. In the summer. Winter not so much. Where we had dinner, a beautiful café on the harbor, we were the only ones.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to watch the weather forecast. If Friday was bad, Saturday was supposed to be worse. Oh boy! Fortunately Bayeux is only about an hour from Honfleur so at a break in the snow we set out. We actually did okay. We got here just as the next storm started, parked the car, and spent the day walking about. Bayeux is small enough that you can do that.

Walking in the snow is a lot more fun than driving. We strolled over to the tapestry and enjoyed what is an excellent presentation of an extraordinary document. Yes, it is more like a document, than a rug on the wall. It is like a storyboard of not just the Battle of Hastings but also the political intrigue that led up to it. The museum provides an audio guide that explains each of the 50+ scenes and includes an extensive exhibit of life in England after the conquest. Much better than I had anticipated.

From there we walked over to the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum. D-Day is really what brought us to Bayeux. Omaha Beach is a short drive from here and tomorrow we may get there. The roads are not well travelled and uphill from here so the snow may derail those plans. If it does, we still got a good sense of the importance of those days in June 1944 to this part of France. Elsewhere, they may not be so well remembered. Here they put their stamp on everyday life.