Bayeux

For my last week of freedom before starting my stage, I decided to take a little trip to Northern France to see some of the must-see items in France. My first stop was a little town named Bayeux. It is one of the towns that is a base for the tour expeditions to the D-day beaches in Normandy.

Let me start at the beginning though, and by that I mean the planning of this trip. Approximately the end of July I decided to take this trip and began e-mailing hostels to check for availability. I found this hostel in Bayeux that was pretty affordable and close to everything I wanted to do, so I emailed them to see if they were available. I got an affirmative, so sent them back an email to confirm. The lady sent me back an email and said to arrive between 7-9pm. My train didn't get in til 9:15 so I asked if that was ok. She emailed back and said someone would wait for me. I know it seems like a painful recount of the details, but they are important. I arrived in Bayeux and had just enough daylight to get to the hostel. I found it perfectly and was there at 9:30. No doors are open and it looks like no one is around. I go to the side door and see some guys inside, so I knock and ask them if they have seen the owner. They haven't and are looking for him too. I convince them to let me in. I know, charm. I proceed to look everywhere for the owner, and no one is around. Now, the good thing is that I'm in the hostel. The bad thing is that I don't know where my bed is. I ask a couple if they have seen the owner and tell them the story. They start looking for rooms for me. They suggest the one above where they are staying. I knock on the door and a 50-year-old guy answers and out whafts the cigarette smoke aroma. There are 4 beds in the room, but just this guy smoking. He says sure I can stay in one of the other beds, I take a look around, assess the toilet and shower only separated from the rest of the room by a partition and decide, maybe I'd rather sleep somewhere else. I go back downstairs and the couple is going through the office trying to find keys to other rooms. They were cool people. I tell them not to worry about it and go down to the basement of this hostel. I had seen it upon first wanderings, but when I say basement, it is more like a cellar. Barrel ceilings, all in stone. It was damp too. But, there is a couch-like, divided chair thing. I pushed the chairs together and put on my pjs. I brushed my teeth in the bathroom upstairs and commenced falling asleep. Or not. Turns out I was warm from walking all over this hostel, and after I laid down I wasn't so warm. I slept in 3 shirts and a fleece, flannel pj pants, two pairs of socks on my feet, one on my hands and my jacket and another shirt covering me. I didn't sleep great, but awoke at 7:30am to the sounds of pots clanking. I promptly gathered my stuff and headed upstairs to request a key. I got a room and slept for 2 more hours...needless to say that night was free.

My morning in Bayeux was spent at the Cathedral and then seeing a super-long tapestry...as in 70 meters long. This tapestry was made in the 11th century and depicts the conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy. Bayeux is a cute little town with lots of waterwheels, and thankfully I had a great day to see the town. I had an afternoon at the D-day beaches, and then had a dinner based around the Bayeux pig. The entree was a pork paté, the plat was a great casserole which was based with mashed potatoes, then had apples, pork, and sausage in it. It was pretty strange, but great. For dessert I had a baked apple with cinnamon ice cream. Yum. Great first day!