Utah Beach

We've seen Omaha Beach and related sites on several occasions, but I think this was our first visit to Utah Beach. Always in a hurry to get to Brittany and its megalithics, but not so this time.

Among the memorials was this, built atop and within a German
gun battery on the beach

Thus

The battery was taken June 6 and became the headquarters
for landing operation; the names of those who fell are inscribed
on the walls...

Utah Beach, looking toward Omaha Beach

Monument to US naval forces, who bombarded, transported,
landed, and continued support for D-Day

One of many Sherman M-4s in this part of the world; I've read
that there is only one left that still runs

Landing wreckage

Further north on the beach, a monument at the
place where General LeClerc and the French
division landed; they would liberate Paris two
months later as part of Patton's 3rd Army Group

And everywhere, on the beaches, the fields, and a couple miles
inland where the land rises...German gun emplacements,
batteries, everywhere, seemingly more than we have seen before

Thus

And thus

But a message worth pondering: "Who changes the children,
changes the world"

D'Isigny Land

From Bayeux we drove on to a nice but very popular aire in Isigny sur Mer. Isigny is one of Normandy's great dairy towns; one of the most popular dairy brands is Isigny Ste. Mere. There are no statues in town, but it is widely asserted that the Disneys (Walt, Mickey, Minnie) came from here, stopping first in Ireland to acquire a surname (from Isigny) and then simplifying the spelling upon arrival in the New World. The aire was quiet and scenic and we decided to do another administrative day.

The aire at Isigny sur Mer

Another marina type situation, only this on a canal that leads,
a couple kilometers away, to the Channel; note the boats are
all high and dry; the canal is the little trench to the right

And here we are at high tide

Because of the canal, Isigny used to be a port of some relative
significance--it was known as the "cow port" because of the
Isigny Ste. Mere plant--but the canal started silting up and they
tried using these "Guideaux" to marshal the tidal flow and
sweep the canal clean 

Didn't work, and the Guideaux are now part of the marina's
decor

Anyhow, it's a pretty town

Americans, Canadians, British very much
welcomed

13th century parish church; no funny faces

Plenty of beautiful landscaping, however

Thus

It was here that General De Gaulle made his first public remarks
after returning to France, in June, 1944

Another French example of taking the library to the people

Bayeux Cathedral, 2015

The last time we visited Bayeux Cathedral, I think, was the late fall of 2009. We rarely missed a cathedral, even then, but we had much yet to learn about their history, construction, aesthetics, etc. Bayeux is not one of the greatest of the greats, but it is a beautiful old building and one we like.

The original cathedral was consecrated in 1077, in the presence
of William and his brother Odo, who was bishop; Odo was the
one who carried a club into the Battle of Hastings so as not to
spill blood; also thought to have commissioned The Tapestry;
but the 11th century version was largely destroyed in a fire; what
we see today is a fine Norman/Gothic 13th century church,
fairly well preserved

One of two west tympani, a Judgement

Nave view; the Romanesque arches retained

Elevation

Standard four-part ribbed vaulting

By the 13th century, the Norman Funnies were becoming the Norman Nasties

Thus

And thus: the Middle Ages were getting to their zenith, and
everybody was a little on edge

Thus

Organ; obscuring a beautiful, huge window

Chancel; great color, verticality

Very large transept window

Buttresses, through the clerestory windows

Murder in the Cathedral depiction; click to enlarge and see that Becket really
did look like Richard Burton

Transept

And window

Bayeux features an interesting crypt, with
16th or 17th century frescoes of angelic musicians

This visit, I photographed the upstairs key to which angels
were playing which instruments

Names of saints in bays of the chancel

Beautiful cathedral, inside and out

Bayeux, 2015

We drove on to old friend Bayeux and found a downtown aire, sort of. There were other camping-cars there and it was free. Half a block away was a laundromat, so we declared Monday a partial administrative day. The rest, we were content to walk around old Bayeux and visit the cathedral one more time. Unlike Caen, not far down the road, Bayeux suffered very little WWII damage. It was the first French town of any size to be liberated; on June 7, 1944. The Allied soldiers were astonished to see the place relatively intact. The Germans had stolen the Bayeux Tapestry, but it was found in the basement of the Louvre and returned to Bayeux.

Street scene

A whole lot of half-timbered; but very old

And thus

And thus; this is the Lace Place, where you can watch
women, old and young, making lace, the old-fashioned
way; I would have taken pix or made a video, but they
were very insistent about no fotos

Bayeux's Liberty Tree

First ever instance of handle-bar mustache

A lot of such remembrances still around

More halfies

But some other, equally old beauties

Rickie-Stevie-approved hotel

A horse is a horse, of course, of course...

Street scene near cathedral