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Bayeux, Normandy

July 2015

A few pictures from the last day of our 2015 French holiday.
Bayeux is a town on the Aure river in the Normandy region of northwestern France, 10 kilometers from the Channel coast. Its medieval center contains cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and the towering, Norman-Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

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Exploring the back streets in search of a restaurant for dinner.

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Rue du Bienvenu. The approach to the Cathedral.

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Our first sight of the Cathedral.

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It was difficult to get a complete view of the Cathedral with my compact camera.
The cathedral was consecrated on the 14th of July 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England. Very little of the original architecture remains as it has been rebuilt over time. During the Wars of Religion, the cathedral suffered greatly with much of the furniture, stalls and organ destroyed in 1562.

March 2017

A return visit to Normandy with Bayeux as our base for a couple of days.

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Bayeux Cathedral at night.

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Saturday morning walking into the town from our hotel. We were very surprised to see an English phone box!

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Bayeux Cathedral.

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When we arrived at the Cathedral there was a gathering of people for a ceremony of some sort.

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After chatting to a local gentleman we found out that the gathering was to celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the creation of the departmental section of the National Order of Merit of Calvados. The procession was walking to Place Charles-de-Gaulle for the ceremony. We followed them through the streets to watch the ceremony.

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Arriving at Place Charles-de-Gaulle waiting for the ceremony to begin.

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The Young Firemen of the Bayeux, Balleroy and Isigny sections of the JSP. JSP is short for jeunes sapeurs-pompiers and means the Youth Fire Brigade. Musicians from the fire brigade played during the ceremonies.

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The plaque marking the creation of the Bayeux section of the National Order of Merit.

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The main street through the town. Rue Saint-Martin.

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This magnificent half timbered building dates from the 13th century.

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Another example of the many half-timbered buildings in the town.

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Some pictures from within the Cathedral.

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Very finely carved stonework in the Norman arches.

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One of the wonderful stained glass windows.

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Two little stone figures embracing. A symbol of fidelity.

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On our walk to visit the Bayeux Tapestry we passed this mill race and water wheel.

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You are not allowed to take pictures of the actual Bayeux Tapestry. However, in the room above they have a facsimile of the tapestry which you are allowed to photograph. This is the famous scene where Harold gets an arrow in the eye.

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Walking back from the town after a meal I spotted the nice light shining on the wet cobble stones.

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A bit further along the street outside the Cathedral.