La Tapisserie de Bayeux

Our chambre d'hote was close to the city of Bayeux , which I recently learned is famous for one thing and one thing only: the Bayeux Tapestry, an ancient embroidery which depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066 during which Guillaume (William) the Conqueror sailed from Normandy across the English Channel to do battle with his friend-turned-foe King Herold of England and eventually claim the throne. It measures 70 meters in length, and since apparently no visit to Normandy would be complete without visiting the Tappiserie, we saw it first thing Sunday morning.

Fortunately for us, it was the Journee du Patrimoine that weekend. The Journee du Patrimoine ("The Day of Heritage") occurs but once a year in France, and on this weekend all publicly-owned buildings and historical locations are free to the public! This includes not only all the major museums and major tourist attractions, but also apparently lots of lesser-known chateaus and other historical buildings which are not routinely open to the public at all. So we were able to view the Tapisserie in all its glory without even having to fork over a euro.



Next up: Mont St-Michel!