Having a rental car gave us more freedom to sight-see while it expanded our adventures. One trip involved German pillboxes and 11th century propaganda. Let’s start wih the Germans.
This was part of the German defense along the Atlantic coastline. Their guns had an effective range up to 14+ miles. BTW – that’s Adrienne in the photo below.
Some of the pillboxes still had their gunnery.
Connor and I walked to the edge of the coast, finding other ammunition spots still in the fields.
One lookout point was still intact.
From there the coastline was easily seen.
Afterwards it was on to Bayeux and the Bayeux Tapestry – a short distance away. Bayeux was located four miles from the coast of the English Channel and founded in the 1st century BC. It was destroyed a number of times through the years and re-built by various peoples.
No photos were allowed of the actual Tapestry, and they had a very organized viewing process. Audio guides (available in a multitude of languages) were part of the entrance fee and automatically started upon entering the display. There was no stopping, pausing or going backward on the audio guides. Everyone kept moving forward through designated stopping points.
To this day, some mystery continues.
One can’t visit the Tapestry without stopping at the Bayeux Cathedral – it could be seen from most everywhere in the city. This was left virtually untouched from Allied bombing due to the German forces defending Caen, further away. Bayeux was the first city of the Battle of Normandy that was liberated.
The site is an ancient one and was once occupied by Roman sanctuaries. The present cathedral was consecrated in July 1077. Following serious damage in the 12th century, the cathedral was rebuilt in Gothic style.
This photo gives some perspective. Those are massive doors.
Quite a bit of the stained glass was still in place.
Entry was in the back of the cathedral.
We kept moving towards the center of the cathedral.
One of the architectural features intrigued me.
More stained glass was at the very back.
A crypt and treasury was still in place and after a short flight of stairs onewas able to imagine the history that took place.
There was just enough light to take a photo.
Had to chuckle when I saw scaffolding. Usually seen on the outside, this time work was being done in multiple places – both inside and out.
One group shot before leaving Bayeux, taken along the southside of the building.
So far………the group has been patient with my photo requests. Not sure how long that will last, but I’ll keep going.
Darden Travels 
This takes me back! Such a great walk through parts of history!
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