Europe Trip 2019, Part 2: Normandy

Oh my, where to start with the second leg of our Europe trip?

Normandy – and especially the picturesque town of Bayeux – captured my heart. At every turn, I saw a beautiful photo enfold in my mind and I had to stop and take it.

And then the people! Incredibly friendly and quick with a smile. Always willing to help us as we stuttered through our attempt at very basic French. And they are so incredibly proud of their history — from William the Conquerer to World War II.

Bayeux was quite simply inoubliable! (That’s unforgettable!)

We traveled by train to Bayeux, which was about a 2.5 hour trip that took us through the French countryside and the city of Caen. Joe didn’t sleep through all of it, or did he? LOL. Traveling is hard. 😉

Our guesthouse for the next two nights was La Tour Louise, just steps away from the historic part of Bayeux and an easy walk from the train station. We had a two-room suite with our own full bathroom on the 3rd floor (no elevator, though!), which worked out nicely for us. And our hostess, Sandrine, couldn’t have been lovelier. She was a vivacious French woman with silvery blond hair, bright red glasses, and – always! – bright red lipstick. Her breakfasts (included in our room rate) were incredible. Homemade croissants and a selection of jams, French bread and butter, fresh yogurt and homemade granola, and an apricot clafouti (think dense coffee cake) that was delectable! She loved to ask us, “What’s your program for the day?” and then would offer suggestions and tips to make the most of our stay in Bayeux. It was exactly the guesthouse experience I was hoping to have.

La Tour Louise was built around 1846, if I recall correctly and Sandrine told us, “It is just a baby house!” And with good reason, as many of the historical buildings and the incredible Gothic church date much older than that.

I mean, seriously. Look at this town.

Bayeux has a wonderful historic center perhaps best known for housing the Bayeux Tapestry, which we toured. In fact, the tapestry was Joe’s favorite part of Bayeux. The tapestry relays the story of William the Conquerer and the Battle of Hastings in 1066 in Normandy. (And as you can imagine, no photos were allowed of the tapestry.)

There is also the most picturesque water wheel running in the River Aure, in the midst of the city.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame was just a block or so from our guesthouse and I was obsessed with capturing its beauty from different angles. The church was consecrated in the presence of William the Conquerer in 1066 and is still a working church today.

On our first evening in Bayeux, I booked a reservation at La Rapiere, a small restaurant tucked away in a small alleyway just off the historic center of town. I’m so glad I did! The food was incredible and offered us a chance to try more of a fancy French dining experience without feeling intimidated. In fact, our hostess was incredibly friendly and helpful and made sure we enjoyed every minute of our time at the restaurant. So fun!

Later that evening, we were able to witness a very special program behind the cathedral — a sounds and light show projected onto a 200-year-old oak tree that celebrated France’s path to freedom and liberty. I think it’s safe to say we had never seen anything like this and it was beautiful!

The next day, we booked a half-day tour covering some of the major D-Day / World War II sights to see, including Pointe du Hoc (above), Omaha Beach, and the American Cemetery. This is the third time Teacher Man and I have visited these areas and we were looking forward to sharing this experience with Joe.

I booked our tour in advance through Viator.com, which had many options. Ultimately, we went with a small group tour that lasted about 5 hours. Our English-speaking tour guide was terrific – very knowledgeable and very passionate. She picked us up at our guesthouse and we had only one other family of four (from New Jersey) with us. The small group was ideal for asking questions and taking photos – without feeling the impersonable rush of a large tour bus. We would highly recommend going that route!

It’s both incredible and sobering to visit Pointe du Hoc and see the war structures still standing.

Here we are standing on Omaha Beach, where today it’s a tourist destination for people who enjoy the beach and swim in the ocean. Certainly our guide put it into perspective when she told us many veterans have told her they love to see kids playing on the beach, seemingly oblivious to the monumental history of this area. This is the very reason they fought in World War II … to ensure freedoms such as this.

Our day ended at the American Cemetery, which is beautiful and bittersweet at the same time.

We witnessed the flag coming down for the end of the day.

And Teacher Man in his element. 🙂

I think it is very safe to say we enjoyed our time in Normandy so much and the area offered something for all of us. Miraculously, Bayeux was largely spared from destruction during World War II. We could walk amidst the historic streets and buildings and enjoy the good food and even better wine.

Bayeux, you will forever be etched in our memories. Thank you for your hospitality.

xoxo – Lara

P.S. Watch for part 3 soon of our travels as we left Bayeux and headed back to Paris, where we flew out to Ireland. I can’t wait to share with you all of the incredible beauty we saw on our week’s worth of travels there!