Bayeux Day #1 Oct 16th

Ryan has had a tough time with the jet lag today. After departing the train and dealing with our ticket issues, we walked into Bayeux to our hotel - a charming place right in the middle of town and were able to check in around noon. After Ryan changed into jeans (it was 50 outside and he was wearing his shorts - kept wondering why people were staring at him), we walked up and down the street by the hotel - got some chicken panini sandwiches to eat while we walked. After eating Ryan actually started to look and feel like a drunk man - all off-balance and couldn't walk straight. I guess it was lack of sleep (he would not make a good doctor) and I got him back to the hotel to bed for a nap.

One of my brilliant plans was to buy a french hairdryer because I know that high wattage appliances like those do poorly with power converters. So my first objective after I tucked Ryan in was to find one because no hairdryer, no shower for Christy. The search was much more difficult than I had anticipated. First I went to a pharmacie where two gentleman directed me to a larger store that had housewares (like a small version of Bed Bath and Beyond). The woman there suggested I try a hair salon. I think I went in 3 or more of those. Hair salons do not normally cater to tourists I think because there was little to no English in there. I finally found a shop that sold hairdryers and I had two choices - the small professional one for a mere 120 euros or a larger version for 64 euros! Still yearning for a shower sometime in the future, I bought the model for 64 euros.

I then returned to the Hotel Churchill for a one hour nap. Upon tucking into the bed, I found a hairdryer in the nightstand. Now I am torn - do I return the one that I bought in hopes of finding a cheaper one somewhere else (like in the next town) or will that turn into a misadventure as well?

Ryan was very hard to awaken from his 2 1/2 hour nap but I finally drug him out of bed to do some sightseeing. We went to the Bayeux Tapestry which is a tapestry from the 11th century that depicts William the Conquerer's victory over King Harold of England to claim the British throne which happened in 1066. The tapestry is in excellent condition for being 1000 years old and it is very cool to see a story depicted in fabric in such detail. It is amazing that the tapestry has survived at all. It survived two fires and the cathedral where it was stored. Also, during the French Revolution is was used as a tarp to cover a wagon that went from Bayeux to Paris and was rescued by some guy and folded and stored in an office for years! There was also consideration of cutting it up to make flags for a parade! After viewing the tapestry there is a film and poor Ryan was nodding and bobbing throughout - he was still feeling poorly. Unfortunately they don't allow pictures of the tapestry. I was going to buy a postcard that I could photograph and have for the scrapbook but I had no money with me and Ryan had already exited the building to sit on a bench. Perhaps I will go back.

After that we went to the Cathedral de Notre Dame de Bayeux - a cathedral from the 11th century that has both gothic and romanesque architecture. It is a huge place and very beautiful.

After the cathedral we grabbed a snack of break and cheese and headed back to the hotel for a bit before heading out to a dinner of pizza and wine. I have no idea why this is in black now and no patience to figure it out since I am ready for bed so bear with me. Here is a lovely little scene that we caught while walking around. The weather has been rainy and cold most of the day - hoping it improves...