From Caen to Bayeux, pearls of domestic bliss rise on the horizon.
Von einer Anhöhe aus erspähen wir einen monumentalen Bau am Horizont. Auf der Suche danach gelangen wir in Saint-Gabriel-Brécy, wo ein altes Tor unsere Neugier weckt.
A serendipitous find: we spied a monumental structure well off our route. On the way to it, we came to Saint-Gabriel-Brécy, an old abbey with a door and walls from the 13th century.
Dahinter liegt eine ehemalige Klosteranlage, in der heute eine Gartenbauschule untergebracht ist. Die ältesten Bauten stammen aus dem 13. Jahrhundert, darunter das Tor (oben) und die Klosterkirche (unten).
It's been a garden school since 1929. Nice place to learn your craft.
Nach der Schlacht von Caen im Juni 1944 fanden hier Flüchtlinge aus der zerstörten Stadt Unterschlupf, Ruhe und Frieden.
Refugees from Caen found shelter here after the bombing in '44. I love the silhouette of the tree on the right.
Roy wandelt auf geschichtsträchtigen Spuren. Bei der Gründung des Klosters im Jahr 1058 hatten natürlich auch Willi der Eroberer und seine Mathilde die Finder im Spiel.
Like so much else in Normandy, William the Conqueror and Matilda figure in the founding of the abbey in 1058.
Dann geht's weiter nach Bayeux, wo die mächtige Kathedrale das Stadtbild prägt.
Then on to Bayeux, where the massive cathedral dominates the center of town.
Sie wurde bei einem Brand im Jahr 1047 zerstört und danach in gotischem Stil wieder aufgebaut; fertiggestellt 1077 und geweiht vom Bischof Odo von Bayeux, dem Halbbruder von – na, wem wohl: Willi dem Eroberer.
It's been a garden school since 1929. Nice place to learn your craft.
Refugees from Caen found shelter here after the bombing in '44. I love the silhouette of the tree on the right.
Like so much else in Normandy, William the Conqueror and Matilda figure in the founding of the abbey in 1058.
Then on to Bayeux, where the massive cathedral dominates the center of town.
An earlier church was destroyed by fire in 1047 and the new one, in high Gothic style, was dedicated by Bishop Odo, half-brother of the most ubiquitous Willy the C, in 1077!
Sind diese Wasserabflussrohre nicht niedlich?
Gargoyles and -boys serve as spouts for rainwater runoff from the roof.
In der unterirdischen Krypta; sie wurde bei einem Brand im Jahr 1047 als einziger Teil der Kathedrale nicht zerstört und stammt somit aus dem 10. Jahrhundert, der Zeit der Normannen.
The underground crypt was not destroyed by the fire in 1047. It dates from the 10th century.
Ein mittelalterlicher Comic für Gläubige.
This panel is a one-picture comic book for believers.
In der Kathedrale von Bayeux schlägt man sich nicht gern mit fremdländischem Geld herum; nur Euros sind erwünscht.
Love it: euros only, thank you. Other currencies are just too much of a bother!
Wir verbringen zwei Nächte in einem alten Haus, einer Aussenstelle des Hotels Reine Mathilde.
We spent a couple of nights in this old house, part of the Hotel Reine Mathilde.
Blick aus unserem Fenster.
Across the stream outside our room, a local hunter awaited his prey.
Bayeux überstand den Zweiten Weltkrieg unberührt und ist ausgesprochen malerisch; Mittelalter, wohin das Auge fällt.
Bayeux was the first city liberated after the D Day landings, ten days later, on June 16. Its ancient buildings were virtually untouched by the war and today it is a garden of medieval delights, like this old water wheel.
Naja; hin und wieder scheint auch in Bayeux die Moderne durch.
There are signs of modern life here and there, but not many.
Und dann ist da natürlich auch noch der berühmte 'Teppich von Bayeux', das Wandgehänge der Königin Mathilde. Er zeigt über 68 Meter Szenen von der Eroberung Englands durch Willi, der eben deswegen den Beinamen 'der Eroberer' trägt. Wer Bayeux besucht, dem sei ein Blick darauf unbedingt empfohlen; man benutze auch den Audioguide!
If you go to Bayeux you're well advised to visit the Bayeux Tapestry, making use of the indispensable audio guide. 230 feet long (70 meters), in about 50 panels it tells the story of the Norman conquest of England (from the Norman side of things, of course). It was probably made in England in the 1070s, and it's a marvel.
Die Geschichte ist in allen Details dargestellt. In der Mitte läuft der Hauptfilm, im unteren Fries werden die Nebenszenen dargestellt.
The tapestry is 20 inches tall (50 cm) and the main story runs in the big central area, with telling details above and below.
Ausgestellt ist der Teppich im Centre Guillaume le Conquérant, im 'Zentrum Wilhelm der Eroberer'. Den Hintergrund des Ezoberungszugs zeigt eine Ausstellung, wo auch zu sehen ist, wie der Teppich von hinten aussieht.
Gargoyles and -boys serve as spouts for rainwater runoff from the roof.
The underground crypt was not destroyed by the fire in 1047. It dates from the 10th century.
This panel is a one-picture comic book for believers.
Love it: euros only, thank you. Other currencies are just too much of a bother!
We spent a couple of nights in this old house, part of the Hotel Reine Mathilde.
Solche alten Gemäuer haben eine ganz besondere Atmosphäre.
It was atmospheric to sleep within these old walls.
Across the stream outside our room, a local hunter awaited his prey.
Bayeux was the first city liberated after the D Day landings, ten days later, on June 16. Its ancient buildings were virtually untouched by the war and today it is a garden of medieval delights, like this old water wheel.
There are signs of modern life here and there, but not many.
If you go to Bayeux you're well advised to visit the Bayeux Tapestry, making use of the indispensable audio guide. 230 feet long (70 meters), in about 50 panels it tells the story of the Norman conquest of England (from the Norman side of things, of course). It was probably made in England in the 1070s, and it's a marvel.
The tapestry is 20 inches tall (50 cm) and the main story runs in the big central area, with telling details above and below.
And there he is again, William the Conquerer, the Duke of Normandy. In January, as Britain lurches towards Brexit, French president Emmanuel Macron offered to lend England the tapestry. It is scheduled to hang in the British Museum after 2022, a second French conquest of England.
In solchen Booten überquerten die Normannen damals den Kanal.
This is a replica of the sort of boat used by the Normans to cross the channel. A particularly amusing story is told in the tapestry: it seems the Normans under Harold initially sailed to the wrong port (!) and were captured by another noble, the Duke of Picardy. We know well how tricky navigating can be.
Normannische Bewaffnung.
Replicas of Norman arms. Simple and effective.
Landbevölkerung beim Durchritt der Normannen.
A cool diorama of the advancing Normans.
Fazit nach drei Tagen Bayeux: Die Stadt schafft es in unsere Top-Städte-Liste, wenn wir denn an Land leben müssten: Fribourg in der Schweiz, Haarlem und Zwolle in den Niederlanden, und nun Bayeux.
Three days is Bayeux confirm it joins our short list of favorite towns if we had to be stuck on land: Fribourg in Switzerland, Haarlem and Zwolle in Holland, and now Bayeux.
This is a replica of the sort of boat used by the Normans to cross the channel. A particularly amusing story is told in the tapestry: it seems the Normans under Harold initially sailed to the wrong port (!) and were captured by another noble, the Duke of Picardy. We know well how tricky navigating can be.
Replicas of Norman arms. Simple and effective.
A cool diorama of the advancing Normans.
Three days is Bayeux confirm it joins our short list of favorite towns if we had to be stuck on land: Fribourg in Switzerland, Haarlem and Zwolle in Holland, and now Bayeux.
