Tourist First: France: History Lessons in Bayeux

Saturday, August 2, 2025

France: History Lessons in Bayeux

One of 58 scenes from the Bayeux Tapistry.

Bayeux was an easy choice as Jane and I planned our spring 2025 European trip, which took us along France's Atlantic coast: Nantes, Mont Saint-Michel, Bayeux, Entretat, all very different destinations. In Bayeux, the attractions were war-related. The Bayeux Tapistry tells the story of William the Conquerer and how he took the English throne. An excellent military museum tells the story of the D-Day invasion. (The D-Day beaches are nearby.)

We arrived in our rented Peugeot from Mont Saint-Michel in time for lunch on Saturday, May 17. We stayed two nights at the Hotel Tardif Noble Guesthouse, which is almost but not quite in the middle of the town, which has a population slightly less than 14,000. The tapistry museum is practically around the corner, and the D-Day museum is within an easy walk.

The town, which survived World War II intact, has loads of half-timbered buildings, narrow shopping streets and, of course, a magnificent cathedral. It also has a number of good restaurants catering to the tourists who come in hordes in the warmer months. Bayeux manages to be both touristy and authentic, and you can't get more authentic than the Baueux Tapestry, which was commissioned by William the Conquer's half-brother, Bishop Odo of Bayeux, and completed within a few years of the events it depicts. There are 58 scenes in the the story of William and the work is 230 feet (70 meters) long and 20 inches (50 centimeters) high. Captions for each scene are in Latin. (It is actually an embroidery, not a woven tapistry.)

The Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie (the D-Day museum) is a short walk from the center of town and tells the story of the problems that were overcome, the plans that were made, the never-assured success of the invasion and the awful sacrifices that were made. It's more an explanatory museum, with lots to read, than a museum of objects, though there are tanks, trucks and other gear on display. Even if you think you're familiar with the history of D-Day, I bet there are things here that you never knew.

We ducked into one other museum, the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire Baron Gerard (MAHB) near the cathedral. It has loads of decorative and fine art, but I was most intrigued by what looked like a courtroom. The building was an episcopal palace, the residence of the bishop of Bayeux, but the museum's signage did a poor job of explaining what we were looking at.

On the food front, we had Saturday and Sunday dinner in Bayeux. On Saturday with all restaurants open and very busy, we felt lucky to get a table at L'Achimie, a family-run place so nice that we would have come back the next night except that it's closed on Sundays. So Sunday we ended up at Le Pommier, which was also good. We think they put us in an anglophone room. We were in a row of tables with Brits and Americans speaking English. It it seemed everyone else was here to visit cemeteries and the D-Day beaches.

Here are some photos from Bayeux:

The small, quiet and elegant Hotel Tardif
is a short walk from the heart of town.

This is one of two water wheels we saw in Bayeux. It was unclear whether
they have any purpose beyond being picturesque.

A Saturday market in town had vendors selling everything from
clothing to cheeses, vegetables and fruits.

Some Bayeux streets are too narrow for cars.

I wonder what the story is behind the name of this coffee and
pastry place, which wasn't open when we went by.

Josephine Baker, the American-born entertainer
who is entombed in the Pantheon in Paris to
honor her work with the Reistance during World
War II, apparently performed in Bayeux in 1942
Poster reproductions are popular all over France.

Half-timbered structures typical of Normandy
are scattered around Bayeux.

The Musee de Tapisserie de Bayeux is housed in this large building,
which is on a small and otherwise insignificant street.

Re-enactors at the museum show how the tapistry was made.

A current project at the museum is the recreation of the entire 230-foot tapistry in three dimensions,
including the decorative border, using small figurines, all the same size as on the tapistry.
Only a few scenes were complete when we were there.

A detail of the tapistry shows the skill of embroiderers almost a thousand years ago.

There's a cathedral or at least an extravgant church
in almost every French town. This is the one
in Bayeux.

The nave of the cathedral.

This room is at the Museum of Art and History, housed in a
former episcopal palace. Was this a bishop's courtroom?

The art and history museum celebrates either
French craftsmanship or French design with
this odd display of chairs.

This M10 Tank Destroyer was an American contribution to the Allied war effort. It is
displayed near the entrance to the superb Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.