Day 8 (Saturday): To Bayeux in Normandy
Catch the Morning Train to Bayeux
Download 6.05 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Normandy Conquerors Liberators
Catch the Morning Train to BayeuxOnce you are aboard your train, and stow your luggage, you will have around 1¾ hours to relax and eat the breakfast snacks you brought along. Since you will arrive in Bayeux at around 11 am, set 10:50 am as your time target to begin your preparations to get off the train. Again, if you begin to doze off during the train ride, set an alarm to be sure you wake up in time to gather yourself and your belongings and move toward the door at least five minutes before your scheduled arrival time. Normandy Conquerors & LiberatorsBayeux will be your home base for the next four nights. From here you will immerse yourself in heroic stories that changed the course of history—from Norman conquerors in the 11th century to American, British, and Canadian liberators in the 20th. The 11th century saga involves William of Normandy (also known as William the Bastard, and later William the Conqueror), who, in 1066, launched his army of 16,000 Norman troops from Bayeux to cross the English Channel from France to England. His quest was to take back the English crown that the childless and dying King Edward II had bestowed on him.  In Bayeux you will view the remarkable Bayeux Tapestries, a detailed visual account of William’s tale, from his early alliances and battles, to his preparations to transport his troops and horses across the English Channel, to his valiant march through the south of England, to his decisive victory in the Battle of Hastings, where the usurping King Harold was killed by an arrow in his eye. After Harold’s defeat, William successfully took back the throne and ruled as king of England for the next 21 years.
Moving ahead in time nine centuries to the 20th century story, the purpose of the epic battles fought—the dramatic D-Day Landing (“Jour J,” in French)—was to liberate, not to conquer. Bayeux was, once again, among the focal points. The 75-mile coast of Normandy, 110 miles from England across the English Channel, was Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall,” northernmost defensive barrier of his “fortress Europe.” This coastline, located 6 miles from Bayeux, was the scene of the D-Day Landing, codenamed Operation Overlord. From Bayeux, you will venture out on three daytrips. Your first daytrip will be by train to nearby Caen for more about William the Conqueror—visiting his castle and the abbeys he built as atonement for marrying his cousin. This will be followed by lunch, shopping, and wandering the streets of the medieval Vageaux district. For your second daytrip venture, you will travel by taxi to Arromanches, epicenter of the D-Day landings. Here you will see the artificial harbor, Port Winston, constructed as a port-of-entry to offload Allied troops, vehicles and supplies. After viewing fascinating models and displays of the fabricated harbor, and the seemingly impenetrable beaches that surrounded it, you will visit Omaha Beach, where you will imagine the scene that played out there during this critical turning point in history, and comprehend how tenuous the success of this venture was at the time. Your third daytrip will take you back to Caen, this time to see the remarkable Memorial Museum. Descending a spiraled walkway that takes you through the chain of cause and effect that followed in the wake of the First World War, you will descend ever deeper into the abyss, witnessing the gradual unhinging of a world unable to retain its grasp on its newly established and fragile peace.
Directory: wp-content -> uploads -> 2016 2016 -> 2017 afoCo Landmark Scholarship Program 2016 -> Instructions for the Preparation of Camera-Ready Contributions to the Conference Proceedings 2016 -> Step student Scholarships for Year 10-13 2016 -> The united church of canada 2016 -> Idan raichel biography – May 2016 Brief Producer, keyboardist, Lyricist, composer and Performer Idan Raichel 2016 -> An introduction to centre’s interventions expanding access to justice 2016 -> Sanchar Shakti 2016 -> Unit analysis should help here. We want number of bananas 2016 -> The Autobiography of Elder Joseph Bates 2016 -> The Great Heat and the Rhode Island Deep Water Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians) Fishery 1875-1905 Download 6.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
|