On the ferry ride from the coast of England to the beaches of northern France, the cultural shift had become quite pronounced. French-speaking cafe hostesses and the official acceptance of Euros introduced our small cohort to mainland Europe. Coupled with these changes, we quickly spotted the beaches of Normandy and the rural regions of upper France. When the coach driver showed us the beautiful fields and farms of the country, I discerned the sheer multitude of livestock grazing on the land. I can honestly say this scenery reminded me of my hometown in Tennessee. As I later explored the French city of Bayeux with other students, the historical importance of the region revealed itself through a large concentration of tourists and several small antique shops. The town’s proximity to both the beaches of the Normandy invasion and nearby war-ravaged cities such as Cherbourg and St. Lo obviously justified its crucial connection to World War II. However, it was definitely the Bayeux Tapestry museum that most caught my attention.
With the sole exception of the majestic Pointe du Hoc, I found the Normandy beaches, the various historical museums, Mont. St. Michel, and Arromanches 360 relatively mediocre in terms of historical and cultural presentation. While almost every site visited was physically beautiful, I was hoping for more academically enriching experiences. I found that the relative lack of written information present at our various destinations partially smeared their historical value in the eyes of the beholder. Despite these circumstances, the wonderful Bayeux Tapestry exhibit introduced me to a background of the region that I had been relatively unfamiliar with. Through an audio recorded history of the Bayeux Tapestry, a visitor to the museum learns about the interesting ascent of William of Normandy to the English throne nearly a thousand years ago. Furthermore, the actual tapestry is on full display for the audience to view; this, in turn, gave the group the ability to follow its story both prior to and after the infamous Battle of Hastings. Upstairs, weapons and dioramas of the age ingrained observers with the culture of the Norman medieval period. Learning the in-depth history of William the Conqueror and his triumph over Harold brought a new light to this study abroad trip.
Bayeux Beauty
Norman Knights Outside of Tapestry Museum
Due to the World War II connotation of Bayeux, France, I was fully expecting to be inebriated with its involvement in the war and correspondence with the Allied invaders. To an extent, this did happen, but I was far more impressed with the historical interpretation of the region as presented by the Bayeux Tapestry. This just comes to show that traveling to foreign countries brings an extensive amount of history that easily surpasses that of the United States. Additionally, I also learned through the Bayeux Tapestry that one should not come to a new country with a mind set solely on World War II. In conclusion, the Bayeux Tapestry museum surprised me with its thorough representation of the events in 1066; this added a new layer to the cultural experiences encountered in Normandy.