The Road Home - Pt. 6 The Cathedrals enroute to Paris July 11-13

We leave Caen, and set up base in Rouen.  Rouen is the historic capital of Normandy, and is located on the Seine river.  Yes it does have a Cathedral, and yes it is Gothic.  The Cathedral was built over a period spanning the 12th to 16th centuries.
The view down the main axis of the Cathedral.

At the north transept there is a very lovely stone staircase which leads to the Cathedral library.

one of the rose windows in the Rouen Cathedral

Very Curious indeed the things you find hidden away (in plain view) in churches.  This is the final resting place of King Richard the 1st of England, a.k.a. Richard the Lionheart.  The tomb has a lion at his feet, but inside the tomb lies only his heart.

The facade of the Rouen Cathedral

In the old section of Rouen you can see some remaining half-timber buildings.

Le Gros Horloge, is an astronomical clock,,... I don't think its that gross.

From Rouen we strike out down the road to the Northeast to the village of Amiens, home of the largest Cathedral in France.  Yes you guessed it...Amiens Cathedral...yup Gothic.  Not only does Amiens have a kick butt Cathedral, it has the BEST salad Nicoise in France,... Rachel, she's all about the salad.

..and the best Entrecote in France....Sarah, she's all about the steak.

Amiens has some lovely canals running through it, lined with cafes and shops.

THE CATHEDRAL.  42.3 m to the ceiling (interior) and the largest cathedral in France.  The Cathedral was built between 1220 and 1270.  The initial impetus was to provide a place to house the head of John the Baptist.

On the outer facade, we have John the Baptist, and his head.

The interior of Amiens is incredible.  If you can only go to one Cathedral in France, well rearrange your trip, but be sure you include Amiens.  The windows reach to the height of the ceiling and flood the interior with light.

The Rose window

Just to the side of the main alter, you come upon an angel, peeking around the corner at you.

The head of John the Baptist, part of the loot collected during the 4th Crusade.  The skull was brought back from Constantinople

Very cool stained glass with intricate detail is everywhere.

We leave Amiens and go to Chartres to see the blue stained glass.  The colour is associated with the Cathedral to such an extent that the colour is called Chartres Blue.

The south rose window (the glorification of Christ)  c. 1225

The west rose window (The last judgement) c. 1215

Another of the many windows of Chartres in stunning blue.

Outside looking at the Rose window (west)

Next stop ... PARIS

The Road Home - Pt. 5 Bayeux and D-Day Beaches July 11

From our new base in Caen, we struck out to the D-day Beaches - kind of the opposite of what happened in 1944, where the goal was a base in Caen.  First stop Bayeux and the worlds longest comic strip ....aka the Bayeux Tapestry.  The Bayeux Tapestry tells the tale of William the Conqueror's defeat of England in 1066.  You can scroll through the 70 metre long tapestry at this site: http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/Bayeux1.htm

Below is the mill in "downtown" Bayeux.

The Cathedral at Bayeux, where Harold swears an oath to William.  Harold is the king's choice of successor, and the oath Harold swears is to make William king....it doesn't quite go down that way.

After Bayeux we drive to Omaha Beach the site of one of the US landings.  The monument below is to the US 1st infantry division.

Just in front of the ocean is this monument simply called "The Brave"

This is what they fought for....

Up on the ridge which overlooks Omaha Beach is this bunker, which sits at the side of the only road off the beach.  The sign says that the 467th Anti-Aircraft Artillery knocked out this bunker.  During the remainder of the landing operation at Omaha beach, this was the only road for men and equipment off the beach.

This church lies along the road off the beaches...the picture of the same area in 1944 is on the church wall.

Part of the "Atlantic Wall" at Longues-sur-Mer.  Situated between Omaha Beach (US Forces landing) and Gold Beach (British Forces landing).  The 152mm gun could put shells on either beach 10km away.

Juno Beach - Cross where General Charles de Gaulle returned to France.

looking down on Juno Beach where the Canadians landed.

Juno Beach - Cosy's Bunker, in honor of Lt. Cosy of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles who stormed it.

Canadian Juno Beach Centre

Canadian Forces memorial at Juno

Next stop Rouen.

The Road Home - Pt. 4 - Mont St. MIchel

Mont Saint-Michel sits on a lump of rock off the coast of Normandy.  The Mont has been a fortified site since ancient times, and the site of the Saint-Michel monastery since the 8th century.  The entire site is a UNESCO world heritage site.  Below is the view from the parking lot on the mainland.

As you walk down the causeway towards the island, you get a view of the fortified outer walls of the city.

The arrow slits in the outer fortified walls, where in days gone by "they" would be watching...., now "they" are still watching, but where are they?

View through the portal gate into the town.

On the walk up the mont to the abbey, we find a commemorative plaque, which reads on the 8th of May 1532 the abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel presented Jacques Cartier, the Navigator from St. Malo to Francois 1st.  The King of France charges him to explore the rivers of Canada.

The looking up at the abbey.

At low tide people will walk out on the mud flats to the mont

The refectory of Mont St. Michel abbey.

Next stop Caen.